Energy Butter #1

Hey hey, I’m back! Did you miss me? I’ve been pretty sporadic with posting recipes lately, but I’ve got a ton of excuses (ok one: I was very busy), and an awesome recipe for you, so maybe that’ll help.

So the big news is. . . I finished college! It was a lot less dramatic than I expected. Finals week was conducted from my couch and after typing and re-typing a rather in-depth open-book essay-question final that involved descriptions of how ownership of Middle Eastern oil fields has changed over time, nuclear fission, and a blueprint of the future energy profile of the United States (what IS this class????? Will I ever use this information again?????? And help!!!!), I clicked submit. Done.

Done. Just like that. It was rather anti-climactic. I’m not sure what I expected, three and a half years ago when I started this mess, but that wasn’t it.

But then I didn’t expect a lot of things. I didn’t plan on graduating with a Bachelor’s in General Studies. Or changing my major five times. Or a final semester online. Or stepping away from my division one track program with a nice little scholarship. I didn’t expect to hate it. It always seems like everyone talks about the good ole college days and I expected them to be, well, a lot of good ole fun.

I did learn a lot though. Mostly about myself, and a little bit about nuclear fission, the history of psychology, forest fires, physical education, and all the other subjects I tried to like. And the future looks even more exciting. I’ll be working part time, chasing down my athletic goals (literally), and moving to Bend, Oregon (one of the coolest places you’ll ever go). So I might not be using this little degree I just earned, but the process of getting it really did make me who I am today. I’ll also be making some pretty rad food creations. Like this energy butter. Energy butter? A few weeks ago, I grew sick of almond butter on my toast (something I didn’t know could happen) and microwaved an energy ball and spread it on said toast instead. The result was so mind boggling that I decided to make jars of the stuff simply to spread on toast. It’s raw and simple and tastes like happiness in a jar. Also energy in a jar. The two go hand-in-hand.

I’ve made two varieties so far. One with sunflower and pumpkin seeds and one with cashews and walnuts. I can’t decide which I like better so usually have both with breakfast (the best kind of indecision).

Here’s the sunflower pumpkin seed one. It’s great for toast, plain, in oatmeal, plain, in sandwiches, plain, and oh, it’s pretty good as a nice post-workout snack by the spoonful as well.

Lots of healthy fats, some protein, carbs, and natural sugars. Looks pretty good to me. Food = Fuel.

SUNFLOWER PUMPKIN SEED ENERGY BUTTER

(yield: 1 1/2 cups or about a peanut butter jar-full)

• 2/3 cup sunflower seeds (raw, unsalted, hulled)
• 2/3 cup pumpkin seeds (same deal)
• 1/3 cup dates
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup + 2 Tb water

Put the sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in the food processor and process until fine. Add the remaining ingredients and process until almond-butter consistency is achieved. You may need to stir the mixture a few times in between processing to get the lumps out. You’re done. Stores great in jars in the fridge.

Now go climb a mountain. You’ve got the energy.

~Thunderbuns