Nutz for November!

Happy November!

Here's a nutty raw vegan snack that will have you satisfied, energized, and delighted!

Living Nutz makes a great assortment of organic raw vegan snacks, four of which I'm reviewing here.

They have pretty much every type of popular nut that you could want available in it's 'naked' raw form (sans seasoning, etc.) as well as some non-nut snacks, like the Rawzins above!

Since some people experience holiday-related stress (I can't really understand the phenomenon, as I LOVELOVELOVE the holidays and they fill me with nothing but glee!) let's start with the Absolute Chi Teriyaki Almonds.

Did you know that almonds contain tryptophan, an essential amino acid (as in, your body can't produce it on its own) that helps your body produce the B-vitamin niacin, which promotes serotonin production? Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that promotes calm and sleepiness.

I'd rather eat almonds as a bedtime snack than take sleeping pills any day!

Especially if they're Absolute Chi Teriyaki Almonds. Which is surprising, considering one ingredient:



I love the almonds, dates figs, nama shoy, and maple syrup. And while I'm a wuss about spicy, I'm on board for the cayenne pepper.

But garlic?

As soon as I saw that, I was convinced that these would be over for me after the first bite. If you've been reading LLE for a while, you may have noticed (or read about) my strong aversion to garlic. It's the reason why, while I love raw desserts, I'm rarely on board for savory raw foods.

But these surprised me!



First of all, the texture of these is spot on. While they're way healthier than your average candy, they stick together in delightful clumps that make you feel like you're eating a holiday candy - some sugary roasted nut confection. But not only are these raw, not roasted, they're also completely free of refined sugar!

I'm the first one to say that a little sugar isn't a bit thing, but trust me - these guys don't need it.

They're sweet, they're spicy, they're bursting with flavor and, even for garlic-averse me, they're addictive! But they're also so nutritious that you feel great from the inside-out after eating them and you can't really overeat them because they're so filling from all the fiber and natural, nutritious ingredients!

Next up is the Tahitian Vanilla Bean Coco Creme:

I love walnuts! And these didn't disappoint.

There were big clumps of soft, raw walnuts (since they're raw, they don't have that slight bitterness that some walnuts can have) covered in dried fruit paste with coconut galore. 

These could definitely work as dessert, especially if you crumbled them over some coconut ice cream or stirred them into some soy yogurt. 

They have a really unique taste (100% delicious) and it tastes like there's marshmallow in there somewhere. But there isn't... Still, somehow they're a wee bit reminiscent of Girl Scout Caramel Delite Cookies without the chocolate. YUM!

Next up are the Galactic Garlic Onion Pistachios:

Which, you guessed it, are a wham-bam grand-slam of onion and garlic. Unsurprisingly, I didn't enjoy them at all.



As I explained, though, I'm really not a fair judge of these, since onion and garlic are two of my least favorite flavors. If you like onion and garlic, I see no reason why you wouldn't like these.

Moving on, let's take a look at one of their non-nut snacks - Rawzins!

Organic Raw Chocolate Raisins? I don't mind if I do.

Especially since this is a chocolatey treat you can really feel good about - just raisins, raw cacao, raw agave, spices, and himalayan sea salt (all organic).


They all clump together into a big chocolaty, fruity chocolate bar, but you can break of 'pieces' (or individual raisins, if you so desire) and delight in the deliciousness.

While the chocolate is clearly sticking them together, its not a layer of chocolate surrounding a layer of raisins, as I was expecting. Rather than being two distinct components, it's more like the chocolate is infused into the raisins and, even in the bit of chocolate that sticks the 'bar' together, it's like raisin-infused chocolate.

Does that make sense?

Who cares, it's delicious.

Two thumbs up to Living Nutz, your snacks are fabulous!

What's your favorite fruit to pair with chocolate?

Do you get/have you ever had holiday-related stress?

Are there any flavors that you can't stand?

Today is your last day to enter to win a Ronco Food Dehydrator - the giveaway is open to US readers! Don't forget to also enter to win 3 taster bars of organic, fair-trade Madecasse Chocolate!