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life

The Big Move

July 10, 2013
figgyandsprout-moving-to-new-york

Time to spill some pretty huge news… I moved to New York City! And the real reason things have been a little quiet around here lately is due to the fact that I have been completely preoccupied with finding an apartment, unpacking, interviewing for jobs and too many summer parties to count. There will be plenty more posts to come once I get settled into my new home – I promise.

 

Birthday Celebration Tarts

June 3, 2013
katie-birthday

Today is my birthday! I turn 26.

The day brought much reprieve and rest, along with ample sunshine. My fiancé and I packed a picnic lunch and spent the afternoon enjoying some lovely eats and the warm weather along the harbor. We even have some new freckles to prove it.

I don’t usually aim for anything too fancy on the big day. I like keeping things simple. I’m totally content with enjoying a nice meal with friends and sharing some dessert. There’s always some dancing involved too. Over the weekend I did just that. I set off gallivanting the streets of Cork with my dear friend Emma. You can be sure there was plenty of banter and laughter shared, the best kind of celebrating.

Upon arriving at Emma’s house on Saturday, she remarked, “You look like a tart.” This was funny for multiple reasons. First off, Irish insults are interesting terms of endearment which are abundant in the friendship between Emma and me. Secondly, as coincidence would have it, I just so happened to be experimenting with these raw tarts for my birthday. I went on to explain the intricacies of making raw tarts with nothing but nuts and dates. It turns out we both have bold minds. We collapsed in a huge fit of giggles. Who knew Veganism could be so risqué?

These tarts are pretty amazing. Let’s forget for a moment that they are vegan, gluten-free and raw, and just focus on the delectable elements that combine to create perfection. Raw desserts really are my fave (especially during the summer months.) I can enjoy an incredibly delicious, nutrient-dense dessert without post-dessert remorse. I can feel really good about what I am putting into my body, and what I am feeding the people I love. That is truly something to celebrate.

birthday-celebration-raw-tarts

Raw Berry Tarts

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 1 cup of almonds
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 cup of medjool dates

Filling:

  • 1/4 cup raw cashews (soaked for 3 hours)
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 3 Tbsp filtered water
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Toppings:

  • fresh blackberries, strawberries, raspberries or blueberries
  • mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Crust:

  1. In a high powered blender or food processor, blend the almonds and allspice until it becomes a fine consistency. Then add in the dates one by one until they have all been added and you have a sticky dough.
  2. Divide the mixture into 6 muffin or tart tins.  Then press the mixture into the tin forming the crust.
  3. Place them in the fridge until you are ready to fill them.

Filling:

  1. Drain the cashews after they have been soaking for at least three hours and place them in a blender or food processor along with the lemon juice, zest, water and maple syrup. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding additional water as needed.

Assembly:

  1. Place the filling in each tart, heaping it up in the center, using up all the filling. Top each tart with berries and a garnish of mint leaves. Enjoy!

Tarts are best eaten same day but will keep in the fridge for up to two days. 

 Now it’s time to pop some bubbly and toast to another amazing year.

One Year Anniversary

April 11, 2013
thank-you-one-year

Happy Anniversary! figgy & sprout is one year old today. In honor of this special day, I made a pie. My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who have read, commented and participated in the figgy & sprout blog over the past year. I feel so lucky to have such an encouraging community of people supporting me. I had no idea that this project would grow into such a colossal affair, but my passion and inspiration for it has only continued to grow through your unwavering support.

This year will be filled with exciting new things and incredible adventures, such as the launch of videos, reader request recipes and of course more enlightening advice to help you along your path to total well being.

Remember, if you want to stay on top of all the posts published, you can subscribe to figgy & sprout. Just click on the RSS feed at the top of the page and never miss a thing! Also sign up for my newsletter. And if you have questions, comments or the desire to contact me for any reason, send me a message through the contact page. I thank you for continuing to share this site with the important people in your life – we are up to 10,000 visitors a month! Wow. Thank you.

Us

March 27, 2013
gavin-katie-paris-proposal

When you weren’t looking, I jaunted off to Paris last week. It was an unforgettable trip made even more special by a proposal by my partner of three years. I have fallen so deeply and wholeheartedly in love with Gavin that my heart may explode. I wish you could know him because he is hilariously witty, sincere, honest, talented, exceedingly handsome and selfless in ways you maybe wouldn’t know unless you were me.

I am going to spare you the rest of the sap that still seems too good to be true. This is the real thing. We learn to love by being shown love, and I’m marrying my mentor in that. So today there isn’t a recipe, a stunning picture of produce or a rant of how I love green smoothies. He is mine and I’m over the moon…