Beef Stew and blueberry icebox dessert

This morning I got busy in the kitchen. I haven't used my slow cooker in a while and asked my hubby if there was something he would like me to make and he suggested a beef stew. Therefore I pulled out a cookbook that I have had for years, and made the beef stew from the eat clean diet

In a zip lock bag, add 1/3 cup of flour (I used spelt), 1 tbsp of Oregano, 1 tbsp of basil, and 1/2 tsp of Salt and pepper. Add your beef cubes in the bag and shake it up till it's all coated. In a pan, add olive oil, and brown the beef cubes, then add to the slow cooker.

Chop up the following vegetables:
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 carrots
2 parsnip (I used turnip instead)
4 celery stalks
2 sweet potatoes
Water chestnuts (1 cup)

Add all vegetables to the slow cooker, then add 3 cups of beef stock and 1 tbsp of tomato paste. I also use some of the left over flour and herbs (3 tbsp) mix it in a bit of beef broth and add to slow cooker to help thicken it up more. I have put mine on high for 2 hours, then brought it down to low to continue to cook until supper. I got up a bit late this morning, so decided to cook it on high for a few hours.

I also prepared a dessert that I haven't made in a long time, but it's one of our favorites. This is a raw dessert, from Ani's Raw Food desserts

She puts Pineapple for hers, but I put blueberry. I have tried it with pineapples and it is very good, but I have plenty of frozen blueberries in my freezer. This dessert is very easy to make, and no cooking involved, which makes it great for a very warm day. Here's how you make it:

Crust:
2 cups cashews
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 1 tbsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
2 tbsp agave syrup

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and mix well. You will need to stop it and scrap the sides a few times. Take half and put it at the bottom of a loaf pan, I used a glass container with a lid for easy storage in the fridge. Press down to form a crust at the bottom.

Filling:
1 1/2 cups cashews
1/3 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup liquid coconut oil
1/4 cup filtered water, as needed
2 1/2 cups chopped cored pineapple (or any fruit of choice)

Combine all the filling ingredients except the fruit into a high speed blender and blend until smooth, adding water as needed to create a creamy texture. In a mixing bowl, add your filling and fruit and stir to mix well. Spoon the filling into the loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining crust on top. Freeze for 2 hours, or until chilled.

Will keep for 4-6 days in the fridge or for several weeks in the freezer.

This is before I put the crust on top.

Something I have found out recently is that agave syrup is apparently not so healthy for us, it is processed, and we should use either raw honey, maple syrup, dates, stevia, yacon, coconut sugar, or molasses. I do have a big jar of agave syrup so I will use it up here and there, but once it's gone I will stick to maple syrup, I find it does taste similar to agave syrup.

Also, for the above recipe, you may be thinking that is a lot of cashews, but know that nuts are healthy for us, and if your not a fan of cashews you can use something else. I have used almonds before, for this recipe, or a mix of almonds and cashews. It's all about having fun in the kitchen and with changing it up, you create new flavors.