the other day we had the extreme pleasure of visiting a natural foods store. it's probably a good thing we don't have one of those in town because the man and i got a little giddy and spent far too much... but one of the many tasty things we came home with was some peanut butter sesame seed bars. i've been trying to up my protein and am always looking for healthy snacks (because i'm now hungry every second of every day), and these looked pretty simple.
pair that with an irrational urge to clean everything in sight, including my baking cupboard, and saturday morning's adventure was making my own energy bars. i wasn't crazy about using peanut butter as the "glue", but i didn't find too many other suggestions online, so i just settled on honey and coconut oil. next time i might try something different because these really only stick together when they're cold (right out of the fridge is perfect), but they're amazingly tasty. i think the little bit of dark chocolate is the key.
i used pretty much everything i had in the cupboard that looked good. you can use whatever nuts and dried fruit you have. i highly suggest dates though because they've got a bit of natural stickiness to them anyways. again... i didn't measure anything so if you attempt these, it's at your own risk. :)
Homemade Energy Bars - serves 1 pregnant woman and 1 husband for a couple weeks.
prep time: 30 mins cook time: 15mins
1 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted (the green kind, not like fresh out of the pumpkin)
1 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1 cup almond slices, toasted
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted
1 small package coconut flakes, toasted (ya i toasted everything)
1/2 cup dried apricots (i used some we dried ourselves this summer - so fun!)
1/2 cup chopped dates (i'd use a full cup next time)
1/4 cup dark chocolate pieces
1 cup honey (i'd use 1/2 to 3/4 next time)
2-3 tbsp coconut oil
1-2 tbsp ground flax seed
to toast the nuts and seeds - spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes, stirring the seeds once or twice and keeping a close eye on them so they don't burn. allow them to cool (i didn't because i'm impatient, but whatever).
mix seeds, nuts, and fruits together in a large bowl. meanwhile heat the honey, coconut oil and dark chocolate pieces on low heat until everything's melted (i mixed the chocolate pieces in with the dry stuff but they just melted anyways, so might as well melt them from the start). pour over nut mixture and mix well. sprinkle the ground flax seed over top and mix it in.
press the mixture into an oiled casserole dish (i used two but they're a bit thin - just depends how thick you want them) and bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. cool completely before cutting and devouring.
enjoy!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
mediterranean quiche
we had some guests this weekend and i wanted to make something easy but tasty (read: impressive) for a sunday brunch. i've only tried quiche once before and didn't care for the recipe, but i'm really glad i got the guts to try it again because this one's a keeper.
note: obviously if cholesterol is an issue for you, this might not be your recipe.
Mediterranean Quiche - serves 6
prep time: 10 mins cook time: 40 mins
adapted from: How to Make a Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Quiche
1 deep dish pastry or pie shell (frozen for me - kudos if you bake your own!)
1 jar of sun-dried tomatoes (i used 6-8 dried instead of from a jar - less oil)
1 small box of frozen chopped spinach (thawed & drained well)
1 cup feta cheese (hubby got me some with sun-dried tomato & basil seasoning in it already. yummy)
1/2 - 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (go low fat)
1/2 cup onion - chopped
1 clove garlic - minced
6 eggs
salt, pepper, & sweet paprika to taste (what is sweet paprika? never heard of it. i just used the regular stuff)
* the recipe called for milk but i completely forgot it so... forget it!
saute the onions & garlic in a bit of olive oil. if using dried sun-dried tomatoes - bring 1 cup of water to a rapid boil. drop tomatoes into the water and boil for two minutes (reserve the liquid to add to a soup later in the week if you like!)
meanwhile, beat the eggs. add salt, pepper, & paprika to taste (by the way, i omitted the salt - really not needed, especially with feta cheese). add feta and sauteed onions and garlic, and spinach & mix well. you can also add 1/2 cup of mozzarella at this point, but i didn't.
pour the egg mixture into the pie shell. arrange sun-dried tomatoes on top (or chop them and sprinkle them on top like i did). sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (or feta if you like) over all.
bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until set & golden brown on top.
seriously - YUM. i had a couple ideas for tweaking this next time - one was to go even more mediterranean and add black or kalamata olives... but that might make it a bit too salty. the other was to add cubed leftover ham or, better yet, bacon. of course, in the last couple weeks i've found myself regularly saying "know what would make this better? BACON!" so maybe it's the baby talking... :) even without any tweaks, it was easy to make and delightful to serve.
happy quiche-ing!
note: obviously if cholesterol is an issue for you, this might not be your recipe.
Mediterranean Quiche - serves 6
prep time: 10 mins cook time: 40 mins
adapted from: How to Make a Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Quiche
1 deep dish pastry or pie shell (frozen for me - kudos if you bake your own!)
