Crispy Garbanzo Beans, the perfect snack

These things are so good!  They make a great, healthy snack food.  Oh, and they are easy and have very few ingredients. The seasonings can be changed to just about anything.  I've listed what I used today but I've made them with curry powder, cumin, and just salt and pepper. I've heard of people making them with cinnamon but I haven't tried that yet. This can easily be doubled (just make sure your baking pan is big enough for a single layer)

1 can of garbanzo beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

seasonings-

Big drizzle of worcestershire sauce

garlic powder

sea salt 

ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Drain and throughly rinse the garbanzo beans.  Lay them out and dry with paper towels.  Place on a single layer on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Mix around with your hands until everything is thoroughly coated.  Roast until crispy.  In my oven it took about 45 minutes.  You want them crispy but if you leave them too long, they will burn.  So start checking them at about the 30 minute point and keep a close eye on them. Also, shake the pan every 15 minutes or so to help them cook evenly.

Feta yogurt dip and pita bread

I had a version of this dip at a great little greek restaurant last weekend so I decided to try to recreate it.  It turned out pretty tasty!

Feta Yogurt Dip

1 cup greek yogurt

1-1 1/3 cup feta cheese

juice half lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

olive oil (drizzle on top)

This is a pretty easy recipe that can be modified to your specific tastes.

Mix in food processor or by hand for a chunkier version.  Adjust lemon, garlic, s&p, and olive oil to your taste.  Chill for at least 30 mins. It's easy and delicious. 

It's best served with raw veggies and homemade pita bread (recipe found here).

Baba Ghanoush

I had been craving it for a few days.  Delicious charred eggplant, lemon, tahini slathered on nice, warm pita bread.  So last night I finally gave in and made it.  So. Worth. It.

First, the scary part.  You have to char the eggplant to get that delicious smokey flavor.  Poke some holes in the eggplant, wrap it with a bunch of foil and place it over the open flame on a gas stove or a grill. Turn every five minutes or so.  It will take 15-30 mins, depending on the size of your eggplant.  I had medium ones and they took about 20 mins. Remove them when they feel squishy.  Yes, that's a technical term.

Let them cool a little then open the foil (watch out for the hot, escaping steam), split them open and place the eggplant pulp (not the skin) into a bowl.  Let it cool slightly then mash them with a fork (or you can put them in the food processor if you prefer a more pureed dip).  Add the rest of the ingredients (adjust for your personal taste) and enjoy.

Serve with pita bread, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, or just eat it straight out of the bowl.


2 eggplants roasted
1/4c tahini
1/8tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp cumin
1 lemon
1/2tsp salt

Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika 

I can't wait until lunch time so I can eat this (along with the pita bread and hummus).

Homemade yogurt

I've been making my own yogurt for the last couple of months and decided it was time to share.  This is such an easy thing to make and it's a lot cheaper than buying those tiny containers of yogurt at the grocery store.  The nice part is that you know exactly what you're eating.  It is plain yogurt so you still have to add whatever kind of flavor you want but that's the fun part.

1. Pour a 1 liter container of milk (whole, low fat or fat free) into a pot and bring it to a boil.
2.  Allow it to cool until you can just touch it but not completely cool (about 125 degrees)
3. Pour into a container  (with a tight fitting lid) and add 4 teaspoons of plain, live culture yogurt
4. Put lid on container and leave in a dark cabinet for 5-6 hours (longer if it's a cold day)
5. Refrigerate and enjoy

I enjoy a bowl with some fresh fruit, a drizzle of honey and some granola.

Oh, and a little tip - I have forgotten about the yogurt a couple times and left it out overnight.  Now I set a reminder on my phone to ping me and remind me to take it out of the cabinet and stick in the fridge when it's done.

Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)

This is a great little recipe! Brazilians mostly eat it for breakfast or as a snack. The only ingredient that might be hard to find is the sour cassava flour (which we learned about during our trip to the Amazon).  You can order it on www.amazon.com and you may even find it in a Latin grocery store.  Find it.  It's worth it.  Oh, and for those of you that avoid gluten, it's gluten free!

Sour Cassava Flour

These few things are transformed into amazing pão de queijo

The cheese called for in this recipe is Quejo Minas Fresco (fresh cheese traditionally produced in Minas Garais in Brazil). You can definitely substitute other cheeses for it.  I will be experimenting with some different combinations of cheese the next time I make this bread.

Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread)

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sour cassava flour

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups Minas cheese (can substitute parmesan or other cheese)

Ready to be portioned and put in the oven

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line pan with parchment paper.  Put oil, milk and salt in a pan over medium heat and whisk  just until it starts to bubble.  Remove from heat and immediately add the cassava flour and mix well. Put the dough in the bowl of a mixer and (use paddle attachment) beat on med until dough smooths and it's cool enough to touch. Whisk eggs in a bowl and then slowly add them to the mixer while it's running. Add the cheese and continue mixing until incorporated.  The dough is going to be very sticky.  I use two spoons to portion and place on the baking sheet. You can also use an ice cream scoop (probably easier).  I also saw a recipe where the dough was placed in a mini muffin pan to cook.  Whatever works for you. Bake until the outsides are dry and they get a little color on them.  My oven is terrible and I had to cook them for almost an hour.  I imagine if I had a good oven, it would probably be closer to 30 minutes.

 Let cool a few minutes and enjoy.

When I made these, I made one baking sheet of them and portioned the rest of the dough onto another baking sheet and let freeze.  Once they were frozen, I transferred them to a freezer bag and threw them back in the freezer.  That way I can easily pull out a few to bake when the mood strikes me. They are really best served warmed, right after coming out of the oven.

Ready for the freezer

Chocolate Banana Cranberry Bread

I love the bananas here.  I mean, I love bananas period but here they seem more flavorful and a little sweeter.

So, we had a couple bananas that were getting pretty ripe and I decided banana bread would be perfect. I also have a lot of dried cranberries and some chocolate and thought that might all work together.  And it did!   As I sit here typing this, I can't wait for my afternoon coffee so I have an excuse to have another delicious slice.

Here's the recipe --

1/4 cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 small bananas chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (or you can use chocolate chips)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat to 350.  Butter or spray a loaf pan.  Cream sugar and butter together.  Add the eggs, one at time, and mix between each one. Fold in the bananas, cranberries and chocolate, water and vanilla.  Add everything else and mix just until its incorporated.  You don't want to over mix it. Bake for about an hour - until the top is nicely brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes then loosen with a knife and put on a pretty dish.

I really like this bread but I think I'll use more chocolate next time. And maybe throw in some nuts.