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Root + Savor

Connecting with food in a healthy way

Snacks

February 1, 2019 By Karis Alex Leave a Comment

Cilantro Jalapeño Hummus

Make this creamy, spicy Cilantro Jalapeño Hummus made with chickpeas, fresh garlic, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and tahini. All you need is a blender or food processor!

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

Creamy, spicy, fresh & smooth. Cilantro Jalapeño Hummus here to fill in all these adjectives.

This hummus beats the regular, plain old hummus containers from the store. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for those lovely, convenient containers. But, once you start making your own hummus with all the flavor from cilantro & spicy jalapeños that you’d want, will you really go back?

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

I’m sure you don’t want to hear that I used to be one of those people against hummus. Cause I’m sure you are already reading this post because you are a hummus fan. Well, good for you. I don’t need to convert you to the hummus side.

But for those of you who think hummus can be average and like you don’t even want to dip your veggies in it. Like you’d rather just eat the raw carrot and not bother dipping in the hummus. THEN THIS HUMMUS IS FOR YOU!

FRESH CILANTRO! FRAGRANT GARLIC! PEPPERY JALAPEÑOS!

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

But you also want easy and throw all the things in a blender/food processor kind of hummus. Cause if you are gonna make it, it REALLY has to be good cause or else you’d just buy it at the store…

Okay, I hear you. Cause you want your hummus and you want to eat it too.

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

And with a heavy drizzle of good quality olive oil on top because if you’ve been around here for a second, you know I’m all about the EVO.

This cilantro jalapeño hummus is made with only 7 ingredients (8 if you count sea salt!):

  • garlic
  • lemon
  • chickpeas
  • cilantro
  • tahini
  • jalapeño
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • sea salt
Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

Wondering what those crunchy chickpeas are doing on top? They are like the croutons to a salad! You could make them at home or you could buy them at Trader Joes! And if you make them at home just steal a couple of chickpeas from the garbanzo bean can and throw them in the oven with some olive oil!

When you need an idea for a party appetizer, for instance, game-day or girls-night, look no further! Make this Jalapeño Cilantro Hummus and you’ll be the hit of the party! Alright, promises here I’m willing to keep.

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

The vehicle of choice here for the cilantro jalapeño hummus: rice crackers, carrots and cucumbers. What else do you want to dip with? Cherry tomatoes bursting with flavor! Broccoli florets and celery and mini peppers!

Or just eat straight with a spoon.

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

If you make this recipe, be sure to tag @rootandsavor on instagram and follow along on Facebook!

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Cilantro Jalapeño Hummus

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

Hummus

  • 1 15oz can of chickpeas (slightly drained)
  • 1 jalapeño (seeds intact for more heat or removed for less heat)
  • 1 bunch of cilantro (stems included)
  • 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus additional for topping)
  • 1 lemon (juiced)
  • 1 tsp sea salt (plus additional to taste)

Roasted Chickpeas (optional)

  • 1/4 cup chickpeas
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 (if making roasted chickpeas)

  2. To a blender or food processor add peeled garlic cloves, jalapeño (if desired you can remove the seeds for less spiciness!), juice of lemon and whole bunch of cilantro (the stems are flavorful so you can keep them on). Pulse until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. You want to do this step first before adding the rest of the ingredients so that the garlic, cilantro and jalapeño are smooth before adding the chickpeas.

  3. To the same blender or food processor, add slightly drained chickpeas, extra virgin olive oil, tahini, and sea salt and blend until creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.

  4. To make the roasted chickpeas, combine in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. 

  5. Spread on baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes or until chickpeas are crispy. Top off the hummus with crispy chickpeas, drizzle of olive oil and desired amount of sea salt. 

  6. Serve hummus with veggies, crackers, chips or pita!

July 11, 2018 By Karis Alex Leave a Comment

Keto Chocolate Truffles

Jump to Recipe

These creamy, nut butter Keto Chocolate Truffles are made with only 4 ingredients! Perfect for a dessert or chocolate fat bomb snack!

