Oven Roasted Jerk Chickpeas

In my new ongoing quest to find quick snacks that are also healthy, I came across roasted chickpeas.

Believe me when I tell you that these are incredibly easy to make and are so tasty - especially if, like me, you can't enjoy nuts.

You can use pretty much any kind of seasoning you want. 

I used jerk seasoning because I had a lot of it on hand.

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Open a can of chickpeas and drain out the liquid. Spread the chickpeas out evenly on a baking sheet.
• Sprinkle with desired seasoning.
• Bake for about 30 mins. Then let cool and enjoy!

This snack is about 125 calories per 1/2 cup and is loaded with protein and fibre! A much healthier alternative to chips....or chocolate, if we're being realistic about my snacking habits. 

Healthy Homemade Granola Bites

For book club I really wanted to make something. I also wanted to make some healthy and filling snacks that I could easily shove in my mouth while entertaining a 3 month old.

I googled granola bar recipes and came across a tasty-sounding one from Oh She Glows.

(You can find the original recipe here)

I changed it up a bit as I didn't want any nuts and didn't have any seeds. 

So here's how to make my Oh She Glows inspired granola bites

• Start by dehydrating some fruit. I used strawberries and pineapple because I had them on hand and like the way they taste dehydrated. Thinly slice your fruit and put them on parchment paper, or tinfoil, or a silicone mat and bake in your oven at the lowest setting (mine was at 170 degrees) for about hours.
• On another baking sheet, toast 2 cups rolled oats in the oven at 350 for about 10 mins.
• In a bowl, mash 3 bananas (heat them in the microwave first for about 30 seconds for easier mashing) together with 1 tsp vanilla extract. 
• Stir in the toasted oats and chopped dried fruit (plus whatever else you want to add - nuts, seeds, etc) plus 1 tsp cinnamon.
• Spoon mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper and press down to make the surface as even as possible. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 mins until firm and slightly golden along the edges. 
• Let cool for 10 mins then remove from pan. Allow bars to cool for at least another 10 mins in the freezer (or longer in the fridge) before cutting into bites or bars.

(Based on the recipe above, sans nuts and seeds, and cut into 25 bites, each bite is about 42 calories)   

The bites are tasty but if you like them a bit sweeter brush the bites with a bit of maple syrup.

Super Bowl Super Food

I realize kick off is in less than an hour and the odds of anyone reading this now when you're likely feasting & drinking & watching the pre-game shows (if you're even watching football at all) but I came up with a ridiculously unhealthy and therefore appropriate Super Bowl snack.

I call it - Mac & Cheese Rolls.

I saw something similar and also had deep fried mac & cheese balls a week ago when I went out with a friend so that was the inspiration behind this snack.

• Cook macaroni and cheese according to the box. After draining the water, mix the cheese powder with a 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup sour cream (full fat, don't you dare skimp on fat here. This is the Super Bowl). Add the noddles back in and mix it all together. 
• Set aside a small bowl for yourself. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll out 1 pkg puff pastry on a floured surface. Spread mac & cheese on the pastry, leaving about an inch border all around.Sprinkle shredded cheese over top of the macaroni. 
• Roll up the puff pastry, tucking the ends under and placing the roll seam-side down on a baking sheet.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until the puff pastry begins to turn a golden brown. 
• Eat the small bowl of mac & cheese you set aside for yourself in step 2.
• Allow each roll to cool then slice and serve (Best served with a cheesy dipping sauce) !

Go Bronchawks! 

I normally like to cheer for the underdog but I'm also a fan of Manning (based largely on his hilarious SNL hosting gig years back)... so while I'm leaning towards cheering for Denver... I don't know. I also quite like Sherman (based largely on a buzzfeed list).

Either way, enjoy the game & the food!

Pretzel Bread

I was obviously on a bit of a baking blitz last week because I also found time to bake up these tasty little pretzel bread balls.

 

Quick, easy, and really tasty, even without the brownish colouring on top that would have made them more pretzel-looking.

