Deceptively Delicious

Posted: July 9, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Food, Health and Wellness, Local Food, Recipe | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

So… I’ve been doing a lot of kitchen experiments lately. Sometimes gluten-free, sometimes dairy-free, sometimes completely unhealthy…my favorite recipes, as of late, involve the immersion blender. These deceptively delicious cookies (see what I did there???)  are no exception.

It looks like completely normal cookie dough...

It looks like completely normal cookie dough…

These little buggers are good! But they’re sneaky. They seem like perfectly normal cookies at first bite…but… totally not.

The secret ingredient? Garbanzo beans. I know, your mind is blown.

Anyway, I’d seen variations of this recipe a couple of times but was hesitant to try it…The other night, I finally caved when I had a serious craving for melted chocolate goodness and–gasp!–no butter.

In all honesty, I didn’t have to tweak this recipe very much…other than using maple syrup instead of honey and a little more peanut butter.  Still good.

You need six ingredients….five if you don’t add salt (I used a no-salt peanut butter so I added smoked sea salt.).

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I brought the first batch (minus the few that I devoured right out of the oven) in for a gluten-free co-worker.

I made another batch (minus the few that I devoured right out of the oven) for the hubby and his co-workers.

I made the last batch for fun.

The original recipe author says that these aren’t good cold…I disagree. But they are better warm.

She also says to use a food processor and not a blender…an immersion blender worked perfectly fine, but ours is pretty powerful… I am kind of lazy when it comes to doing dishes…and I love immersion blending.

So here you go. You’re welcome.

So much melted chocolate goodness....

So much melted chocolate goodness….(This batch, I used a chopped-up brick of chocolate)

Deceptively Delicious Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies (G-F/D-F)

Barely adapted from Texan Erin.

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained.
  • 3/4 cup natural peanut butter (I used Once Again’s Old Fashioned Crunchy with no salt…1 ingredient!)
  • A splash of vanilla (or 2 tsp. if you really want to dirty another spoon)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (I used a delicious chipotle infused maple syrup from Vermont)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • a pinch of (smoked) sea salt-optional
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, but prefer bitter-sweet)

What to do:

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside.

Combine first 5 ingredients in food processor or a large bowl (if using an immersion blender) and blend until smooth. If necessary, scrape the bowl to ensure you get all the tiny bits blended up.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon mixture onto prepared cookie sheet (I use two small spoons, a small ice cream scoop could also work…or just use your hands if you don’t mind getting sticky.)

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until chocolate melts and cookies start to brown.

~makes about 18 cookies

Enjoy!

 

Easy Peas-y (Tuna & Egg) Pasta Salad

Posted: April 19, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Entertaining, Food, Recipe | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’ve been really into salads lately. Farmer Ben and I went grocery shopping on a rainy Monday night because I desperately needed to eat something green. We purchase Olivia’s Organics brand when the greens are out of season, they are an (awesome) east-coast based company. Check them out!

Since Monday, I’ve eaten approximately 47 salads. Now, I know this sounds crazy. But I get creative.

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His & Hers Salads for lunch.

Yesterday, my salad consisted of leftover chicken, avocado, tomato (grown in VT!), radishes, red onion, sprouts, a Serrano or two…and some spring mix/spinach as an after thought.

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I can totally fit more in this bowl.

You see, I belong to the school of thought that believes that the salad is not about the lettuce. It’s about the toppings. Some days, I’ll cover my greens with bleu cheese, other days, I’ll pick seeds, nuts and other crunchy goodness… Lately, I’ve been loving Serrano peppers and cranberries. Tomorrow it could be steak. Most of the time I have so much on my salad that I don’t even use dressing. That would be overkill.

I guess I’m just trying to say that salad is delicious.

Today, my greens are covered in a tasty pasta salad and a few other veggies.

I opted to use olive oil instead of mayonnaise (mayo would work just as well and probably be more just as delicious) to make it a bit healthier. And per usual, I didn’t really measure, so this recipe is more of a guideline.

Easy Peas-y Pasta Salad

*Makes about five 1-cup servings (because if you’re like me, you usually have seconds).

What you’ll need:

  • About 8 oz (half a box) of pasta uncooked. I used elbows.
  • 1 can tuna fish, drained
  • About 3/4 cup peas (I used the canned variety)
  • Green Olives, pits removed and chopped, about 1/4 cup…or more.
  • Spices of your choice, to taste (I used dill-lots, smoked salt-just a pinch, smokey paprika-about 2 tsp, garlic powder-a couple of pinches, and a lot of cracked pepper)
  • 2 Serrano peppers, chopped (These are super hot, jalapenos would also work really well)
  • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped (I left this out because a certain husband doesn’t like raw onion, sigh.)
  • A few splashes of Worcestershire Sauce
  • ~1 tbsp.Dijon Mustard
  • ~1 tbsp. olive oil (enough to coat the pasta)
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
  • A splash or two of balsamic vinegar (This was a brilliant afterthought…that I forgot)

What to do:

Cook pasta according to package. Drain and let cool (I stuck mine in the fridge to speed up the process).

