4 Fresh Seasonal Recipes from Sakara Life

Nourish your soul and reconnect with the ones you love by creating these 4 delicious recipes…

Sakara translates into thoughts to things. It’s a sanskrit concept that explores the idea of manifestation and the ability we all have to provide a physical form to each of our hopes, desires and dreams. We chose this name for our meal delivery business because we know how integral a role food plays in the ability to manifest. Yes, it will help you create your best body, but it will also help you think, make decisions, create, interact, experience and fall in love. Food is the building blocks of your body (quite literally), but it also impacts the structure of your life. Each bite you take has a very real impact on your reality that has nothing to do with your complexion, nor your waistline.

For us, this is one of the things that makes the holiday season so special. Growing up, the holidays were a time spent in the kitchen for both of us. A dedicated time to come together with family, to feel comfort, warmth and home. A space carved out of our lives to experiment, create, share and play. Whether it was decorating homemade holiday cookies or making peanut brittle from scratch, everything we’d eat during the holiday season came straight from the earth and was made with our loving hands. Inside each bite was tradition, laughter and love. And, boy, how good those things taste!

We are not the type of girls to pass up on our favorite foods, no matter how rich, fatty or caloric
they may be – they don’t scare us! But we are the type of girls to put our own, healthy spin on traditional foods we love where possible. Below we’ve included some of our absolute favorite holiday recipes — the kind that take us right back to mom’s kitchen, seated on the countertop, flour in hair, chocolate all over the mouth. But we’ve added a little Sakara spin to each, amping up the nutrition and the love in each bite.

Don’t forget to create these dishes with loved ones, your favorite holiday music and some yummy smelling candles (or fireplace if you’re lucky!). Spend this dedicated time reconnecting to those people who are getting their hands deliciously dirty with you, experiment, mess up, delight at what you have created together, and enjoy each and every bite. Not only will this food be helping create your healthy, beautiful body, but these nutrients, these experiences, and these memories will support you creating exactly what you want in life. #Thoughtstothings baby!

The recipes:

Raw Superfood Banana Bread

2 cups raw almonds

1 1/4 cup raw walnuts, divided

1/2 cup oat groats

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp sea salt

6 medjool dates, pitted

2 medium bananas, very ripe

2 tbsp matcha powder

1/4 cup goji berries

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Unsweetened coconut flakes, for garnish

Directions:

1. Mix nuts, oat groats, cinnamon and salt together in a food processor.

2. After nuts are blended thoroughly, add the pitted dates and bananas. Blend until mixture becomes like dough and add matcha powder.

3. Remove the S blade and mix in goji berries, dark chocolate chips and remaining walnut pieces with a large spoon.

4. Press superfood dough into any size pan and sprinkle with any remaining goji berries and walnuts! Stick it in the freezer, and let it sit overnight. Freeze until ready to eat. Sprinkle with coconut flakes for garnish and enjoy!

Kabocha Mac N’ Cheese with Crunchy Seed Crumble

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Kabocha Sauce

1 large kabocha squash

3 garlic cloves

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 ½ cups cooked cannellini beans

¾ cup nutritional yeast

2 tsp spicy Dijon mustard

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt

2 tsp paprika

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup of unsweetened cashew milk

2 – 3 cups quinoa pasta

1 bunch fresh tarragon

Seed crumble


1 cup sunflower seeds

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp hemp seeds

½ tsp sea salt

2 garlic cloves

¼ tsp ground paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut butternut squash into cubes and mix with coconut oil. Once all squash is covered, sprinkle sea salt and place in oven to cook for about 20 minutes.

2. While waiting for the squash to soften, start making the superfood crumble topping. In a large dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sunflower seeds, tossing often so that they do not burn, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the seeds to a large plate to cool. Place them in a food processor with the remaining topping ingredients and pulse several times.

3. Place squash and cooked beans in a food processor. Add dry ingredients first, and pour in rice milk until desired consistency is reached.

4. Boil a pot of water to cook the quinoa macaroni. Once cooked and drained, drizzle pasta with olive oil and stir in butternut squash sauce and fresh tarragon.

5. Pour the pasta into any baking dish and top it off with the superfood crumble mixture.

6. Bake until crumble turns golden, about 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle extra tarragon on top if desired! Try your very hardest to wait until it cools before digging in.

Rosemary Roasted Veggies w/ Spicy Harissa Walnut Dip

Roasted Veggies

winter veggies of choice

1 bundle fresh rosemary

1 tbsp. coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheight.

Wash veggies and cut into large chunks. Placed veggies on a tray and rub with coconut oil and sprinkle rosemary throughout. Place in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until tender.

Spicy Harissa Pepper-Walnut Dip

Makes 2 cups of dip

1 cup toasted walnuts

1/3 cup hulled hemp seeds

2 cups roasted red peppers

2 garlic cloves

1/4 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

2 tbsp hemp oil

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to broiler setting. Place sliced peppers on a baking sheet and broil until charred. About 15 minutes.

2. Place peppers in a bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap, allowing peppers to steam for about 15 minutes.

3. Toast walnuts over medium heat until golden.

4. Combine toasted walnuts, hemp seeds, garlic ground cumin, paprika and coriander in food processor and pulse.

5. Once peppers are cooled, peel skins off and remove seeds.

6. Mix peppers and hemp oil into nut mixture and blend into a smooth paste.

7. Spoon paste into a bowl and place alongside roasted veggies. Double-dipping is always allowed.

The Winter Kale Salad

Salad

6 cups chopped kale

1 lb shaved roasted brussels sprouts

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup chia candied walnuts (below)

Magic Mushroom Dressing

Chia Candied Walnuts

1 cup walnuts

4 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp chia seeds

Directions:

1. Placed chopped kale in a large bowl and mix in fresh lemon juice. Massage kale for about 5 minutes with plenty of love.

2. Place kale in fridge to soften while preparing other ingredients.

3. Chop Brussels sprouts into quarters and place in a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, with olive oil. Add the Brussels sprouts. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are just tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

4. Allow for Brussels sprouts to cool for about 10 minutes, and then combine with kale and add in remaining ingredients. Pour Magic Mushroom dressing all over.

Walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together walnuts and maple syrup.

3. Add the chia seeds and stir to coat well.

4. Spread walnuts onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum, making sure spread is in one layer.

5. Pour any excess liquid onto nuts and bake in oven for about 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

SAKARA Life
Models: Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle of Sakara Life
Photographer: Jess Roberts
Hair: Billy Schaedler @ Bryan Bantry
Makeup: Julianna Grogan @ Bryan Bantry