Keto Chocolate

What I love about these keto chocolate truffles is that they require zero double-boilers or a fancy candy thermometer. They are fool proof and easy to make.

Ingredients you’ll need:

-cocoa powder

-nut butter

-coconut oil

-sweetener (optional)

Then you can go from there and add some fun toppings like flaky sea salt, cinnamon, cacao nibs or slivered almonds. Or even some freeze dried raspberries, coconut flakes or chia and hemp seeds!

I’ll often get inspiration by walking through the chocolate bar aisle in the health food store. And then I’ll want to buy all the pretty packaged chocolate but then remember I can make it at home! 

Here I’ve just used an ice cube tray that is rubber on the bottom for an easy pop out! I store these chocolates in the freezer or fridge because the coconut oil gets a little melty when left out for too long. Then you can transfer the chocolate to a mason jar and have a chocolate truffle whenever you want 🙂

If you are a dark chocolate fan like me, then you’ll love these! If you aren’t so much of a 100% dark chocolate kinda person, have no fear, cause you can add stevia or maple syrup or honey and AS MUCH AS YOU WANT. Okay, but don’t go overboard, cause really, that nut butter makes it so creamy and a lil sweet that you really don’t need a lot of extra sweetener.

If you are on the Keto train right now, these are the perfect snackers with no added sugar. What also makes them Keto is they are low carb. I’ve only tried using organic liquid stevia but I’m sure you could try other varieties out there too. Remember, you just need a few drops of liquid stevia because it’s very concentrated.

Really, why wouldn’t you always have these keto chocolate truffles on hand? I don’t know why I wouldn’t either. So, looks like I need to make another batch 🙂 And if you are on the chocolate kick, may I suggest making my chocolate peppermint fudge?

The great thing about these chocolate truffles is that the recipe is loose enough to make room for variations. If you’d prefer to use grass fed butter rather than coconut oil, the texture of the truffles will be that–a little more buttery and chewy! Or if you want to try adding a little bit of heavy cream or coconut cream (start out with 2 tbsp) then you’ll also get a similar smooth texture. You can also opt out completely from the nut butter or even use less of the amount. But why would you do that? Alright, we have an action plan here now.

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Keto Chocolate Truffles

Servings 16

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil or grass fed butter
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup almond butter or other nut butter cashew butter would be really creamy!
  • 1/4 tsp stevia or other sweetener to taste adjust measuring if using liquid
  • optional toppings coconut flakes, freeze dried strawberries, hemp seeds

Instructions

  1. Melt coconut oil or grass fed butter on low heat. Stir in almond butter until fully incorporated. Mix in cocoa powder until dissolved.

  2. Add stevia and taste the chocolate mixture. Then pour chocolate into a glass measuring cup with a spout and divide into the rubber ice cube molds. Place in freezer until fully solid (about 45 minutes). Pop the chocolate truffles out, place them in a mason jar and store in the freezer or fridge!

  3. Fun pptional add ins are flaky sea salt on top of chocolate molds (place in freezer for a couple minutes to get a little solid before topping with sea salt so it doesn't drop), chia seeds or cacao nibs! 

Recipe Notes

Storing the chocolate truffles in the fridge will give them a softer texture than in the freezer. If keeping for a few weeks, store in freezer to last longer. 

January 24, 2018 By Karis Alex Leave a Comment

Ginger Coconut Smoothie Bowls

Are we still on a smoothie kick? Can we transfer it to bowls? Cause sometimes ya just need a spoon with your smoothie when it’s SO thick and then why not just pour it into a bowl…aka smoothie ice-cream. Ok, ok maybe greens in your ice-cream is going a little far but I’m telling you smoothie bowls are just the best to eat! Creamy, thick, and even better when you let it sit in the freezer for several minutes.

What I love about smoothie bowls is I tend to load them up so they are filling enough for a meal. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I’m just drinking a liquid smoothie out of a cup, I don’t feel like I’m really digesting a meal. Taking the time to sit down with a spoon and a bowl and have breakfast is one of my favorite things (hello to Caramelized Banana Steel Cut Oats).

