Sweet and Smoky Almond and Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Rich in zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium, shelled pumpkin seeds (Pepitas) are a nutritious snack. Add in a little sweet and a little spice and now we're talking about a nutritiously, delicious addictive snack! This recipe was ridiculously easy to make and supplied me with a week's worth of afternoon snacks that I didn't feel guilty about eating since they were a) homemade b) not containing high fructose corn syrup and all those other unnecessary ingredients c) healthy (minus the sugar)!

Before we get to the recipe, you must check out this eerily, beautiful, perfect for Halloween video:

Sweet & Smokey Almond and Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooling Time: 30-40 min

Ingredients to make approximately 5 Cups:

vegetable oil or cooking spray for baking sheet
(
1) cup sugar
 (adjust accordingly, for me, this was too much, I used 3/4 cup)
(3/4) cup water
(
1) teaspoon coarse salt, divided
(2) tablespoons adobo sauce (from one 7-oz can chipotle chiles in adobo)
(1) cup unsalted roasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
(1) cup almonds (or any other kind of nut that you want to use)
(
1/4) teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and lightly brush with oil or cover with cooking spray. Make sure to measure out all of your ingredients because once you start, it all happens really quickly, so be prepared!

Cook sugar, water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a heavy medium saucepan over high heat, stirring, until sugar just dissolves.

Continue to cook, without stirring, until golden which will take about 4 minutes. Then cook about 1 minute more, swirling the pan, until syrup is light amber.

Carefully stir in adobo sauce and cook 30 seconds.

Remove pan from heat, Add pepitas, almonds, and cayenne, stirring to coat.

Immediately pour onto baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining salt. I didn't do this, but if you want your Brittle to be a little more salty, go for it.

Let cool completely, and break into pieces. 

Brittle can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Living, August 2012

Toffee Bars

I saw these bad boys on Made Just Right and just had to give them a try. These Toffee Bars are really easy to make and only take 20 minutes to bake making them the perfect go-to dessert for when unexpected guests stop by or a delicious homemade treat to bring to a dinner party. 

Before we get to the recipe (below), here are a couple more treats for you to enjoy :)

♥ Food Porn at it's Finest: 

The teaser to Taste Explosions a new show on Tasted

♥ Awesome Blogging Tool!: 

Watch the Tutorial then find the app here ---> Olivia Tech

♥ Such a beautifully inspiring video: 

Each of us has a unique gift that we are here to share with the World, what's yours?

Don't forget to order your Halloween cards! It's almost Halloween! 

Toffee Bars

Prep Time: 15 min

Bake Time: 20-25 min

Ingredients to make approximately 9 Bars:

(
1/3) cup nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans)


(1/2) cup (1 whole stick) butter

(
1/2) cup light brown sugar


(2) tsp. vanilla extract


(1/4) tsp. salt


(1) cup unbleached all-purpose flour

(
6) ounces dark or semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Line a 8x8 baking pan or glass dish with foil. You want to make sure you have enough to come up on the sides forming a 'handle' in which you will pull the dessert out with later.

Spread nuts on a baking sheet. Bake 4 to 6 minutes, until lightly toasted. Cool, then chop and set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in sugar and vanilla, salt and flour. Make sure all ingredients are mixed together throughly.

Spread mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Once golden brown, remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly across the shortbread. Put back in oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt chocolate chips.

Remove from oven and using a spatula or back of a spoon; spread the chocolate evenly over the shortbread then sprinkle with toasted nuts.

Set your Toffee Bars aside to cool. 

Once they are completely cool, remove the dessert from the pan using the ends of the foil as handles to pull it out. Cut into squares or refrigerate for a cool treat.

Parsley Scallion Hummus

Have you ever tried the Parsley Scallion Hummus from Whole Foods? I know, the name is not that appetizing. A couple of months back, intrigued, I bought it only to be blown away by it's deliciously fresh taste. I'll go through a tub of this hummus in less than a week, by myself, I put it on everything! 

Recently, partially motivated by the steep cost of this hummus at Whole Foods and partially motivated to make it even fresher than it already is, I searched for the recipe online and came across Kid and Nancy's recipe for this oh so addicting Parsley Scallion Hummus. It's spot on! I made a couple of my own tweaks, here's the recipe.

