Sweet Potato Hummus

I have been looking for new ways to enjoy sweet potatoes since we have received so many in our produce co-op. Sweet potatoes aren't something that I really love, so I was looking for creative ways to eat them, that didn't included making them sweeter (like some dishes do around the holidays with marshmallows and brown sugar). I found a couple of really great recipes and this was one of the first ones I wanted to try out.

I love hummus and have made many variations
of it over the years. I wasn't sure how adding sweet potatoes to chickpeas and tahini would taste, but it turned out that this Sweet Potato Hummus was really delicious. It did have a sweeter aftertaste than usual hummus, but it was a really nice variation that we enjoyed. I made some whole wheat pita chips in the oven and we also used fresh veggies as dippers.

Here is the recipe for Sweet Potato Hummus
* I roasted and pureed 3 large sweet potatoes on the day I made this hummus, before I read the instructions, so I just used an estimated amount of that puree when mixing up the hummus

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bread

When I saw this Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bread recently, I thought it would make a great after school snack. I decided to make mini loaves because they bake up a little bit faster and also because then everyone can have their own little loaf- no fighting over the end pieces or the one with the most chocolate.

My kids absolutely loved these. I would say that it tastes more like a muffin than a cookie, but it really didn't matter. I liked this bread because it wasn't overly sweet and it felt like a healthier option than a cookie.

My son declared that this was the best snack ever. That means it will reappear sometime in the near future.

Here is the recipe for Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bread
* I used low-fat buttermilk because that is what I keep in my fridge
* I forgot the sugar sprinkle on top



I also made these from the same blog, on a Sunday afternoon when we all wanted a treat and have no photo as proof because we gobbled them up quickly.

Cooking School- Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers

I've mentioned before that I don't really buy any sort of premade snacks. Since I like to spend time in the kitchen, I figure it must be possible to make anything that is out there for snacking, at home.
My daughter asked me if we could make goldfish crackers and I knew that they had been made successfully by smitten kitchen, so I said of course!

These crackers really couldn't be easier. All you have to do is shred some cheese (which my kids love to do and I remember it being one of my favorite jobs when I was their age), put it in the food processor with a couple other ingredients, pulse until a dough forms, roll it out, cut out shapes or make it into squares and bake them up. I was really quite surprised at how easy this turned out to be. So easy in fact, that we made extra dough and have it in the freezer for the next time a craving hits.

And, you don't have to actually make these cheese crackers into goldfish shape. We ended up slicing some of the dough with a pizza cutter and just making them into squares as well. (although the goldfish are pretty cute!)
Here's my helper giving our goldfish their "eye" and smile

Here is the recipe for Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers from smitten kitchen
* I used all white wheat flour in my goldfish
* if you are interested in buying a goldfish cookie cutter, the link is included with the recipe

Oatmeal Summer Squash Muffins

I was wondering the other day why you never really hear about or see recipes for summer squash muffins or summer squash cake. There are a million recipes for zucchini cake, with chocolate and all sorts of spices, but not so many with summer squash. Summer squash and zucchini are sort of the same thing, so I am thinking that either one would work in most any recipe. But, I don't know, maybe there is something special about zucchini.

I finally found a summer squash muffin recipe and tried it out. It is a really interesting one because these muffins aren't really that sweet. I really liked that about them, but they still have a interesting hint of spices/vanilla. I enjoy breakfast muffins that don't taste like they should be dessert and these definitely fall into that category. They were almost savory, but not quite. Really intriguing. I froze some of them because my sister and brother and coming to town for a visit and my brother is a muffin lover. So- we will soon see how they do from the freezer!

Oatmeal Summer Squash Muffins as seen on Modern Beet
adapted from Simply in Season
makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups white wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 Tbls baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1 egg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
2 cups grated summer squash

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in a medium-large bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine egg,buttermilk, oil, and honey. Mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Gently fold in squash.

Fill lined or well-greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Snacks

(Pictured above is one that I discovered a couple of months ago, when I realized I liked avocado again. Hard boiled egg with yolk removed, filled with chopped avocado-drenched in lemon juice, then sprinkled with salt and pepper.)


Snacks.
They are essential to my life, mostly because I have small kids, but I enjoy snacks too.