 

(recipe from food.com)

 

1. Mix together 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp yeast in big bowl. Mix together 1/4 cup oil and 1 cup warm water and add this to the sugar and yeast mix.
2. Add 3 cups flour and mix to a nice doughy (not sticky) consistency. Knead with mixer a few minutes.
3. Divide dough into 12 balls and shape into rolls or balls and let rise on greased foil cover sheet for 20-30 minute until nice and puffy. 
4. Meanwhile, bring 6 cups water and 3 tbsp baking soda to a SIMMER in a wide pan with straight sides and preheat oven to 375.
5. Place 4 rolls in the water and simmer 1 minute then flip and simmer 1 minute more.
6. Drain and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining rolls.
7. Brush rolls with egg white and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Slash decoratively with a SHARP blade.
8. Bake until 'pretzel' brown, about 12-15 minutes.

 

 

Healthier Corn Dogs

When I was little, my family spent a lot of time in Pensacola, Florida.

My memories are strongly linked to smells and tastes so a few things remind me of my childhood spent on white beaches.

One is Dr. Pepper.

The other is corn dogs.

I had a weird hankering for them the other day but wanted to make them rather than buy a boy of froze pogos. I also wanted to try and bake them rather than deep fry them in a pot of oil.

A quick google search gave me a good place to start.

Recipe for batter from southernfood.about.com

1. Mix together 1 cup flour, 1 cup cornmeal, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 3 tbspbaking powder, and 1 tsp salt. Mix in 1 egg (whisked), 1/4 cup vegetable oil, and 1 cup of milk. Add in the milk 1/2 cup at a time, keeping the consistency thick enough to shape onto each hot dog.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Skewer hot dogs with wooden sticks. Using your hands, mold the batter around each hot dog and place on a tin-foil lined baking sheet.

4. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the corn batter is set but not too brown. Serve with mustard for dipping.

My batter was too thick so it made it hard to eat properly but it'd be worth trying again.

Enjoy!

Snack Sunday: Vegetable Salsa!

As previously stated, salsa is one of my all-time favourite condiments.

I use it on burgers, nachos (natch), in scrambled eggs and omelets, and pretty much everything else I can think of.

What I'm trying to say here is that I love salsa.

So when I saw this recipe, I was smitten.

It's going on the top of my to-do pile and I cannot WAIT to try this one out.

Vegetable Salsa

(courtesy of Marthastewart.com)

• Preheat a grill pan. Halve 3 medium tomatoes, 2 small zucchinis, 2 japanese eggplants, and 2 small yellow squash. Grill vegetables until softened and lightly browned on both sides. Allow the veggies to cool.
• Chop the vegetables into small peices and toss them together in a large bowl. Add in 1/4 cup minced onion, 1 tbsp tumeric, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp canola oil, and 3 tbsp orange juice. Add salt to taste. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Serve with toasted whole-wheat bread.
  

Snack Sunday: Goat Cheese Crostini with Fig Compote

Another Sunday, another snack.

And this one's a bit fancier than chocolate dipped pretzles.

Three things I like: bread (probably my biggest vice), cheese, and figs all come together in this recipe to make a delicious and elegant appetizer for a party or just as a pick-me-up snack.

Goat Cheese Crostini with Fig Compote

• Cut on the diagonal 1 small baguette into about 24 peices and brush both sides with olive oil. Broil in the oven until toasted, about 1-2 minutes.
• In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup chopped figs, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup dry red wine, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 7-9 minutes. Let compote cool to room temperature.
• Distribute 1 small goat cheese log among the 24 slices of baguette and spread on each peice. Spoon the compote over the goat cheese and serve!
  

Looks nice and fancy eh?

As soon as I buy some more figs I will be putting this recipe to the test!

Snack Sunday: Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels

It's Sunday ... you know what that means!

Snack time!

A flavour combination that I love is chocolate and pretzels.

I wasn't always crazy about the salty-sweet thing, but once I tried chocolate covered pretzels I knew I'd found a friend.

I'm not saying I always crave them, cause I don't, but there's just something about them that I find very satisfying. I think it migh be because they have almost a nutty flavour and since I can't very well get that from real nuts...

