Crunchy rich buttery pecans and creamy chocolate, but good for you? With a plant-based diet, you can enjoy decedent desserts with all of the flavor but none of the guilt! Your Blendtec makes creating raw vegan desserts a breeze.

Enjoy!

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Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving dinner staple. Have you ever made it yourself? Kristina from Fully Raw shared her recipe with us and it’s so easy to make! This raw recipe lets you take control of what you and your loved ones are eating. Forget the can this year and click on the recipe card below to print or save to your collection.

Fully Raw & Vegan Cranberry Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of fresh cranberries (red as possible)
• 1 cup of freshly pitted dates
• 1 honeycrisp or fuji apple, cored and quartered
• 1-2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 sprig herb of choice like rosemary or basil
• 1 handful of dried raisins to sweeten, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to WildSide+ or FourSide jar in order listed and secure lid.
2. Blend on “Batters” or on a Medium speed for 30 seconds. If too chunky, Pulse until desired texture is reached.
3. Store in refrigerator overnight.

Sometimes we’re so busy with the turkey and pies that we forget about the salad dressing. Instead of heading to the store, make your own balsamic vinaigrette. It’s a cinch to combine these ingredients in your Blendtec blender and keeps out chemicals and preservatives – that’s something everyone can get behind!

Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, quartered
• 1 small squirt of dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp honey, optional
• salt, pepper and basil to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to a Twister, Mini WildSide or FourSide jar and secure lid.
2. Blend on “Batters” cycle or a Medium speed for 30 seconds.

Meet the Blogger

This week we caught up with Wellness Mama who was happy to share her delicious recipe for balsamic vinaigrette dressing. We were also able to sit down and learn a little bit more about what some of her Thanksgiving traditions are, and her love of food.

Katie, the “Wellness Mama” is a wife and mom of six, as well as an award-winning blogger, author, podcaster and real food crusader. Her mission with WellnessMama.com is to provide simple answers for healthier families through practical tips, real food recipes, natural beauty and cleaning tutorials, natural remedies and more.

Want the secret to the smoothest turkey gravy around? Add your turkey broth, thickener and water to your Blendtec blender before heating it up on the stove. This tip will top off any Thanksgiving dinner perfectly! Thanks to Laura at HeavenlyHomemakers.com for sharing her gravy recipe with us. Save or print the recipe card below and add it to your collection.

Oh Good Gravy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups turkey broth
• 2 tbsp cornstarch, arrowroot powder, or wheat flour
• 1/3 cup cold water
• sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Add water, cornstarch and turkey broth to a Twister, FourSide, Mini WildSide or WildSide+ jar and secure lid.
2. Pulse 4-6 times until combined.
3. Pour gravy mixture into a saucepan and stir over medium heat until thickened.
4. Salt to taste.

   Meet the Blogger

   We caught up with Laura from Heavenly Homemakers who was happy to share her delicious turkey gravy recipe and learned more about her holiday traditions and love of food.Laura Coppinger (author) and her husband have four sons ages 11-19.  HeavenlyHomemakers.com is dedicated to inspiring women daily with healthy (and easy!) recipes, homemaking tips, spiritual encouragement, and good ol’ clean fun. HeavenlyHomemakers.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

   What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition? Inviting people who have no family around to enjoy our feast with us. It’s always the most beautiful, eclectic group of people.

   What is your favorite type of cuisine (Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Homemade creation, etc)? Homemade creations are my favorite by far!

   What is your favorite dish on the Thanksgiving table? It’s a toss up between turkey and green bean casserole.

   What sparked your love of food? I believe my love of food came from standing in my grandma’s kitchen, watching her cook for hours. She was so gifted at cooking and baking.

   What are your 3 go-to ingredients for a recipe? I’m well known for my love of butter! Boneless chicken thighs are amazing. And cream makes everything better.

Healthy Snickers?! Is that even possible? Let’s see what magic our guest blogger Yvonne came up with!

By Yvonne Feld of Tried and Tasty

It’s not uncommon for people to think that you can’t indulge while still being healthy. What they don’t realize is that is a totally false statement. You CAN indulge while still being healthy and these tasty little treats are proof! Snickers have always been one of my favorite candy bars. I love the caramel, the nougat, the crunch of the peanuts and, of course, the chocolate. Have you looked at the ingredient label on your favorite candy bars lately? Don’t. You do not want to see what you’ve been eating. Chances are you won’t be able to pronounce half of it anyway.

Insert my homemade version of healthy Snickers to the rescue. What I love about making treats and things at home is that YOU get to control the ingredients. You know exactly what goes into it and what you’re ultimately putting into your body. This decadent dessert is totally guilt free and incredibly easy. I’ve stashed mine away in the freezer for a ‘rainy day’ when I’ve got a hankering for something sweet. I made them regular size – but next time want to try a mini size of them (as the regular are big enough to cut in half and be satisfying!).

