What the Heck is a Jujube?! Find out here!
Can you say Jujube? Alisha Taff from #JustJujubes sharing with us all the wonderful healthy and yummy recipes to make with the infamous Jujube Fruit.
Alisha has a organic unprocessed jujube farm in Santa Maria, CA off the highway 166. Jujube fruits are an ancient super fruit that has been cultivated for centuries in Asia. They are also used in traditional Chinese medicine. Alisha brought us fresh and dried jujubes today. Jujubes are packed with nutrients, from amino acids, vitamin c, micro minerals, and protein!
First, she shows us how to make overnight Jujube tea, ginger optional. She describes the flavor as a brown sugar apple sauce flavor. And no added sugar needed if you like a light sweet beverage. Jujube tea can combat free radicals and can help the digestive system. We better start drinking this tea regularly!
Next Alisha makes a jujube paste. She adds molasses to add “dimension” to the paste. All you have to do is mash up the fruit and add molasses and there you go, jujube paste! It makes for a wonderful hors d’oeuvre alongside vegan cheese, fruit like apples, and crackers. It only lasts for a few days in the refrigerator so make sure to eat it in a timely manner. Antoinette says it is “super good!”
Alisha also demonstrates that jujubes can be made into a dressing as well. Just use the mashed jujubes add lemon juice, olive oil, and optional agave sweetener. Alisha also adds a little optional white wine in her recipe. You can use the dressing as a glaze over veggies like brussel sprouts, carrots, and potatoes. Then you just bake them at 400 degrees to your desired taste and texture, and there you go, a main course!
Alishia also dehydrates the jujubes by slicing them and dehydrating them in the oven to make jujube chips. Then you can use them as part of a homemade granola with pumpkin seeds. Lastly, she makes a raw fudge dessert with the jujubes. Antoinette says it’s “OMG so good!” These fruits are amazingly diverse and nutritious. Thank you Alisha for showing us so many ways to use this amazing fruit. Add them to you “health arsenal” and try making your own jujube delights at home with the recipes below!
Check out Alisha’s Story on her website:
Go to https://justjujubes.com/ to buy dried jujubes from Alisha!
With Antoinette Westcott on #OneVeggieAtATime
Report edited by Ellen Dent.
Photos by Eric Faison.
Just Jujubes Dried Jujube Tea
Ingredients
2 C organic dried Just Jujubes
Water to cover
Grated organic fresh ginger to taste
Instructions
Place jujube fruit in large pot. Cover the top of the fruit with water, over about ½ inch. Turn on stove and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer about 1 hour. Fruit will soften and split open. The liquid in the pot will begin to thicken and darken.
Remove from heat. Grate fresh ginger into pot and mix.
Allow to cool. Place in refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, remove from refrigerator and reheat to boiling.
Drain liquid into a glass container, reserving jujube fruit.
Enjoy as a nourishing hot healthful tonic tea!
Remove pits from remaining fruit and use the remaining jujube fruit for hot cereal or as topping for non-dairy yogurt. Use in the “No –Bake” Brownie recipe*.
* Ideas: Serve Jujube/ginger tea as a hot stimulating healthful tonic tea, or as a refreshing cold tea or make into a popsicle as a refreshing treat.
Just Jujubes Jujube Paste
Ingredients
2 C organic dried Just Jujubes
¾ C water
1 T molasses
¼ t cinnamon or to taste optional
Instructions
De-pit jujubes fruit. Place in small saucepan. Soak in warm water about 30 minutes. Turn on stove and heat on low/med heat, continuously mashing fruit with skin until paste-like. (Or use a food processor if you have one)
Sprinkle cinnamon to taste.
Place in airtight glass jar. Allow to cool before sealing and place in refrigerator.
* Ideas: Spread on toast, serve on hot cereal, serve as is with vegan “cheese” and nuts as a wine appetizer, or reheat in a small pan with ¼ C balsamic vinegar and serve with vegan cheese for a savory surprise
Just Jujubes Jujube Dressing
Ingredients
5 organic dried Just Jujubes
¼ cup warm water
1/3 – 1/2 c. Dijon mustard
2 T. organic apple cider vinegar
1- 2 T organic lemon juice
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1/2 t. minced or crushed fresh garlic
1/4 c. organic extra virgin olive oil
3-6 T. water or white wine to thin to your preference
1 T agave nectar optional
Instructions
De-pit jujubes fruit. Soak in warm water about 30 minutes. Mash fruit with skin until paste-like. (Or use a food processor if you have one)
Scoop into a shaker cup or Mason jar.
Add the mustard, vinegar and lemon juice, salt, pepper, and fresh garlic.
Shake until well mixed.
Add in the organic olive oil, and shake again until well combined.
Taste, amend and thin to your preference with water.
Ideas: As a salad dressing, brush on baked Brussel sprouts or baked carrots, onions and potatoes topped with crushed walnuts
Just Jujubes Stuffed with Citrus “Cheese” and Nuts
Ingredients
24 organic dried Just Jujubes – de-pitted*
4 oz vegan organic cream “cheese”
½ C organic walnut pieces– toasted in olive oil & sprinkled with coarse sea salt, then cooled
1 T orange juice
Organic orange zest ½ – ¾ orange finely grated
Organic Lemon zest ½ lemon finely grated
¼ t. Himalayan salt
1 t organic cane sugar or agave nectar – optional
Instructions
De-pit fruit. Place on a dish.
In a medium bowl, mix cream “cheese”, orange juice, orange and lemon zest and sugar until soft. Taste and amend to your liking.
Place in piping bag or a small Ziploc. You can cut the corner of the Ziploc to squeeze into the jujubes.
Gently fill each jujube with the mixture.
Insert a piece of toasted walnut into the center of the mixture of each fruit.
Ideas: *Use a hand-held cherry pitter. Serve as a wine appetizer, on a salad, as dessert. Make a double batch, you wont have leftovers!
Just Jujubes stuffed with nut butter
Ingredients
12 organic dried Just Jujubes
Nut butter of your choice
Instructions
De pit Jujube fruit
Gently spoon nut butter into open area. A small baggie with the corner cut out works well too.
Enjoy!
Just Jujubes No-Bake Brownies
Ingredients
2 C organic dried Just Jujubes*
8-10 orgnic dried Just Jujubes pits removed, chopped into bits
1 C organic almond flour
¼ C finely chopped organic walnut
8 T organic cacao powder
1 T vanilla extract
¼ t. Himalayan salt
¼ – ½ t organic cayenne pepper – Optional if you like it hot
¼ – ½ t organic red pepper flakes – Optional if you like it a little spicy
Instructions
Use fruit left over from jujube tea. Or, soak fruit in ¾ C hot water until soft. Remove pits. Mash fruit with skin until paste-like.
In a medium mixing bowl, add fruit, chopped fruit*, almond flour, cacao, salt, vanilla and peppers. * Reserve a couple TBs chopped fruit to press into the top of the brownie.
Mix well until batter sticks when pressed together between your fingers.
Line the bottom and sides of a baking dish or loaf pan, with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
Scoop the batter into the pan and press it evenly into the bottom of the pan.
For nearly instant gratification, place in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up, then happily consume. If you have will power, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for continuous snacking.
Ideas: Breakfast on-the-go with a cup of hot jujube tea, mid-day pick me up, dessert for friends…or not.
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