It can be hard to make sure that you are getting healthy snacks, especially since media and school and everything else is so saturated with unhealthy choices. I make sure that I have a fridge stocked with fruits and veggies, that can be easily accessed. I cut up tons of fresh veggies and put them on a platter (pictured below-jicama, carrots, cucumber, celery, red yellow orange & green bell pepper, avocado, cherry tomatoes) and let my kids eat away. Whatever is leftover, I put in a plastic bag in the fridge and then on other days of the week when they are begging for snacks, there are already veggies ready to go. I also make plates filled with cut strawberries/ other berries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, grapes or whatever other fruit I have on hand for my kids to snack on.

When my kids beg for snacks, I tell them to choose a fruit, veggie or a protein (nuts, egg, beans) or a combination of those choices.

Once or twice a week I bake a snack/treat, which is special. It could be cookies or something like that, but it is a special treat and my kids know they aren't going to be eating cookies every day of the week. I stay away from prepackaged snacks.

Below I listed a few snack ideas that we eat on a regular basis. What are your favorite healthy snacks?


frozen blueberries
hard boiled eggs filled with guac/salsa mix, hummus, or refried beans
green pepper half filled with refried beans/salsa, - dip carrots/veggies and baked chips in it
cut up veggies
dill pickles
cheese cubes (My daughter loves Mini Babybels)
olives
garbanzo beans or other beans, eaten with fingers
hard boiled eggs
ants on a log
cut up fruit
mini pitas stuffed with hummus, veggies or pb&j/h
nuts
dried fruit
small cup of soup
scrambled or fried egg
healthy muffin
toast
apple half filled with nut butter
no sugar added applesauce (We like Mott's Healthy Harvest flavors)
air-popped popcorn or low-fat popcorn choices
hummus
tortilla roll-up with refried beans and a little sprinkle of cheese
low-fat cottage cheese
yogurt (my kids like Stonyfield yokids yogurt tubes, but we only have these once a week or less)
granola
smoothie

-Homemade Granola Bars

At the end of last school year, my son was always begging me to buy granola bars. All the other kids got granola bars packed in their lunches, some even got chocolate covered granola bars filled with caramel, pb, and chocolate chips.

Well, I am that mother who doesn't buy prepackaged things. I decided that if he wanted granola bars, I would make them.

I was able to taste The Barefoot Contessa's granola bars earlier this year, when Leslie
sent them to me as part of Secret Baker. I knew they were really good, so I decided to use that recipe with the dried fruit and nuts that I happened to have on hand.

These were perfect- chewy, sweet, crunchy and delicious. My son was happy and that made me happy.

Recipe for Homemade Granola Bars from the Barefoot Contessa

*I used dried blueberries, golden raisins, and peanuts instead of dates, apricots and cranberries

*I also added milk chocolate chips, but they melted into the hot granola mixture- (duh!), so these kinda turned out to be chocolate coated granola bars!

Watermelon Blueberry Pops

Me and the kids just got back from a little vacation. One of my best friends was here visiting me and we decided to drive to DC to visit my sister and some other friends. On the way back we went to Savannah and then arrived home yesterday.

In DC they were already getting ready for the 4th of July festivities. It reminded me of the great time we had there last year celebrating the 4th.

On a side note- my sister took us to eat at Zaytinya in downtown DC and it was fantastic. It features small plates and great flavors. If you are in the area, you should definitely give it a try.
A couple of weeks ago I made these Watermelon Blueberry Pops.
I had been waiting for a good price so that I could buy a watermelon and the one I finally picked was amazingly delicious. It reaffirmed my belief that I could live on watermelon alone.
I saw this recipe in Ellie Krieger's So Easy Cookbook and these popsicles really were just that- so easy.
You just have to puree watermelon chunks (making sure you don't eat the entire watermelon in the process) with a little powdered sugar and lime juice.
Then you put the mixture in popsicle molds or plastic cups and drop in blueberries.
I wish I would have made these in popsicle molds because they were slightly difficult to eat due to the large size. They were still delicious though.

The fun part is that in the freezer a white layer forms at the top of the popsicle and makes this frozen treat truly patriotic looking.

Perfect treat for a hot afternoon or sticky summer night!

Watermelon Blueberry Pops adapted from Ellie Krieger's So Easy
3 cups cubed seeded watermelon (from about 2 pds with the rind)
2 Tbls fresh lime juice
2 Tbls confectioner's sugar
1 cup blueberries

Puree the watermelon, lime juice, and sugar in a blender.
Distribute the blueberries among six 8-ounce popsicle molds or paper cups, then fill each with the watermelon mixture and place in freezer.
If using paper cups, place a popsicle stick in the center of each cup after a 1/2 hour in the freezer.
Allow to freeze completely, about 4 hours.