1 jar of sun-dried tomatoes (i used 6-8 dried instead of from a jar - less oil)
1 small box of frozen chopped spinach (thawed & drained well)
1 cup feta cheese (hubby got me some with sun-dried tomato & basil seasoning in it already. yummy)
1/2 - 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (go low fat)
1/2 cup onion - chopped
1 clove garlic - minced
6 eggs
salt, pepper, & sweet paprika to taste (what is sweet paprika? never heard of it. i just used the regular stuff)
* the recipe called for milk but i completely forgot it so... forget it!
saute the onions & garlic in a bit of olive oil. if using dried sun-dried tomatoes - bring 1 cup of water to a rapid boil. drop tomatoes into the water and boil for two minutes (reserve the liquid to add to a soup later in the week if you like!)
meanwhile, beat the eggs. add salt, pepper, & paprika to taste (by the way, i omitted the salt - really not needed, especially with feta cheese). add feta and sauteed onions and garlic, and spinach & mix well. you can also add 1/2 cup of mozzarella at this point, but i didn't.
pour the egg mixture into the pie shell. arrange sun-dried tomatoes on top (or chop them and sprinkle them on top like i did). sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (or feta if you like) over all.
bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until set & golden brown on top.
seriously - YUM. i had a couple ideas for tweaking this next time - one was to go even more mediterranean and add black or kalamata olives... but that might make it a bit too salty. the other was to add cubed leftover ham or, better yet, bacon. of course, in the last couple weeks i've found myself regularly saying "know what would make this better? BACON!" so maybe it's the baby talking... :) even without any tweaks, it was easy to make and delightful to serve.
happy quiche-ing!
homemade vegetable soup
i'm embarrassed at how long it's been since i've posted to this blog... but when i look at my life since july i don't feel quite so bad. in the past three months we've been to new mexico, pennsylvania, maryland, and ontario. and at least half of that time was blessed with morning sickness to boot - eating food has been enough of a challenge, let alone writing about it! but we're home again now and i think i'm regaining my appetite (speaking in faith here). this weekend at least has been a hit in the kitchen, so maybe it's time to start sharing again!
my sweet husband woke up stuffy and miserable this morning, so i wanted to make some comfort food with enough good stuff in it to hopefully help him feel better. vegetable soup it is. i totally made up this recipe and was amazed how well it turned out - we both had two bowls full. i especially loved that i didn't have to go out for any special ingredients. unfortunately i wasn't writing anything down as i made it and i'm not much into measuring so... everything below is a best estimate. it's pretty basic though, i think you could easily tweak it to suit your taste.
Homemade Vegetable Soup - serves 6-8
prep time: 10-20 mins cook time: 45-60 mins
1 small onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - diced
1 cup carrots - chopped (i used baby carrots, use whatever you have/like)
1 cup celery hearts and leaves - chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup frozen or cooked fresh spinach
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with liquid (without salt, if possible)
1 19oz can 6 bean mix (not the flavoured bean salad kind, just straight up beans) - rinsed well
1/2 cup barley - rinsed well
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (homemade, if you have it)
2 cups water (i also added about 1/2 cup of the leftover cooking liquid from blanching sundried tomatoes yesterday - you could add any leftover cooking liquid you have on hand, or none at all. but if you add a significant amount, cut back on the water)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp marjoram (not sure why i added this... it smelled good at the time)
2 tsp basil - i used dried, fresh would be delicious
1 tsp parsley - ditto above
2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more if you like more spice
pepper to taste
saute the onion and garlic together in the olive oil.
combine the soup stock, water (+ any other liquid), sauteed onions and garlic, canned tomatoes, barley, and spices. simmer on low heat for about 20 mins.
add carrots, celery, and beans. bring to a boil, simmer until the vegetables and barley are cooked.
add broccoli and spinach at the end and simmer until it's heated through.
we had our soup with some grated mozarella cheese and lots of crackers but i bet it would be delicious with some fresh whole grain bread. i'm hoping all the vegetables and the little bit of kick from the red pepper flakes will fight off any sicknesses trying to brew in our house! regardless, the beans and barley make it a bit more of a complete meal than your standard out-of-a-can veggie soup. yum.
let me know if you make it and what you think would make it better!
my sweet husband woke up stuffy and miserable this morning, so i wanted to make some comfort food with enough good stuff in it to hopefully help him feel better. vegetable soup it is. i totally made up this recipe and was amazed how well it turned out - we both had two bowls full. i especially loved that i didn't have to go out for any special ingredients. unfortunately i wasn't writing anything down as i made it and i'm not much into measuring so... everything below is a best estimate. it's pretty basic though, i think you could easily tweak it to suit your taste.
Homemade Vegetable Soup - serves 6-8
prep time: 10-20 mins cook time: 45-60 mins
1 small onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - diced
1 cup carrots - chopped (i used baby carrots, use whatever you have/like)
1 cup celery hearts and leaves - chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup frozen or cooked fresh spinach
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with liquid (without salt, if possible)
1 19oz can 6 bean mix (not the flavoured bean salad kind, just straight up beans) - rinsed well
1/2 cup barley - rinsed well
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (homemade, if you have it)
2 cups water (i also added about 1/2 cup of the leftover cooking liquid from blanching sundried tomatoes yesterday - you could add any leftover cooking liquid you have on hand, or none at all. but if you add a significant amount, cut back on the water)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp marjoram (not sure why i added this... it smelled good at the time)
2 tsp basil - i used dried, fresh would be delicious
1 tsp parsley - ditto above
2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more if you like more spice
pepper to taste
saute the onion and garlic together in the olive oil.
combine the soup stock, water (+ any other liquid), sauteed onions and garlic, canned tomatoes, barley, and spices. simmer on low heat for about 20 mins.
add carrots, celery, and beans. bring to a boil, simmer until the vegetables and barley are cooked.
add broccoli and spinach at the end and simmer until it's heated through.
we had our soup with some grated mozarella cheese and lots of crackers but i bet it would be delicious with some fresh whole grain bread. i'm hoping all the vegetables and the little bit of kick from the red pepper flakes will fight off any sicknesses trying to brew in our house! regardless, the beans and barley make it a bit more of a complete meal than your standard out-of-a-can veggie soup. yum.
let me know if you make it and what you think would make it better!
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