Parsley Scallion Hummus
 

Prep Time: ~20 min

Ingredients to make ~2.5 Cups

(2) 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

(4-5) scallions sliced thinly


(2.5) cups parsley leaves chopped

(
2) tbls tahini

(
3) tbls lemon juice


(3-4) sprigs of dill

(1/4) teaspoon cumin powder


(1.5) teaspoon kosher salt

~1/3 cup 
olive oil

In a food processor or blender, finely chop the scallions and parsley.

Add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and salt and blend, stopping to slowly drizzle in olive oil until mixture is near smooth.

Add more salt, lemon, cumin or olive oil to taste. Serve at room temperature or refrigerated.

You can serve this hummus with flat bread, crackers, pita bread, chips, spread it on a sandwich or dip veggies in it. It goes amazingly well with anything!

Kale Chips

Quick, delicious, nutritious and addicting, kale chips are high in fiber and low in fat and calories making them the perfect snack. Some girlfriends and I went to go see Florence + The Machine at the Hollywood Bowl this past weekend and decided to pack a picnic dinner to enjoy before the show. I decided to make two kinds of kale chips and one of my summer (it's been in the 80's-90's here in LA, so yes, it's still summer here) favorites, a Chickpea Salad. 

Never made kale chips before? They're super easy to make. Here's a recipe for:

Sea Salt & Pepper Kale Chips

Ingredients (to serve 2-4 people)

Prep time: ~10 min

Cook time: 20 min

(1) bunch of kale

olive oil

sea salt or table salt

pepper

smoked paprika (optional)

nutritional yeast (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 300F.

Wash and dry kale. Remove any ribbing or hard parts and tear the kale into medium size pieces. In a bowl, drizzle about 1tablespoon of olive oil over the kale and then using your hands, mix, making sure each piece of kale has a nice even coating of olive oil. Season with sea salt, pepper and smoked paprika (optional) and mix again. 

Next spread the kale out evenly in one layer onto a cookie sheet or baking pan lined with foil. At this point, if you also want to season your kale chips with nutritional yeast flakes, go ahead and sprinkle that on before it goes in the oven.

Bake at 300F for about 20 minutes or until kale chips are crispy. You'll see that they shrink down a decent amount, lay the kale chips out to cool and enjoy!  

 // Picnicking in the park //

 // Kale chips, Chickpea Salad, Cheese, Crackers, Salami and Fruit //

Recipe Roulette: Black Pepper Tofu and Green Beans

I can hear the wind outside as it rustles through the bamboo...a cold front is blowing in. 

The air now is warm and very dry. 

With the heat of this dish still burning my lips, I write this post for one of my new favorite dishes; Black Pepper Tofu and Green Beans, the perfect combination of heat, sweet and salty. 

Enjoy!

 Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound green beans, trimmed and halved

2 tablespoons lime juice 

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon pepper 

14 ounces firm tofu, drained and patted dry

2 tablespoons canola oil 

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar 

1/2 cup sliced shallots

Preparation

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add green beans, and cook until bright green, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. 

2. In a small bowl, mix lime juice, soy sauce, and pepper, then set aside.

3. Cut tofu into 1/2-in.-thick rectangles. Heat oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu, sprinkle with sugar, and cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. 

4. Stir in shallots and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. 

5. Add green beans and cook until warmed, about 3 minutes. Pour in soy mixture and stir to coat.

via Kate Washington, Sunset 
September 2011

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 285
Calories from fat: 37%
Protein: 17g
Fat: 12g
Saturated fat: 1.1g
Carbohydrate: 30g
Fiber: 8.6g
Sodium: 276mg
Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Fuel Your Soul: Homemade Chicken Soup

The weather this past weekend made it very clear that Fall is quickly approaching. I welcomed the gray sky, light rain and the smell of fireplaces burning in the air with a pot of my Mom's Homemade Chicken Soup (and a couple episodes of Modern Family). I swear this soup cures colds, tastes like Home and feels like a big, warm hug as it goes down.

Ingredients serves 4-6

8 Cups of Water

4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes or 4 packets of Trader Joes Savory Chicken Broth

3 white onions (quartered)

4 cloves of garlic (I smash them once with the blunt side of the knife to release some of the flavor, but the whole clove should still be intact)

3 stalks of celery

6 carrots (peeled)

2-4 chicken thighs (skinless)

salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

oregano (optional)

sage (optional)

1. Boil 8 cups of water.

2. Once the water is boiling, add the chicken, garlic, carrots, celery and onions.

3. Lower the heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

4. After 20 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Remove the chicken and vegetables from the broth and cut them up as desired and add them back into the broth. 

I also like to add just a little bit of sage and a couple shakes of Oregano. To make the soup more hearty, add kale to the pot for the last 5 minutes (it cooks quickly). 

