I personally want to say a huge THANK YOU to John from Minimalist Baker who created a series of amazing videos all about setting up Foodie Pro theme from Genesis. I knew doing this on my own would be almost impossible since I am computer-illiterate but John makes it easy; it was like he was right on my computer with me saying, “Ok Jess, this is how we technology…” and with his guidance I felt empowered over every little widget, plugin and coding that I set up. Technology can also be a verb right? This just shows how un-techy I am. If you want to switch up your theme to Foodie Pro, I cannot stress it enough to check out his step-by-step guide.

There are a few other changes around S&C that I have been fiddling with over the past week and I hope that everyone is ok with. First, there are now ads on my static page. If you do see any ads that are about “diet pills” or “sexy singles in your area” or anything explicit please email me at: jessica [dot]demarra[at]gmail[dot]com. I have blocked these ads from my Google AdSense account but if you see an ad that is offensive or explicit, email me! Side note: There are no sexy singles in your area, sorry. This ad placement is just to cover the cost of my domain hosting. Blogging does have its expenses besides the food, photography, props etc. so the mere few dollars I make off the ads is not for a profit in the least. Secondly, a subscription sign-up has been added. It took me forever to figure out how to do this and now I feel silly over how easy it was. If you want to be notified about new post, just sign up on the sidebar! P.S. This also guarantees you will receive your free copy of my eBook coming out this summer!

With that technical stuff done, let’s get to the part I actually enjoy…the food!

You know what grinds my gears? Secret recipes. I loathe it when I am at a function of some sort and I try something I love but the maker of the delicious treat coyly smiles and says, “Oh it is a secret recipe.” On the outside I may say, “Oh I guess I have to eat my fill now!” but on the inside I am giving them two thumbs down and blowing a raspberry in their face. To me, recipes are meant to be shared, enjoyed and passed along to a friend who passed it along to their friend etc. I call BS on secret recipes. I personally think that the maker of the infamous secret recipe is really just doing it for attention, their teeny moment of stardom amongst the Christmas Cookie Exchange or potluck dinner. Sharing is a good thing so don’t be selfish. Instead of the title of “Oh, she makes the best cookies but it is a secret,” people will say “I got the best recipe for cookies from so and so.” See? It is still nice and I promise I won’t give you cut-eye from across the room when you aren’t looking. Just to be clear, I am not very good at party going.

I recently purchased a cookbook that a popular vegetarian restaurant published; I flipped through their pages and happened upon one of their most famous dishes. I got really excited since this restaurant is nowhere near my home but I could still enjoy their recipe. I read the notes of the recipe and it said, “This recipe is similar but not exactly the recipe we use in our restaurant. We are keeping that one a secret.” Excuse me? The rational side of me says, “Oh ok, I mean they are a business blah blah” but my irrational side was shaking my fist at the book. I was so cheesed! Damn the secret recipe!

Recipes evolve from sharing, how you change them to suit your taste or add in an extra ingredient or two to make it someone else’s favourite. I would be nowhere without people sharing recipes with me, especially with baking. I am a better cook than a baker and without shared recipes I would not know where to begin to make any sweet treat. Sharing recipes is not about “giving up something” since the recipe is still yours but you are simply allowing someone to create something that you love as well. A big thanks to those who share their recipes, without you I would be starving. 

No Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Balls {Vegan & GF}

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Quick, easy and delicious oatmeal cookies with no oven required. Kids will have a great time forming these into balls of cookie dough that they can eat right away since it does not contain any raw eggs. I found myself eating a lot of it right out of the bowl! This recipe can be made gluten free by purchasing certified gluten free oats and nut free by replacing the cashew butter with your favourite brand or homemade sun butter.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: vegan, no bake, gluten free

Cuisine: Vegan

Serves: 15-16 balls

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats, divided (gluten free if necessary)
• 2 tablespoons raw cashew butter
• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
• ¼ cup agave or pure maple syrup (I used agave)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 tablespoon ground golden flax seed
• 3 tablespoons raisins or another dried bite-sized fruit (I used golden raisins and dried cranberries)

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, process 1.5 cups of oats until fine flour forms. Add the rest of the oats and pulse 3 times. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the cashew butter, oil, agave, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together until completely smooth. Add the oats, flax and dried fruit. Stir with a wooden spoon until completely combined. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for 5 minutes before forming into balls; I found the mixture to be too warm and sticky to form right away.
3. Take the mixture out of the refrigerator, measure out with a measuring tablespoon, form and continue with the remaining dough. I store the cookie dough in a sealed container in the fridge since slightly chilled cookie dough tastes amazing.

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