Category Archives: Snacks

Hummus…and a Giveaway!

Hummus
Hummus

If you’re at all familiar with the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you must remember the “Mooscaca” scene! You can watch it here (@ 3:00 is the scene I’m talking about). That was my childhood! Being Armenian with a family from Egypt, my Mother didn’t know anything about Wonderbread. Or any sliced bread, for that matter. All of our sandwiches were on pita bread. And many times, there was hummus in that pita. This was over forty thirty years ago (hey, stop trying to do the math!). No one in suburban New Jersey was eating pita bread or hummus for lunch. Except for me. I would beg my Mom to just buy Wonderbread. “Pleeeeeeaaaase can I just take a peanut butter and jelly on Wonderbread!” She’d reply “Hokees (sweetheart in Armenian), why would you want to eat that when this is so good?” Sigh. I’d cringe as I looked into my lunchbox. I can remember trying to find a way to eat the sandwich without taking it completely out in plain sight. I will say, no one teased me about it. They did ask me what the heck I was eating and that alone was all I needed to develop a full blown complex. One day, my friend Sandy must have felt sorry for me. She offered to trade sandwiches. That meant the world to me. Sandy’s family owned an Italian deli and she always had the most beautiful sandwiches. I don’t remember anything beyond that moment, just that she made me feel like less of a freak!

So, it’s not like I think I have any claim to hummus, but do I feel like it’s mine. I’m kidddddding! A little. It’s just that this is the type of food that was a staple in our home and back then, I felt like an oddball eating it! Now, it’s everywhere. Hummus is so popular that some tobacco farmers are switching to farming chickpeas instead of tobacco! So, I kind of feel like, well, my hummus is pretty darn good. Who knew that some of my most major hangups over food would pay off someday?

One of the wonderful things that has come to me because of my crazy relationship with food is this blog. Over the past few months, I’ve seen it grow and I’ve been hearing really sweet things from my awesome readers. You’ve all been so kind and supportive, I’d like to give a little something to you! Enter to win a $25 gift card to Bed Bath and Beyond courtesy of Taste Love & Nourish. I know I can always find a little something every time I go there! I love that store! Enter below! Good luck and thank you!

Hummus

Hummus

1 29 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1/3 C. tahini
juice of one lemon
zest of 1/2 lemon
up to 1/3 C. water (start with less and add a bit more if you need to thin it out)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling on top
3/4 t. salt
a bit of black pepper
1/4 t. cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes
toasted or grilled pita bread or assorted veggies for serving

Combine the ingredients up to the garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Spoon into a serving bowl and drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with some crushed red pepper flakes.

Notes:

  • I don’t add a lot of olive oil while processing. I feel like the flavor of the oil gets lost. I like to use the best quality extra virgin olive oil I can and use it more as a garnish. That way you really taste the fruity flavor on your tongue.
  • I don’t use a ton of fresh garlic in this for a reason. I think raw garlic can be overwhelming. If I roast garlic beforehand, I add a lot more than the one clove. Roasted garlic is mellow, sweet and delicious. To roast a head of garlic, cut a bit of the top off to expose the cloves, place the garlic in a bit of aluminum foil, drizzle with a tiny, tiny bit of olive oil and roast in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the garlic. To test, just give it a light squeeze. If it’s softened, it’s done!
Hummus

 

 

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Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa
Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

Have I mentioned that we eat a lot of fish? Ummm, yeah. Probably too many times. The reason? My daughter, Katie is a pescatarian. Other than fruits, veggies, grains and chocolate…she only eats seafood. No meat, chicken, pork or other living things with two to four legs (fins are fine). I’m putting this recipe up today to celebrate that she has so graciously committed to this for six months now! I’m so proud of her! Having the resolution at fifteen years old to persevere amidst chicken wings, hamburgers, hot dogs and meatballs…is pretty commendable. She’s my hero! :)

This salmon has a spicy kick from the chipotle powder (Katie loves spicy food) and some sweetness from the dark brown sugar to make your tongue even more happy! The salmon would be delicious if you just stopped there, but, you’d be missing the best part! The salsa! This makes more salsa than you’ll ever need for the salmon…kind of on purpose! Because, while the salmon is on the grill, you’ll need to break out a bag of tortilla chips (there are some really good baked ones), throw in a margarita, put on some Gipsy Kings and dance! :)

 

Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

 

Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

Pineapple Avocado Salsa
1 pineapple, cut into a small dice
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 medium to large jalapeño, finely diced (remove the seeds and ribs if you don’t like heat)
1 avocado, cut into a small dice
1 – 2 T. fresh cilantro, finely chopped (use parsley if you don’t care for cilantro)
zest and juice of 2 large limes
1 packet stevia or about 2 – 3 t. honey
1/2 t. sea salt

Salmon
4 portions of salmon
3/4 – 1 t. chipotle powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
3 T. dark brown sugar
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use, or go ahead break out the chips.

Preheat your grill on high heat.

On a baking sheet without sides, create a “tray” large enough for your salmon pieces out of heavy duty aluminum foil. Place the salmon on the tray.

In a small bowl, combine the chipotle powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture between the four pieces of salmon, making sure to cover them well.

Slide the “tray” onto the grill and close the lid of the grill. Reduce the heat to medium and allow to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how hot your grill gets.

When done, (be careful!) and slide the tray back onto your baking sheet.

Serve as is, or with the salsa on top!

 

Notes:

  • Try serving with a side salad and rice. I used Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend and made a simple pilaf with it.
  • Cilantro has a strong flavor, so go easy on it if you’re not sure you like it. You can always add more if you do. Parsley works just as well.
  • The salsa will keep in the fridge. I can’t tell you for how long…we polished it off in a day!