One of the biggest differences between regular smoothies and smoothie bowls is just the texture. I don’t add as much liquid, and generally only milk instead of water (i.e. coconut milk or cream, almond milk, full fat grass fed cow’s milk). I also combine various veggies + fruits + fats + protein in the smoothie bowls. My all time favorite is peeling fresh ginger (use the spoon to scrape off the skin!) and grating it right in the smoothie.

When I think about veggies to add in, I want them to be hearty, leafy greens like kale or spinach. I love finding them at the grocery store in power green blends because I can use it during the week for my salads, sautéed with eggs, and I can freeze some for later prepping smoothie bowls! Getting a thick smoothie is all about freezing your veggies + fruits before hand. What I like to do is make extra cauliflower and zucchini for dinner and then chop it up to freeze for breakfast smoothies. These are the perfect thickening agents (and I promise you that you won’t taste them!) plus you aren’t loading up on tons of fruit.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to tell you to leave out the fruit in your smoothies. I’m not crying about frozen bananas because there is too much sugar in them. I actually love chopping them up and putting them in the freezer for smoothies (also banana nice cream anyone?) But what I am saying is think about how to cook a meal. Think about making a green salad–you probably wouldn’t add piles and piles of fruit. We are building a balanced meal bowl full of veggies + fruits + protein + fats.

Let’s get on to the fats. Don’t fear the fats! They are great for keeping you full longer, balancing hormones, boosting your immune system and are anti-inflammatory. Ideas include but are not limited to: ground flax, chia, or hemp seeds (richest in fiber too), full-fat dairy (like raw milk and Greek yogurt are the best!), kefir, nut butters, avocado (don’t throw away your about-to-go-bad-‘cados but dice them up and freeze them!), coconut oil and cocoa powder. I like topping my smoothies with coconut shreds and granola as well for an extra crunch!

Make sure you add a protein source! My favorite is using organic grass-fed whey protein which balances blood sugar, reduces cravings, strengthens muscles and burns fat. Another option is bone broth or collagen powder, pea, brown rice or hemp protein powder.

Now you can pretend that you are on a vacation, in the tropics and make these Ginger Coconut Smoothie Bowls!

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Ginger Coconut Smoothie Bowls

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1-2 cups frozen fruit (mangoes and mixed berries are my favorite!)
  • 4 inch cube fresh ginger
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 2 cups spinach or kale best if frozen
  • 1 tbsp flax, chia or hemp seeds
  • 2 servings vanilla or unflavored protein powder
  • handful of ice optional
  • 1/2 cup yogurt or kefir optional
  • 1 tbsp coconut or MCT oil optional

Instructions

  1. Scrape the skin off of the ginger with a spoon and chop into 4 pieces. Combine all the ingredients in a blender on high speed for 1-2 minutes. 

  2. I like to add yogurt or kefir if I have on hand for probiotics! It will also add to the creamy texture of the smoothie. 

  3. Pour smoothie into bowls and pop in the freezer for 15 minutes for more "ice-cream" like texture! And enjoy 🙂

Recipe Notes

Pro-tip: If you have extra smoothie and just can't seem to finish it all, pour into ice cube trays and store them in the freezer. Then next time when you are making a smoothie, take the "smoothie cubes" out of the freezer and let them thaw a bit so you can pop them out and put them in your blender!

December 18, 2017 By Karis Alex Leave a Comment

Peppermint Fudge (GF, Paleo, Vegan)

Fudge is definitely a classic holiday treat. Quintessential for a Christmas party. Better yet, make it Peppermint Fudge. It’s so chewy, so creamy, and so very Christmas.

This dessert is made with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. Literally you only need 5 items. Cocoa powder, coconut oil, nut butter, peppermint extract and sweetener of choice. The best part is you don’t need to bake and you it only takes 5 minutes to make. The rest of the process is to let it harden in the freezer and then you have a treat in just 20 minutes! 

This fudge is sweetened with natural sugars and if you’d like to make it less sweet you could just use half the amount of maple syrup.  And for anyone who is gluten-free, paleo, or vegan this fudge is for you! I also like to store this fudge in the freezer and enjoy it right away but if you like it on the softer side you could store it in the fridge. And then of course if you are feeling festive then add a little bit of crushed candy canes on top cause they add a whole lot of merry to this fudge!