Kale Chips

I know that everyone gets different cravings.
Some people crave chocolate, some crave sweets. Then there are people who crave salty or spicy.
I have never been one who craves salty foods, but my younger sister would take french fries or potato chips over a chocolate bar, any day.
Not that she eats french fries or potato chips everyday, but Santa used to bring her a big bag of Lays Potato Chips on Christmas day, while my older sister and I would get chocolate covered donuts or something.

The point is, we all crave certain things and there is a solution to solving your salty craving.
If you don't have a salty craving, here is a healthy snack that you will love anyway.

I first tried Kale Chips after reading the Dinner Dairies-Raising Whole Wheat Kids in a White Bread World. One woman's story about how she tried to change the way her family ate by making their meals more healthy, local, humane, etc.
It is a great book and Betsy Block, the author, includes recipes along with her story. You can see a couple of the other recipes I tried HERE, the same post where I talked about Kale Chips before.

I am telling you right now, there is no way that any one could not like this Kale. It absolutely transforms into something crispy and delicious.
My family plows through it and we have been eating these frequently, from the day I first tried them.
I love kale in lots of other ways, but if you are going to try it for the first time, try it this way.
I pretty much guarantee success.

Kale Chips from The Dinner Diaries, adapted from Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven
1 head curly kale
canola oil cooking spray
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (I sometimes preheat to 400 degrees)

Wash and dry the kale and then chop or tear it into medium-size pieces. Spread it out onto a nonstick baking sheet. Spray the kale lightly with oil, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until light and crunchy (check every few minutes and give the pan a little shake to avoid burning.

B-day stuff: Chocolate Cake with Whipped Frosting and brunch from The Pink Princess Book

Here is my little Ry-Bear. She turned 5 on October 25th. She loves the carousel, animals and dinosaurs, but sometimes has a thing for pink and princesses, too.
When we discussed her b-day cake, her first choice involved pink and princess, but she quickly changed her mind to dinosaurs and green frosting. I asked her multiple times and the dinosaur/green frosting combo was the winner.
She wanted to decorate it, so I let her put the little plastic dinos on top and then all the kids help throw the dinosaur eggs (candy-coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds) on top. Kind of relaxing to let the kids do all the work.
I had no problem getting rid of the extra frosting. The recipe for cake and frosting are below. Nothing too spectacular, but good enough for a birthday.
For her birthday brunch, the birthday girl flipped through the pages of Pink Princess Cookbook and chose a menu. The kids helped me prepare all of the food for our brunch.

I was not planning on taking pictures of this brunch, but my mom and husband both protested when I told them I was just going to have a relaxing time with no pics. They insisted. So, I grabbed the camera when everything was on the table (not the usual place for taking pics of food in my house) and I tried to get a decent shot of the brunch. Bear with me on these :-)
Ry chose Mini-Marshmallow Smoothies to start us off. I adapted the recipe from the book and placed 1 sliced banana, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup vanilla yogurt, and 1 1/2 cups skim milk in the blender. I blended it well, then poured it into glasses and added the colored mini-marshmallows. (The adults enjoyed smoothies w/out marshmallows).
Next up
Blackberry Biscuits
1 can large-size refrigerator biscuits
1 cup canned blackberry pie filling
1 tsp ground cinnamon mixed w/ 1/4 cup sugar

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Slice or divide each biscuit in half. Press one half in the bottom of 8 of the muffin cups, covering bottom completely. Leave 4 of the muffin cups empty.
Spoon 1 Tbls pie filling on top of each biscuit half.
Cover pie filling w/ remaining biscuits halves.
Sprinkle tops w/ cinnamon-sugar mixture. I used decorating sugar too
Bake for 15 minutes.
Serve warm.
Fairy Tale Fondue
3/4 cup heavy cream
12 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla

Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot, about 2-3 minutes.
When hot, add the chocolate and stir until it is just melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla.
Serve with your choice or fresh strawberries, banana slices, pound cake, pretzels, grapes, etc. for dipping
This was Ry's fave thing to help make for the brunch.