 

Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

 

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Banana Bread

Banana Bread

I can’t help but think of my kids when they were little every time I bake banana bread. Both my son and my daughter loved it. They still do. I used to make it more often back then because it just seemed like a healthy snack that I knew they’d love. To make it easier for their little hands to eat, I’d always cut their slice into fingers; just strips about an inch wide so that they’d be able to pick it up easily. It’s a joke in our house. Anytime I ask if they’d like a slice, I quietly cut it into those fingers before sliding it in front of them. They both get the same nostalgic, sweet grin on their faces. It’s those moments when you wish time would just slow down already!

So, who knew talking about banana bread would get me so emotional?

This bread has changed over the years. Back then I made this only with all purpose flour, much more sugar and oil and didn’t use any spices. I think of this as my grown up banana bread! But no matter how grown up I am or my kids are…I’m still cutting it into fingers!

Banana Bread

1 C. all purpose flour
2/3 C. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
3/4 C. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 C. canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
3 T. vanilla yogurt
1 T. vanilla extract
4 bananas, mashed
1/2 C. walnuts, chopped
1 T. turbinado sugar (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line one loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar together. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the oil, yogurt and vanilla extract. Add the banana and mix well.

Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture, add the walnuts and mix with a spoon just until combined.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan and if you’d like, I run a knife gently down the top of the loaf, then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes.

Makes one loaf.

Notes:

  • I like to sprinkle that bit of turbinado sugar on top for a couple of reasons. Most banana bread recipes use 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Since I reduce the sugar in my recipe, I think the turbinado on the surface hits your tongue and kind of gives you that sweet crunch that satisfies your sweet tooth. Using the turbinado is optional, though. The bread is still delicious without it.
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Cherry Almond Soda Bread (Vegan)

Cherry Almond Soda Bread

The first thing I want to do is apologize to anyone who is Irish. I took your soda bread and really messed with it…and I’m sorry. Well, I’m not really sorry. No disrespect, but this turned out really good. If you give it a chance, I know you’ll forgive me. The combination of cherry and almond is really nice. This is more of a sweet soda bread, not overly sweet, but it’s nice with some jam or just as is.

I’m not a vegan and I’m pretty sure I may never be. I like everything too much! But…I do like to experiment and eat healthy as much as I can. I wasn’t sure this recipe would turn out, but when it came out of the oven…well, take a peek at the photos below and you’ll see why I’ve gained weight writing this blog.

Cherry Almond Soda Bread (Vegan)

1 C. whole wheat flour
3/4 C. all purpose flour
1/4 C. almond meal
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 C. sugar
2 T. coconut oil
3/4 C. unsweetened almond milk
1/2 C. dried cherries
1/8 C. sliced almonds

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flours, almond meal, baking soda, salt and sugar. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, blend the coconut oil into the flour mixture until it becomes slightly crumbly. Add the almond milk and cherries. Stir with a rubber spatula until combined.

Drop the dough out onto the parchment and sprinkle the top with the sliced almonds. Using generously floured hands, form the dough into a round loaf.

Bake for 28 to 30 minutes.

Cool slightly before devouring.

Notes:

  • You many not need this to be vegan or you may not have all of these ingredients on hand. You can omit the almond meal and just increase the all purpose flour to 1 cup. You may want to add a splash of almond extract for flavor. You can also use regular milk instead of almond milk and butter in place of the coconut oil.
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

I’ve been eyeing some really cute bathing suits…and doing that just puts me in panic mode! I have to tell you, since I’ve started this blog, I’ve gained weight! Yes, my recipes are all healthy, but when you eat dinner for lunch (because daylight is best for food photography) then eat dinner for dinner, well, things start to get a bit pudgy. To make things even pudgier, I’ve been using that time I used to set aside for working out to cook. And of course, when there is cooking, there is eating!

So, I didn’t want to throw my body into shock or to feel deprived. I love sweets and crave them! This granola is the perfect healthy snack. Just be careful to grab a portion, close the lid and step away…or you may end up eating an entire jar of it! It’s addicting! Eat this just as it is as a snack, sprinkled on some yogurt (awesome with banana slices like in the photo below), in a small bowl with some milk or over some low fat ice cream.

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

1 T. coconut oil
2 T. chunky peanut butter (I use a natural peanut butter, see Notes)
2 C. rolled oats
1/4 C. golden flaxseed meal (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
1/2 C. dark brown sugar
1/4 C. mini chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

In a medium bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave for one minute on high. Remove from the microwave and mix in the peanut butter. The heat from the oil will melt the peanut butter. Add the oats and flaxseed meal and stir to coat. Add the beaten egg, stir again, then add the brown sugar and stir until completely coated.

Spread the granola on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring things up about halfway through.

Cool the granola on the baking sheet. When completely cooled, add the chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container.

 

Notes:

  • I stopped buying regular peanut butter about a year ago. Just read the label. It’ll make you want to stop too! There are so many additives like hydrogenated fats, salt and sugar. And forget those “low fat” peanut butters. They are even worse as far as additives go. Look for natural peanut butter and compare labels. Some people say they don’t like the taste of the natural kind. My family said that too when I first started using it. Now, they are so used to it, they actually prefer it.
  • I use some coconut oil in this recipe for several reasons. It’s said to help raise your good cholesterol, it can help us lose weight because it metabolizes differently than other fats, it can help to stabilize our blood sugar and can also strengthen our immune system. It is high in saturated fat, but when limited to 2 to 3 tablespoons a day, it can be beneficial.
  • Flax is a great source of omega-3′s, fiber and has antioxidant qualities. Store flaxseed meal in the refrigerator or the freezer.
  • If you love granola as much as I do, you may also like this version!
Vanilla Yogurt Topped With Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola and Banana Slices
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