A Recipe Review: Sesame Salmon with Shitake Mushrooms and Pea Shoots

Fish can be so intimidating to cook. If you make it wrong, it tastes fishy, but if you make it right...it's sooo light and delicious! I always feel good after I eat fish, too, it's incredibly healthy for you.

I found this tasty little recipe in Living, Martha Stewart's magazine. You can make this dish in about 40 minutes from start to finish. It's as easy as Martha makes it seem and turned out to be quite delicious, impressing both my boyfriend and me. 

Tip: The Black Sesame Seeds were key, along with a little extra Lemon Juice squeezed on top right before you serve.

[Click here for online recipe]

Active Time 10 min
Total Time 25 min
Serves 4

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms (8 ounces)
4 boneless, skinless salmon fillets, preferably wild sockeye (5 ounces each; 1 inch thick)
Coarse salt
2 teaspoons toasted-sesame oil
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1 1/3 cups fresh pea shoots (2 ounces) (I substituted microgreens in) 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut out four 12-by-17-inch pieces of parchment; fold each in half crosswise to form a crease, then open.


2. Combine soy sauce, ginger, and lemon juice, and toss with mushrooms. Divide evenly among 4 parchment pieces, arranging mixture on 1 side of each crease. Lay 1 salmon fillet on top of each pile. Season each with 1/8 teaspoon salt and the sesame oil. Fold parchment over ingredients; make overlapping pleats to seal.









3. Bake on 2 baking sheets (2 packets per sheet) for 10 to 11 minutes for medium-rare or 12 minutes for medium. Unwrap; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Top with pea shoots.

The Simplest Summer Dish: Chickpea Salad

My Dad taught me how to make this delicious dish. It's easy, healthy and is quite the crowd pleaser. You can find all of these ingredients for under $10 at Trader Joes.

Ingredients (to serve 2-4 people)

Total time ~15 min

(1) 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans

(1) 3.8 oz can of sliced black olives

(3) green onions chopped

(1/4) a red onion diced

(2) tsp capers

(2) roma tomatoes diced

olive oil

apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

sea salt or table salt

pepper

oregano

(1/2) a jalapeno pepper finely chopped (optional)
You can play around with the amount of ingredients depending on your preference.

Combine the garbanzo beans, black olives, green onions, red onion, capers, tomatoes and jalapeno pepper in a bowl. 

Drizzle approx. 2 tbs olive oil and 3 tbs apple cider vinegar on top. 

Season with sea salt, pepper and oregano. 

Mix the ingredients throughly and add additional olive oil, vinegar and seasonings to reach desired taste.

This dish is delicious right after you make it or when you refrigerate it for about 1/2 an hour to an hour before you serve it.

This dish is one of my favorites, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks, Dad!

To a Healthy New Year!

During 2010 I ate out the most I've ever eaten out in my 30 years of life. Not going to lie, I LOVED it. BUT, it's very expensive, and for the most part, not the healthiest choice. There is something magical about creating and preparing your own food; it's meditative, fun and satisfying. You also are in full control of what you're fueling your body with.

I wanted to share one of my favorite dishes. It's super fast, easy, tasty and healthy. It takes 15 minutes total to prep and make this dish.

To make this dish more substantial, I eat this salad with heated tortillas or pita and hummus. My recommendation is Trader Joe's Sun Dried Tomato and Habanero Hand Made tortillas :)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 Green Bell Pepper

1/2 Red Bell Pepper

1/2 Red Onion

4 Cloves of garlic

2 Handfulls of Trader Joe's Herb Salad Mix

4 Leaves of Green Leaf Lettuce

3-5 Slices of Turkey

Olive Oil

Apple Cider Vinegar

Braggs Liquid Aminos

Sea Salt

Pepper

Serves 2

PREP

-Peel the garlic and slice the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, turkey and red onion. Wash and tear lettuce leafs.

-Mix the Green Leaf Lettuce and 2 handfulls of Trader Joe's Herb Salad Mix in a large bowl.

-Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a splash of the liquid aminos, sea salt and pepper on top of salad and mix to taste.

COOK

-Put about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and cook the onions and garlic until the onions start to become clear.

-Add the bell peppers.

-Once the peppers start to brown on the edges, add the turkey and season with sea salt and pepper. Cook until the turkey starts to brown on the edges.

-Pour the cooked bell peppers, onions, garlic and turkey on top of salad and mix it all together.

I hope you enjoy!