Little Ladybugs
12 seedless red grapes
12 toothpicks
12 whole strawberries w/ stems
1 package mini chocolate chips

Place a grape on a toothpick, sliding it all the way to the end of the stick. This is the ladybugs head.
Place a strawberry on the toothpick, stem end first, and slide it down to touch the grape. This is the body.
Lay the ladybug down and carefully push the pointed ends of several chocolate chips into the strawberry to make the spots.
Raspberry Tea Sandwiches
8 slices white bread
1/2 cup soft spread cream cheese
1 Tbls raspberry preserves
1 pint fresh raspberries

Cut bread into desired shapes with a cookie cutter. In a bowl combine cream cheese and raspberry preserves. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on each bread cut-out and place raspberries on top.

Classic Cucumber Sandwiches
1 English cucumber, sliced
8 slices whole wheat bread
2 Tbls softened butter
salt and pepper
cherry tomatoes for garnish

Cut crust off bread and cut into shapes with cookie cutter.
Spread butter on each cut-out. Lay cucumber slices on top.
Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with cherry tomatoes


The whole brunch was really fun to prepare and even more fun to share. It was a great birthday!

Recipe for Chocolate Cake

Recipe for Whipped Frosting

CEiMB-Pumpkin Pie Muffins

I wasn't expecting much from this week's CEiMB recipe, Pumpkin Pie Muffins, which was chosen by OddBall Oven Mitt.
You can find the recipe by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.
I was pleasantly surprised by these muffins- they were much better than I thought they would be. I have made lots of muffins and sometimes making them healthy, means that they turn out with wierd texture or something else.
Not these. They were really delicious. The combination of pumpkin puree, molasses, and lowfat buttermilk, makes a really yummy treat.
I made 1/2 batch and sprinkled mine with roasted, salted pepitas. I also added a little bit more spice than the recipe suggested.

I was really surprised by how high these muffins became in the oven. The tallest muffins I have ever made by far.

My kids, my mom, and I really liked these. I should have made a full batch.
If you want a fall-ish, pumpkin-y treat that you can feel good about eating- these are the ones!

Check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about these muffins!

Recipe for Pumpkin Pie Muffins

twd- Sweet Potato Biscuits

(If you are here for The Cake Slice, I will have that post up in a few hours)

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, Sweet Potato Biscuits, was chosen by Prudence Pennywise. Prudy is one of my favorite bloggers. You can find the recipe on her blog.
I have made soo many of her recipes and posted about a lot of them. She makes healthy taste delicious and she does it on a budget!

I have made these biscuits before. About a year and a half ago- when I was new to blogging.
Last time I made these biscuits with orange honey butter -check it out HERE.
I remembered how delicious they were, even though they didn't rise very much when they baked. Last time I made them I used canned sweet potatoes. This time I used a fresh sweet potato. I roasted it in the oven and mashed it.

The only problem I have had both times I made these is getting the dough to form. I end up over-mixing/kneading it because it isn't moist enough to come together.
I should have just added more sweet potato or a splash of cream/milk/half&half to make the dough come together. Next time!
They were good though.

I made the full batch and they only lasted a couple hours. My kids down these things.
Go check out the TWD Blogroll to see who got the tallest biscuits!

p.s. I actually got better height when I made a Spiced Pumpkin version from Cooking Light- get the recipe and compare the pics HERE
Recipe for Sweet Potato Biscuits can be found HERE also

One Year Ago-Hot Cocoa Chiffon Cake

Gonzo Garbanzos

I have seen roasted garbanzo beans popping up all over the place in the blogging world. I thought this particular recipe looked really good with the combination of spices and pistachios. And it was.

Does anyone else think it is funny how some cans/brands of garbanzo beans contain really small beans and other cans/brands of them contain huge beans? I think it is a little wierd, but obviously you can see that these were on the smaller side. They also get smaller as they are roasting.

I reduced the amount of olive oil that the chickpeas were tossed with, just because I think you can often reduce the fat content in recipes and still get a great result.

This is a healthy snack, that is really great to grab a handful of as you are busy doing whatever throughout your day. I am going to make this again!

Gonzo Garbanzos Nick Mautone From Every Day with Rachael RayDecember-January 2007

MAKES 2 3/4 CUPS

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 35 min
Two 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)--drained, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 cup olive oil ( I only used 1-2 Tbls)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup shelled pistachios (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl and discard any loose skins. Toss with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, cumin and cayenne until evenly coated. Spread the chickpeas on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly stir in the thyme and pistachios, if using. Bake until crunchy, about 10 minutes more. Let cool and serve at room temperature.

Coming Tomorrow- Cooking Light Night- Chinese New Year!