Anyway, that being said, today's snack recipe is

Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels

(Marthastewart.com)

• Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.
• Melt 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate either in a double broiler or in the microwave.
• Roll ends of pretzel rods or dunk regular pretzels into the chocolate, completely coating the area. Place on the baking sheet and refridgerate until set, about 15 minutes.

Easy, easy, easy and delicious.

These would make cute gifts too, wrapped in cellophane or a bag.

Snack Sunday: Sweet Potato Hummus

I've decided I'm going to try something a little new for the New Year. I have a bad habit of rambling sometimes, and since this is a food blog (but also crafts, entertaining, etc) and there has been a lack of recipes as of late, I am going to designate Sundays as 'Snack Sundays' and ensure that there is a new recipe up each and every week!

I missed out on starting this up last Sunday but I was a busy girl all day - cleaning the apartment (which is still unfortunately at the top of the to-do pile), then heading over to a dinner at John's parents' place that included his aunt, uncle, cousin and his cousin's very pregnant fiance. How pregnant? Her due date was last Sunday! We were all anxiously waiting to see if she'd start having contractions. Her stomach was getting very tight for several minutes at a time and she let us all feel (very kind) but no baby that night :(

So let us begin this week with a delicious sounding recipe!

I am going to try this one out the next time I have people over.

Sweet Potato Hummus

• Peel and cut into 1 inch peices 1 pound of sweet potatoes and boil for 10-12 minutes or until soft. Place in a food processor.
• Combine 1 can chickpeas, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup tahini, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp cumin, and 1 clove of garlic in the food processor. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Thin with water if the mixture is too thick, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve with pita or vegetables!

Well there you have it! A delicious sounding spin on a party staple. I was finally able to locate tahini last year but have yet to buy any... I'll be sure to do so soon though so I can make this dip!

Granola Bars: Make Your Own!

In a few weekends I'll be heading up north to Algonquin Park for a few days of lakes, canoes, and campfires.

One thing we always tend to pack to bring with us food-wise is a box of granola bars.

They don't take up a lot of space and they make perfect snacks when you need something to give you more energy to paddle until lunch or until dinner time.

I want to try and make my own granola bars to take with us this time.

A lot of recipes include nuts and peanut butter so obviously a nut-free granola bar is preferable.

I found 2 recipes that interest me, one that I can make as-is and the other that uses a lot of nuts and nut products. I kind of want to see if I can substitue things to make it nut-free without ruining the taste.

I don't think anyone who isn't allergic to nuts has ever tried any of those no-nut butter products (I certainly wouldn't if I could still stick my hands in a jar of peanut butter and lick those fingers clean) but I tried a no-nut peanut butter product one time a few years ago. It was phenomenal ....the first time. I made a no-nut butter and banana sandwich and almost cried it was so good.

Then the second time I tried it, it tasted all wrong and actually made me feel sick.

So I'm wondering if I used it in a recipe where it's not necessarily the main ingredient whether it will work or not.

First up:

Anna Olsen's Granola Bars

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease and line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the sides of the pan.
2. Toss 2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds together in a bowl.

3. In a pot over medium-low heat, stir 1 cup peanut butter (or nut free alternative), 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg and 1/2 tsp salt until melted.
4. Pour melted mixture over oat base and stir until blended. Stir in 1 egg and spread granola into prepared pan, patting down to make even. Bake for 30 minutes, then cool for 20 minutes before chilling for 2 hours.
5. To cut, lift granola out of pan with parchment paper and cut into bars.

The second recipe is already a nut-free recipe:

Martha Stewart's Nonuttin' Chewy Chocolate Granola Bars

(From Alana Elliot of Nonuttin' Foods)

1. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; line baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on all sides. Set aside.
2.Place 1 3/4 cups oatmeal and 1 1/4 cups crisp-rice cereal in a large bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, mix together 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1/3 cup honey. Place over medium-high heat; bring to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add to oatmeal mixture; stir until oatmeal mixture is fully coated and well combined.
4. Evenly pour oatmeal mixture into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with 1/2 cup chocolate chips. When mixture is cool enough to touch, press down into pan. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into 16 (1-by-4-inch) bars. Granola bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week, and frozen up to six months.



