Pumpkin Salted Caramel Dip & "The Perfect Diet"

​Two nights ago, the amazing Jane Gee and I hosted an evening called "The Perfect Diet: Is there such a thing?" My message was not about green juice, or adaptogens, or if grains are healthy or not. As much as I love to share it, food and nutrition is just one piece of the healthy puzzle. I talked about how the diet culture and mentality came about (surprise, it was born in America) and how it is so deeply embedded into our psyche, that we often don't even notice that we adopted these ideas as our own! 

One of the principles that I believe can bring us back to a place of empowerment and ease when it comes to our health and the way we eat, is to align ourselves with nature. 

This carries a lot of significance because I think we often forget that we ARE nature. We think of nature ​as "out there," as the trees, the ocean, the mountains, the wild animals. But in the same way that the sun rises and the tide comes in and out, our heart beats, our hair grows, and our lungs breathe oxygen. We don't ask it to, it just IS. 

Perhaps the best decision we could make for our health and diet is to simply focus on eating local food. Here on the Seacoast, we are lucky to have access to so much local food. We can attend farmers markets, we can invest in a farm share/CSA (what we do!), we can grow our own food in our gardens (next year!),  forage wild foods, and there are even a handful of awesome restaurants that use local ingredients to build their menu.

Right now, we have a LOT of APPLES!!!

Oh, and, pumpkin spice everything :)  Which I am totally participating in.

So, here is this Pumpkin Salted Caramel Dip that's perfect for dipping apples! I'd be willing to bet that kids would love this as a snack too!

​Pumpkin Salted Caramel Dip

1.5 cups pitted dates (they should be soft and gooey - if they are too dry, soak in warm water for 10 mins)
1/4 cup pureed pumpkin 
1 TBSP almond butter 
1 tsp vanilla 
1-2 TBSP almond milk
1/4 cup raw soaked cashews (soaked overnight*)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of sea salt

Directions:
Add all ingredients to food processor or high-speed blender and process until smooth and creamy. Will store in the fridge for several days. Serve with apples, pretzels, or whatever you'd like. You could also water it down and use as a syrup/drizzle for pancakes or waffles. You could spread it on toast, or add it to oatmeal. I even blended a spoonful of it with my coffee and made this Pumpkin Spices Caramel Latte!

Recipe Notes:
-Canned pumpkin is fine. 
-The almond butter is not necessary, but I like the richness it adds. Could also try tahini or another nut butter.
-I used a pinch of vanilla bean powder, but you could use 1 tsp vanilla extract.
-You made need to add more almond milk to get the caramel to your desired smoothness.
-Raw soaked cashews are optional - they make the caramel creamier.
*Cashew soak tip: I like to soak a jar full of raw cashews overnight and then rinse and drain. I keep these soaked cashews in the freezer so that can be used at any time, all they need is a quick rinse in warm water!