Healthy Snickers Bites

INGREDIENTS

2 cups dark chocolate chips

12 dates, soaked for 30 minutes (up to overnight)

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp water

1/3 cup peanuts, roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Add chocolate to a heatproof glass bowl.
2. Fill saucepan with 2” of water; bring to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Rest bowl over pan and cook until chocolate has melted. Set aside.
4. Add dates and peanut butter to Twister jar, blend on a Medium speed for 1-3 minutes until smooth. Add water to reach desired consistency.
5. Fill a muffin liner (silicone works best) with 1 tbsp melted dark chocolate.
6. Top with 1 tsp caramel filling.
7. Sprinkle with about 1 ½ tsp chopped peanuts.
8. Cover with 1 ½ tbsp melted dark chocolate.
9. Refrigerate or freeze until firm and remove from liner. Store in refrigerator.

About the Author

When she’s not at work or spending time with family or friends, chances are you’ll find Yvonne in the kitchen wearing an apron and a smile. Her passion for cooking and baking is endless and her appetite for trying out new and tasty recipes is unquenchable! In fact, that’s why the name of her recipe website is TriedandTasty.com. Yvonne slices, dices, and sautés her way through an abundance of new recipes on a regular basis and delivers only the best to her site’s treasured visitors.

By Carrie Forrest of Clean Eating Kitchen

My healthy eating journey has had a ton of ups and downs, including a diagnosis of thyroid cancer in 2012. I always tell people that the “secret weapon” during my recovery was making green smoothies in my Blendtec almost every day.

I’ve also dealt with food intolerances and autoimmune disease, so I have to be careful with foods like dairy and gluten. Most of all, I find that choosing real, whole foods and practicing stress management are a strong base for my healthier life.

That said, I’m such a foodie and have a real sweet tooth. So, I’ve made it a point to experiment with desserts that have a superfood twist. Turmeric is one of those superfoods getting a lot of attention lately. Studies show that the active compound in turmeric, called curcumin, has been shown to reduce inflammation (1).

Turmeric is a root, but it’s most often seen in its dried, ground form. It’s most recognizable as the bright pigment in mustard. Turmeric has a unique flavor, and can be used in both savory and sweet dishes.

In this easy dessert recipe, I use whole chia seeds that get blended with almond milk and dates into a dairy-free but very creamy pudding. The delicate flavor of turmeric combines nicely with the ground cinnamon, and a pinch of black pepper enhances the anti-inflammatory properties of the turmeric.

This is such an easy and health-promoting recipe, even kids will love a bite!

TURMERIC SPICE CHIA PUDDING

Makes 4 servings

Yield 2 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS

2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

4 tablespoons chia seeds

4 Medjool dates, pitted

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the almond milk, chia seeds, dates, vanilla extract, cinnamon, turmeric, and black pepper in the Blendtec Twister jar and secure gripper lid.
2. Blend on a high speed for 15-20 seconds, or until the ingredients are combined.
3. Pour the mixture into a glass jar and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the pudding to set.
4. Serve cold.

1. J Cell Physiol. 2017 Jan 6. doi: 10.1002/jcp.25778. [Epub ahead of print]Therapeutic Effects of Curcumin in Inflammatory and Immune-Mediated Diseases: ANature-Made Jack-of-All-Trades? Abdollahi E, Momtazi AA, Johnston TP, Sahebkar A.

About the Author

Carrie Forrest has a masters degree in public health, nutrition. Her blog,Clean Eating Kitchen, documents her journey to healthy, balanced living. Carrie’s recipes use real food ingredients that are dairy- and gluten-free.

If you like this recipe you may also like Carrie’s blog post on 10 Reasons to Drink Green Smoothies.

Birthdays are usually wonderful occasions, and a great excuse for a party or celebration, but what do you do with any leftover birthday cake? Chances are, you try to finish it up as quickly as possible or throw it away, but if you have a Blendtec you can easily make use of any leftover cake by making a birthday cake milkshake!

You will need:

2 – 3 pieces of leftover birthday cake, cut into small chunks
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
A dash of semi-skimmed milk
Whipped cream to decorate

Place the cake, vanilla ice cream and milk in your Blendtec and blendon on the “smoothie” setting for 60 seconds. Pour into a tall glass and decorate with some whipped cream.

It is indulgent, delicious and ensures that no leftover cake is thrown away.

Till next time, happy birthday to anyone who is celebrating, you know what to do with your leftover cake, and happy blending!