Monday, August 11, 2014

Honey Roasted Cinnamon Chickpeas

This recipe is so wonderful! It's a healthy, sweet, tasty snack, topping, or cereal. I found it on: http://www.fitsugar.com/Roasted-Honey-Cinnamon-Chickpeas-27908653, via Pinterest. Goodness knows that Pinterest and I have much unfinished business; there are so many fun, inspirational recipes and crafts to record and try!

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of Garbanzo beans (I used Trader Joe's)
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat you oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a cookie sheet with a non-stick spray. Rinse the can of Garbanzo beans and dry them with a paper towel. Spread the Garbanzo beans in a single layer across the cookie sheet, and put them in the oven to bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until they are crispy.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl.

While the garbanzo beans are still hot, mix them together with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl. The Garbanzo beans should be completely coated.

Spread the Garbanzo beans back out on the pan in a single layer, and put them in to back for 10 more minutes.

Take them out and let them cool, and they are ready to eat! These tasty treats make a perfect addition to yogurt in the morning, a crunch to your oatmeal (or try them with Overnight Oats- a recipe to come!), a salad topping (perhaps cranberry chicken), a simple snack, or they can be used as cereal.


Sunday, August 10, 2014

Squash Caprese Bake

I just got back from studying abroad in Italy, and what great motivation to create good food! One of my favorite events we had planned was a cooking class in Florence. Oh, my. Benissimo!

I decided to use the fresh produce that my mom has newly harvested from her exploding garden to replicate the appetizer that we made.

It's a very simple "How To:"

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

You will need: 4 oven-safe ramekins, 2 medium sized yellow squash (zucchini or eggplant work very well for this also), 2 medium tomatoes, a block of Asiago cheese (or a cheese of your preference), salt, Panko breadcrumbs, basil, and olive oil.
Coat the inside of the ramekins thoroughly with olive oil.
Put a generous helping of Panko in each ramekin and, pouring the extra back into the Panko container, coat the inside of the ramekins with Panko. It will stick to the sides because of the olive oil.

Thinly slice the yellow squash, tomatoes, and cheese.

Put thin slices of yellow squash down first, enough to cover the bottom of the ramekin (it's OK if they overlap). On top of that put a slice of tomato. Then take a pinch of salt and sprinkle it on the tomato (because tomatoes looove salt). Next put a slice of cheese on top of that. You may have to break the cheese and arrange it to cover the top of the tomato.

Repeat that process one more time in that same ramekin. Then put thin slices of yellow squash on top of the last cheese layer. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over it, and top with the Panko breadcrumbs.

You do this for all four ramekins, and put them in the oven for 15 minutes. The Panko should be a golden brown.

While you are waiting, cut the basil into thin ribbons. Top of your ramekins with basil, and enjoy!

*I also put a little bit of herbs de Provence on the tomatoes in one of my ramekins to add a little extra flavor.


Almond Butter

Today, I am so excited about my new food processor. I have just invested in a 12-cup Cuisinart! I couldn't wait to try it out, so this afternoon I set it in motion.

Almond butter is one of the best ingredients AND snacks. I have found it used in so many recipes, and love it on a banana or with some honey to snack on. Being able to make it myself will definitely save some money!

I used one bag of Raw Trader Joe's Almonds, and put it in the 12-cup bowl on my food processor. I pulsed the almonds for about 10 seconds until they were chopped up a bit. Then, I just turned on the food processor and waited. The almonds (or any nut butter) will go through 3 phases: grainy, clumpy (doughy), and creamy. It takes 15-20 minutes with mine for the almond butter to come to a creamy consistency, but of course it depends on your food processor and the amount of almonds you are using. I stopped it as-needed to scrape down the sides. Here's what it looks like when it is done!


Let the almond butter cool down a bit, as it will be warm from the blending. Then you are ready to eat! You can store it in your pantry or in the refrigerator.