I'd be tempted to add some dried cranberries, or other dried fruits to this recipe just to make it a bit more interesting.

I may attempt both of these recipes at some point in the upcoming weeks so I'll keep you posted on which one is the better recipe.

Off to work - forecast calls for rain so it could be a nice easy day!

P.S. I made the pumpkin spice lattes last night - really good! Give that recipe a try!

Wendy's Caramel Corn

My wonderful aunt Wendy was kind enough to send me the recipe for the caramel corn that she made and brought to the cottage last weekend.

This stuff was done perfectly because not every kernel was saturated with caramel, giving the popcorn a nice sweet crunch. But for those of us who are guilty of harbouring a sweet tooth (me) there were more than enough kernels that were covered in caramel. And you better believe they got picked out and devoured pretty fast.

Thank you for the recipe aunt Wendy!

Wendy's Cottage Caramel Corn

(the actual picture of the caramel corn was posted yesterday, didn't want to be repeating myself so enjoy this random google image).

1. In the microwave, pop 3 bags of popcorn (just the regular stuff is probably best, not the butter flavoured unless you really like butter). Once popped, spread the popcorn in a single layer onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.

2. In a large pot, mix together 1 cup butter, 2 cups brown sugar, and 1/2 cup light corn syrup. Bring to a boil and boil on high heat for about 5 minutes. The mixture will puff up and settle when stirred.

3. After 5 minutes of boiling, add in 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vanilla and mix well. Remove from heat and immediately drizzle over the popcorn.

4. Bake the popcorn in the oven for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so to evenly coat the popcron with the syrup.

**DO NOT BAKE THE POPCORN ON THE BOTTOM RACK OR THE POPCORN WILL BURN!

5. Store the caramel corn in an airtight container until ready to serve!

For my birthday party on Friday, I plan on making strawberry shortcake cupcakes. I want them sort of layered like this Martha wedding cake version:

But obviously in cupcake fashion, not 3 tiered cake version.

I'll post the recipe that accompanies this photo (or my own version) once I bake them, hopefully either tonight if time permits or tomorrow morning OR tomorrow evening. Which will be my birthday. Yeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

I also wanted to paper mache my own pinata for the party but there's not enough time. I was thinking something along the lines of this:

Hahaha obviously not. Life-sized zebra pinata? I don't have that many hours of free time to even make the structure for that. Neither do I have access to a zebra that I could paper mache over.

Well friends, I'm off to enjoy my last day of 24.
Tomorrow I officially enter the quarter century club.
BIRTHDAAAAAYYYYY

Soft Pretzels ......and more of the cat

Hello!

It's only Wednesday but I feel as though the week is done...and it's definitely not. I had 2 midterms (Mon, Tues) this week and I have a simulations lab on Friday...not excited.

I am taking today off though because Murray needs to go to the vet and also because I don't feel so great. He's got his appt at 2 and the poor little fella's gotta go get his shots. There was also a little bit of blood in his litter box doings (poop) so I want to make sure there's nothing serious causing it. Google search alerted me to the fact that a lot of kittens get parasites which can be the main cause of blood in stool. Fingers crossed it's something non-serious and non-expensive......

Here's Murray enjoying the ski cross - he's a big fan of the winter olympics apparently.

And here he is enjoying John's glass of water.

Gosh, I love that little kitten.

So this morning on Martha she made soft pretzels and I thought, "hey, I LOVE pretzels especially the really salty ones with the mustard dip or the cheese dip" so I decided to find the recipe and perhaps attempt to make them! I don't have rapid-rise yeast though and I doubt Murray wants to be toted to the grocery store in his cat carrier after the vet.....unless the shots make him sleepy.....hmmm.....