Weekly Lunchbox- Popcorn Squares, Stuffed Pitas with Tuna, Egg and Corn, Italian Lentil and Bulgur Salad, and Simple Chicken Parm Sandwiches

This week's lunchbox is super yummy! The Popcorn Squares were in Family Fun magazine and I decided to rework a granola recipe I made a few weeks ago so that we could have some homemade granola but also so I could use some in this recipe. It was a favorite. The Stuffed Pita is from a really cute Annabel Karmel cookbook called Lunch Boxes and Snacks. It has some of the best lunch ideas that I have seen. I doubled this recipe because it looked great and the rest of us were able to enjoy it too.

The Lentil Bulgur Salad is yummy and unexpected, because it has Italian Seasoning, I added some cooked chicken to the leftover and it made a great snack/lunch.

And last, the Simple Chicken Parm Sandwich. I doubled Prudy's Great Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns recipe and made them into minis, so I had great buns for sandwiches. I also had some leftover chicken, marinara and provolone, so I threw them all together. Delish!

Stuffed Pitas with Tuna, Egg and Corn adapted from Annabel Karmel's Lunchboxes and Snacks

2 eggs

1 6-oz can tuna, drained

1/2 cup corn

2 Tbls fat-free mayo

1 tsp white wine vinegar

4 scallions, chopped

salt and pepper

few drops of Tabasco sauce ( I used 3 drops)

alfalfa sprouts

2 whole wheat pitas

Put the eggs in a saucepan of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, 7-8 minutes. Drain and cool under cold water. Peel the eggs when cold.

Meanwhile, flake the tuna with a fork and mix with the corn, mayo, vinegar, scallions, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Roughly chop the hard-boiled eggs and add the the tuna mix with the sprouts., stirring well.

Cut the pita breads in half to make four pita pockets and divide the mixture among them.

Italian Lentil-Bulgur Salad by Mary Ann

1 cup bulgur

2 Tbls fresh lemon juice

2 Tbls olive oil

1/2 English cucumber, halved and sliced

1 1/2 cup fresh green beans, blanched

1 1/2 cups brown lentils, cooked

2 Tbls fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tbls. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

2 small tomatoes, chopped

Boil 2 cups of water and pour over the bulgur, that is in a large bowl. Cover and let bulgur absorb water. When water is absorbed fluff bulgur with a fork. Add lemon juice and olive oil. Stir well. Add cucumber, green beans, lentils, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepepr. Mix well and adjust seasoning to taste. Add tomatoes and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate.

Popcorn Squares from Family Fun Magazine
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup homemade granola*
1 cup roasted and salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
3 cups plain popped popcorn

Step 1 Line an 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil. Heat the honey in a large saucepan until it boils, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and stir until mixture is well blended.

Step 2 Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the granola, the peanuts, and the popcorn until everything is coated.

Step 3 Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate the pan until the mixture is cool, about 30 minutes. (I refrigerated them over night and cut them in the morning).

Step 4 Cut the mixture into small squares . The treats will be a bit crumbly, so you may want to serve them in paper candy cups.

* Homemade Maple Peach Granola by Mary Ann

5 cups oats

heaping 1/3 cup wheat germ

heaping 1/3 cup flaxseed meal

1 1/4 cup macadamia, walnut, and pecan pieces

2/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup peach nectar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 T canola oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup raisins, or other dried fruit

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well mixed. Spread on a large jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, or longer, until dry. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.


Simple Chicken Parm Sandwiches by Mary Ann
whole wheat mini buns (Thank you Prudy)
cooked chicken
marinara sauce
Provolove cheese slices

Spread marinara on both sides of the bun. Fill with shredded chicken, top with cheese. Pop in the microwave until cheese is melted and sammy is warm!

Baked Tofu Sticks

Baked Tofu Sticks ( from Martha Stewart's Kids Magazine)

1/2 package (7 ounces) firm tofu
Olive oil, or vegetable oil, for baking sheet
Salt (optional)
Tomato sauce, for dipping
Directions
Cut tofu into 3-by-1/2-inch sticks. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a double layer of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Top tofu with another double layer of paper towels or kitchen towel. Place another baking sheet or a baking dish on top, and press down firmly. Weigh down with heavy cans; let stand until tofu has released excess liquid, at least 20 minutes or up to1 hour. Pressed tofu sticks can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush a baking sheet with oil; set aside. Pat tofu dry. Lightly season tofu, if desired. Arrange tofu sticks in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 1/2 inch apart. Bake tofu, turning halfway through, until both sides are crisp and light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes per side. Let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with tomato sauce.