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Day 94 It’s Hot in Topeka

February 16, 2010 By 2 Comments

And in Kfar Saba.  It’s only February and I’ve got my sweat on just sitting here.  It’s times like this when I look around at myself, living here in Israel, and think “What the @#$% were you thinking????!!!”

Oh well.  I’m here now.  Israeli citizen and all.  Therefore, the show must go on.

I went for a run this morning at 8:30am.  Clearly this is no longer early enough as it was hot enough to melt my jog bra to my chest.  Then I came home and drank this:

Banana, Orange, Strawberries, Flax-Pumpkin Mix & Water
Refreshing!

For lunch I had this pretty baby:

Veggie Burger, Pesto, Tomato Slices & Avocado on Whole Grain + Side Salad of Baby Greens
Yum
Then I decided to make Nut Butter.  Aside from the heat, Israel has another fault.  Yes, just one ;-)
No Trader Joe’s.
This is a crime really.  And because there is no Trader Joe’s, there is no TJ’s Almond Butter for $5.00/big jar.  Yes, we have almond butter here and no doubt it’s fresh and straight from our very own almond trees.   However, the price is steeeep and the container very small.
I had tried to make my own almond butter before.  My juicer, for pete’s sake, claims it will make creamy, smooth almond butter, but it lies.  I was met, several times, with expensive, almond butter failure.
Then I found the answer here.  It turns out that I was on the right track, but just quit too early each time.  The trick is just to keep the food processor running and don’t give up too soon.  I shall walk you through it.
Put 4 oz (100g) raw almonds and 4 oz (100g) raw hazelnuts in the oven at 160C for 13-15 minutes, stirring once mid-way.  (Yes, you can use all almond, but I didn’t have enough and lurve me hazelnuts very much).

When they are roasted, put them in a clean dishtowel and rub the skins off the hazelnuts.  You can skip this step if you’re using all almonds or another nut.

Then cool for about 5 minutes and place in the food processor.
Now, start processing the nuts on medium-high, stopping every minute or two to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  It will take about 10-15 minutes of processing but trust that it WILL happen.  At first it will look grainy and you will want to throw your machine at me, but keep going.  Suddenly you will notice it has become creamy and then emulsified and finally smooth.
I wish there was smell-o-vision at this point!
Insaenly Divine Smelling!!!

So it looks like I will survive without Trader Joe’s after all.  It also seems like the weather is cooling down a bit now.  Everything is going to be alright.

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Filed Under: Recipes, Recommendations, vegan challenge

Comments

  1. Jenn says:
    February 16, 2010 at 7:49 pm

    What were you thinking? Well, we have gotten over 30" of snow this month alone. I don't think NYC is far behind … so … that is what you were thinking. :)

    Jenn

    Reply
  2. Emily Segal, MA, CHHC says:
    February 16, 2010 at 8:18 pm

    I know. It seems crazy to complain when there is snow and cold and ice ad naseum in the US. But good grief, this is HOT! I should have picked something in between.

    Reply

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