Did you devour tons of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a child too? They were one of my all time favorite comfort food snacks growing up. That was until I got seriously ill and was forced to cut bread out of my diet. Getting over my ‘bread cravings’ was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Fortunately there are plenty of healthy raw vegan alternatives out there – like these Almond Butter & Jelly Sandwiches made with apple slices. They are completely free from refined sugars and don’t contain any gluten whatsoever!
Almond Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
SERVES: 4 large sandwiches
EQUIPMENT: blender, small mixing bowl, food processor (optional: only if you are making the almond butter yourself)
INGREDIENTS:
Salted Almond Butter
½ cup of almond butter
1/8 teaspoon of Himalayan Crystal salt or sea salt
Strawberry Jam (makes about 1 ½ cup = a double portion)
1 cup of date paste
¾ cup of strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Almond Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
2 large apples of your choice, cored and sliced into ‘sandwiches’ of about ¼ inch (0,5 cm)
Dried berries: goji berries, mulberries, blueberries…
DIRECTIONS:
Salted Almond Butter
Combine almond butter and salt in a small mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon until well combined.
Strawberry Jam
Combine date paste, strawberries and lemon juice in the blender. Blend into a thick strawberry jam.
Almond Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
- Cut your apples into ¼ inch ‘sandwiches’.
- Cover the apple slices with salted almond butter and strawberry jam to taste.
- Finish with dried berries of your choice. My favorites are goji berries and mulberries.
JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:
- This strawberry jam will stay fresh for at least 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Don’t like strawberries? Replace them with any berry you like, such as raspberries, blueberries, red currants…
- Did you know that gluten actually act as a drug in our brain? The gluten-peptides (proteins) bind with certain receptors in our brain, which can mimic the effects of drugs like heroine and morphine. No wonder it’s so hard to give up on bread and other traditional baked goods!
Now I would love to hear from you! Which classic comfort food dish would you like me to create a healthier version of next time? Let me know by leaving a comment down below.
