Christmas Time is Here

// Festive Kitty Christmas Card //

December!? When did that happen?!? I took my car in for an oil change this weekend and to both my mechanic's and my horror, the last time I had had my oil changed was...wait for it...January 2012!!! (I hope my Dad doesn't read this) It really seemed like I had it changed 4 months ago-- ok, try 12 months ago. Time. Flies.

Every year since I can remember, I've made a Christmas card that I send out to family and friends. I just updated a few of my favorites and put them up for sale in my Etsy store, i make pretty. Take a look!

I also wanted to share a super simple no-bake recipe for Date-Nut Coconut Squares that I found in Martha Stewart Home Living. I've been making these healthy treats on the weekend and bringing them to work for breakfast. They go so well with a cup of coffee. Recipe below.

 // Rocker Girl Christmas Cards //

// Dreamy Christmas // 

// Girls in White Dresses Christmas Cards //

// Simple 'No-Bake' Date-Nut Coconut  Squares //

Makes 12 Squares

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup unsalted raw cashews or almonds

- 1 cup pitted dates

- 1/2 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut

- pinch of cinnamon

1) Pulse 1/2 cup of nuts of your choice until coarsely chopped.

2) Add 1 cup of pitted dates (the softer the better), 1/4 cup of dried coconut, and a pinch of cinnamon and purée until smooth.

3) Place 1/4 cup more of the dried coconut on a plate. 

4) Take date mixture and form into 1-inch cubes. Dip all sides of the cube in the dried coconut to cover.  (I dip half and leave the other half plain as they are already quite sweet from the dates).

Cubes can be stored up to 1 week at room temperature in an airtight container.

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!

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!