Print

Peppermint Fudge

Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 15 squares

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Coconut oil
  • 1/4 Cup Maple syrup
  • 1/2 Cup Sunbutter or other nut butter
  • 1/2 Cup Walnuts
  • 1/2 Cup Cocoa powder
  • 1 Tsp Peppermint extract

Instructions

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a pan to melt on the stove. Once the chocolate is  melted then pour into a loaf pan with parchment paper. Let cool in the freezer for 20 minutes and cut into desired sized squares. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint on top and enjoy! 

December 3, 2017 By Karis Alex Leave a Comment

Coconut Almond Bars (No Bake)

A healthy, coconut almond treat, so easy to make and sweetened with natural sugar!

These are too good not to have them in your fridge all the time. I made them the other night for Kosta’s birthday treat. We love them that much! They are classy enough to be birthday desserts and classic enough to be your afternoon snack. They are simple ingredients that you’ll want to keep on hand so you can always replenish your stash. Coconut shreds, ground almonds, coconut oil and maple syrup. That’s basically it and just add some spices! You probably already know that my two favorite sweet spices are cinnamon and cardamom so just accept that they’ll be in the mix 🙂

What I love about these bars is that they are very versatile to fit whatever you need. Meaning they can be paleo. Or vegan. Even keto! If you need to swap out honey for maple syrup or stevia for sweetener, it’s an easy substitute! And you can get creative by adding the different extracts like peppermint for Christmas time or almond extract is my personal favorite which you’ll see in this recipe! They taste like a healthy snickerdoodle cookie which is just the best. I store these bars in the refrigerator if I’m going to eat them that week, otherwise they can be placed in the freezer for several weeks and still taste amazing! The coconut oil helps these bars hold their shape so leaving them out too long at room temperature may cause the oil to melt a little bit.

Pink Himalayan sea salt, Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom and almond extract are in my opinion the winning combination here. And everyone will love these bars are your next holiday party or pre-workout snack or an after dinner dessert! Plus, these are packed with healthy fats that keep you happy and satisfied. Coconut oil reduces inflammation with high levels of antioxidants, boosts your immune system, improves energy levels, and contains fatty acids which is awesome for your skin!

Creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, nutty bars are just calling your name. Plus no-bake which means you could be making these in less than 5 minutes and if you don’t have the patience to let them cool in the freezer than I guess you’ll just have to eat them like cookie dough but ya, know, I mean you can have both (maybe I know from experience?) What a day to be a live guys. You can have your bars and eat them too!

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No Bake Coconut Almond Bars

A healthy, coconut almond treat, so easy to make and sweetened with natural sugar!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 14 bars
Calories 222 kcal
Author Karis Alex

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almonds ground
  • 1 cup coconut oil melted
  • 1 cup coconut flakes shredded
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup more or less to taste
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract vanilla or peppermint too
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon more to taste
  • 1/8 tsp Pink Himalayan sea salt more to taste

Instructions

  1. If using whole almonds, grind them up in your blender until texture of almond meal/flour (can be coarsely ground). 

  2. Melt coconut oil on the stove top until clear and no clumps. Then add all ingredients together in a large bowl. 

  3. Pour ingredients in a 9x9 pan with parchment paper. Press with hand or spatula so that it reaches all corners of the pan. Cool in the freezer until solid (about 20-30 minutes) then cut into bars and enjoy! 

Recipe Notes

Trader Joe's sells almond meal or almond flour too. Sometimes I'll buy whole almonds and then grind them up in my blender to make almond meal, which is just a bit coarser then normal flour.

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Meet Karis


Hey there! My name is Karis and I’m from Minnesota, although I don’t know anything about hot dishes, jello fruit salad, or canned casseroles. See, my Mom grew up in Japan and learned how to cook miso soup and fermented soybeans and sushi. So despite us living in the North, I was the kid who ate dried seaweed and brown rice and mochi bean paste for lunch instead of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches....

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