Soft Pretzels

Photo courtesy of Marthstewart.com

1. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups warm water, yeast, and 1/2 cup brown sugar; let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together 6 1/2 cups flour and 4 tbsp coarse salt using your hands. Add 1/2 cup butter (cut into small peices) and continue to mix with your hands until mixture is crumbly. Add yeast mixture and, using your hands, mix until a shaggy dough is formed and water is absorbed.
3. Using the dough hook attachment, mix dough on medium speed until dough is tight, elastic, and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator; let chill at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
5. Roll dough out into a 14-by-12-inch rectangle. Cut dough into one dozen 12-inch-long strips, each about 1-inch wide. Transfer to a large baking sheet and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Transfer to refrigerator and let chill for 15 minutes.
6. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out each piece into a 30- to 33-inch-long rope (about 3/4-inch thick), starting from the center and working toward the ends. Make a "U" shape with the rope and cross the ends over, pinching at the bottom of the "U" to form a pretzel. Return to baking sheet and repeat process with remaining dough.
7. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a large saucepan, combine 8 cups water, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup beer (pale ale is best), and 1/4 cup brown sugar; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer pretzels, one at a time, until pretzel floats, about 30 seconds; transfer to prepared baking sheet using a perforated spatula. Don't be alarmed when the pretzels look droppy - they're supposed to. They aren;t supposed to fry in this pot. Repeat process with remaining pretzels.
8. Sprinkle pretzels with pretzel salt; transfer to oven and bake for 5 minutes. Rotate baking sheet and continue baking until pretzels turn a chestnut brown color, 4 to 6 minutes more. Remove from baking sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm with butter or mustard.

.....or cheese dip.

These don't look too difficult to make. If I can get my hands on some rapid-rise yeast I'll make 'em. In the meantime I'm going to get some school work done and then take ol' Murr-man to the vet!

Games Night & A Superbowl Recipe

It's Games Night!!!
And I'm excited.

I'm hoping that one or both of the classic games above will make an appearance tonight. I have a bit of a competitive streak and I also like to think of myself as a bit of pop-culture know-it-all so I really like to win, especially at Scene it.

But really, I much prefer just getting to play it with friends than winning.

Honestly.

So before I find you a recipe I have a recommendation for you:

DAVID'S TEA!

I don't know how wide-spread across Canada they are but there is a store right near me and at the recommendation of my friend, I popped in today and bought the creme brulee tea. It is soooo good. If you can find a store I highly suggest you look into getting some of their tea. I want to try the Tirimisu next.

As we stand now, there is slightly over a week until the Superbowl. This means you have only about a week to figure out what snacks you'll need to buy, what recipes you want to try out, and which team you'll be backing - although I'm fairly certain legitimate tried and true football fans already have a preference. I must admit, I'm going to root, root, root for the Colts. I know, they beat the Jets and ol' muscley-arms Sanchez but I kind of have a soft spot for Mr. Manning as he once hosted SNL. I think I mentioned that before. John is cheering for the Saints so between the two of us we're cheering for a winning team.

I also was easily won over by the prospect of putting horseshoe's on my clothing.

Hurray!

So if you're planning on having a big Superbowl party, getting together with a few friends, or just thinking about sitting home alone or with a loved one next Sunday, I have a recipe that you should try:

Waffle Chips
(courtesy of Marthastewart.com, obviously)

1. Peel 4 potatoes. Using a mandoline fitted with the zigzag blade, slice potatoes 1/8 inch thick, rotating them a quarter turn after each slice to create a waffle pattern. Soak slices in cold water 1 hour.

2. Fill a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pot with 2 1/2 quarts vegetable oil, and heat over medium-high until it reaches 365 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Meanwhile, drain potatoes; blot dry with paper towels. In batches, fry potato slices until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Lightly season with coarse salt. (Adjust heat between batches, if necessary, to keep oil temperature at 365 degrees.)

Delish. Bad for you, yes. But delicious none the less. You could always try and brush them with a few tsp of olive oil and then bake them for a healthier option. They won't be cripsy like potato chips though.

Well, friends, I am off to do my hair in anticipation of a big games night!

WEEKEND!

P.S. I changed the inner cannula of a trach tube today. And didn't vomit!