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Using a fork, be sure to break-up tuna fish and stir.

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Loving all the green, yellow and red!

Serve over a giant salad, as a side dish, or… right from the bowl.

*Nutrition Highlights According to MyFitnessPal: 

265 calories, 31 carbs, 7 g fat, 16 g protein, 2 g sugar, 285 mg sodium, 27.5 mg potassium, 4.3 g fiber, 20.1 % Daily Value iron

Happy Friday! 

Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut!

Posted: March 8, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Entertaining, Food, Fun, Handmade, Health and Wellness, Life, Local Food, Random, Recipe | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wow! What a gorgeous day! It was 48 degrees when I got up to run this morning. 48 degrees! The sun was shining and there was a light breeze. Perfect running weather. Unfortunately, I only had time for a short run, but every little bit helps! That’s what I keep telling myself.

So in short, I am feeling pretty charged and pumped to take on the rest of the day!

Another awesome thing about this week; Chocolate Hazelnut Spread! Holy cow is it good. And soooooooooo easy to make! Seriously, if you can work a blender, you’ve got it in the bag. This would be a great spread for a fancy party or a brunch with your family and friends-the hit of the party. OR you can hide it in your fridge and eat it by the spoonful… whichever you prefer.

I used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Per usual, Deb did not disappoint. I’ll let you visit her post because she explains it so well.

A couple of notes:

I ended up using just under a cup of powdered sugar and 2 tbsp. of oil instead of 3. I also added a splash of vanilla… this is just personal preference on sweetness and texture. Tweak to your taste. It would still be amazing with more sugar and oil.

The SK recipe called for peanuts and peanut oil…I happened to have hazelnuts and walnut oil on hand, so that’s what I used. Still delish. You could probably also use Tahini if you don’t have some sort of nut oil.

It may seem that you are running your food processor forever… don’t worry, the nuts will liquefy. It takes patience and scraping down the sides of the processor. Just when I was about to give up, I had liquid! So just…keep blending. Also, don’t make this past 9 pm…unless you want to tick off your neighbors.

The finished product!

Spread lasts in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week. Makes about 1 3/4 cups. Serve on toast, with fruit, in oatmeal..or by the spoonful. The options are endless.

According to my ingredients, a serving (1 tbsp.) has the following: 92 calories, 7 g of fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 65.6 mg potassium,  6.2 g Carbohydrates, 4.7 g sugar and 2 g of protein.

Enjoy!

And Now a Short Break for ….Tortillas!

Posted: February 9, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Entertaining, Food, Handmade, Recipe | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I know, I’m supposed to be writing the second part of the Restaurant Etiquette post… but I decided to marinate a little bit longer to get into the diner’s state of mind.

So, I am going to share this easy-peasy tortilla recipe instead. Seriously. This is going on the list of “Items to never buy again!”

The best part about these tortillas? Under ten ingredients. That’s it. And all things you can pronounce!

I used this recipe. It’s from Tasty Kitchen user KGSouthernComfort. If you’re not familiar with Tasty Kitchen, it was started by Pioneer Woman, basically it’s an online forum for sharing recipes. I love it.

Spelt and Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas: 

*adapted slightly from Tasty Kitchen*

You will need:

  • 1 cup stone ground whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup spelt flour (you can usually find this at your local grocery/health food store. I typically buy Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 1 cup unbleached white flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder-I use the aluminum free variety.
  • 2 tbsp. ground flax seed meal (optional)
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup hot water
  • a pinch of salt (optional)

I skipped the salt but I think it would be really fun to add in some spice, I’m thinking some garlic, cracked pepper or smoky paprika…next time… 

Combine your dry ingredients.

Add olive oil and mix with your hands until mixture begins to crumb. You should have some pea and/or oat-sized pieces.

Add Hot Water and mix. It will  form a large ball.

Cover with plastic wrap… or just cover with a towel like I would…and let sit for 30 minutes.

I ended up placing mine in a Zip-lock bag and refrigerating for two days before I used it…it was fine.  

Divide the dough into twelve small balls.

Roll out one at a time on a lightly floured surface.

Cook in a hot un-greased cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Flip when bubbles begin to form on top.

Serve warm.  And that’s it.

Sorry I didn’t get any good pictures. But it’s pretty self-explanatory.