Archive for the ‘Snacks’ Category

Maple Molasses Popcorn Balls

Friday, October 30th, 2009

My sister gave me this recipe. She altered the recipe she found by changing the syrup to 3/4 cup honey and the sugar to 1/4 cup brown sugar. Experimenting with recipes must run in the family, because I altered her recipe.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cooking oil (I use olive oil)
1/2 cup popcorn
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

  • Place oil in four-quart kettle. Add a few popcorn kernels in the pot, cover with a lid and heat over a medium heat. Once you hear the kernels pop, add the rest of the popcorn. Shake the pot frequently until popping stops.
  • Transfer popcorn to large bowl. I scoop out the popcorn from the top. This helps keep the unpopped kernels out of the popcorn balls.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, syrup, vinegar and salt. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for five minutes on medium high (or heat until mixture reaches 235º F). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over popped corn, tossing gently to coat.
  • When mixture is cool enough to handle, firmly press a handful of popcorn into a ball with buttered hands. If the balls aren’t sticking together, let it cool a bit more. Cool completely on waxed paper.

Makes about 10 popcorn balls

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Spicy-Sweet Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Monday, October 19th, 2009

If you ask my friend Eric, I’m not the one to give anyone advice on how to roast seeds. One fall, years ago, in Eric’s West Virginia cabin dubbed “The Shack,” we roasted pumpkin seeds. For the record, I wasn’t the one who turned the oven to broil, which ignited the seeds, sending flames up through the burners. Yes, cooking can be dangerous.

Luckily, while six adults stood around debating what you throw on a kitchen fire (water=bad, wet towel=good), Eric quickly donned heavy-duty potholders, reached in the oven, grabbed the flaming pan and shouted, “Get the camera!” and “Get the door!” (in that order) as he headed outside to the grill, a perfectly safe place for flames.

I didn’t give specific quantities here because the amount of seeds you get from a pumpkin or squash will vary. Just eyeball it … a little of this and a little of that. Go easy on the cayenne pepper unless you really like it extra spicy.

Ingredients:
Seeds from a pumpkin or winter squash
Olive oil
Sugar
Salt
Cayenne pepper

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut squash in half and scoop out the insides. Separate the seeds from the stringy pulp. Don’t fret too much about getting all the strings, they won’t hurt you. Rinse the seeds.
  • Toss seeds in a bowl with olive oil, sugar, cayenne and salt.
  • Spread seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet.
  • Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
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Quick Pickles

Saturday, July 25th, 2009

Biting into a chilled cucumber is like biting into ice water. The taste is cool and clean. It’s no wonder because they are made up of 95% water.

While cucumbers don’t pack as much nutritional value as some of their garden neighbors, they do have a bit of vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and potassium. Plus with skin intact, they provide a healthy dose of fiber.

Cucumbers are often used topically for skin problems. The oft shown cliché of two slices on each eye actually will help lessen the damage from a night out on the town. The coolness of the cukes can sooth tired, puffy eyes. Plus eating one will help re-hydrate you.

I love these pickles. They are quick, easy and delicious. I see no need to buy store-bought pickles again!

Ingredients
2-3 cucumbers, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch round slices
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cider vinegar (or enough to cover the cucumber slices)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup onion, sliced thin
1 cloves garlic crushed
1 teaspoon dill seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed


Method
-Combine vinegar, brown sugar, onion, garlic, dill and mustard seed in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
-Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
-Place cucumbers in a heat proof bowl.
-Pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers; stir to combine.
-Cover and let steep for at least 20 minutes. Store in refrigerate for up to 10 days.

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Crispy Seaweed Snacks

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Ever since our friend Melanie visited a few weeks ago and told us about snacking on seaweed, I’ve been intrigued. I decided to give this healthy snack a go. I tried two types. Nori and alaria. The nori chips were a little too, well, seaweedy for me. The alaria chips were nice, light, crisp and only slightly reminiscent of the sea.

If it is humid where you live (believe me, it is humid here) you’ll need to eat the chips shortly after you make them or they will get a bit soggy.

Crispy Alaria

Ingredients
2-3 strips of Alaria
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Method
- Using kitchen shears, cut the seaweed into bite-sized pieces.
- Place in skillet with toasted sesame oil and cook over medium heat. The color will change from black to a dark to mid green.
- Let cool, then eat!

Crispy Nori

Ingredients
2-3 sheets of nori
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
sea salt

Method
- Using a pastry brush lightly coat the nori with toasted sesame oil
- Cook nori in skillet over medium high heat 15 to 20 seconds each side.
- Sprinkle with crushed sea salt.
- Cool, cut into bite-sized bits and enjoy.

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Crispy Kale

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

*******
Excerpts from my column in the Register Star and Daily Mail:
*******

I am a late bloomer to kale. In my mind I used to lump all greens together as something you cook all day in a big pot with a hambone. Maybe that’s just my Southern roots showing. As a kid, I steered clear away from anything green stewing in a pot. As a health conscious adult, I started to get interested in greens but didn’t have a clue how to cook them.

Several years ago, while visiting Washington, D.C., I was standing in front of the produce section trying to figure out which greens to choose. They had mustard greens, collard greens and kale. I happened to overhear a lady say something to her husband and was happy to hear a melodic southern drawl. I thought that she would be a good one to ask. So I did.

She said, “Well, some people like kale because it is mild. Some people like the collards because it’s more flavorful. I like mustard greens because they have a bit of bite.” She paused then continued, “But you really almost have to be Southern to cook them right.”

I grew up in Virginia. To my Deep South relatives, I am a Northerner and to my Northern friends I’m Southern.

I tried to impress her with my Southern lineage. “I’m from Virginia and most of my relatives are from Georgia.”

“Well” she said as she turned to walk away, “maybe you ought to get them to cook them.” Clearly, to her, Virginia wasn’t far enough south.

Maybe I’ve been on a vendetta to prove the Southern lady in the grocery store wrong, because since then, I put kale in everything. Everything… soups, meatloaf, tomato sauce, mac and cheese, scrambled eggs, smoothies. It’s not the taste I’m going for, since kale is rather innocuous and blends in with the other flavors, it’s the nutritional boost. It is a true superfood.

Crispy Kale

Vegetables that taste like potato chips…what’s not to love? This recipe is adapted from Bon Appétit. I experimented with different greens, including Swiss chard, collard greens and radish leaves. I liked kale the best, though all variations were interesting. The radish leaves tasted like crunchy, salty air (but tended to burn easily).

Ingredients
Kale leaves, rinsed, dried, cut lengthwise into 2-inch strips, center rib and stem removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

Method
-Preheat oven to 300°F.
-Toss kale with oil in large bowl.
-Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper.
-Arrange leaves in single layer on a baking sheet.
-Bake for 10 minutes; flip and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until crisp. When done they will be light and airy.
-Transfer leaves to rack to cool, then serve.

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Cheddar-Millet Crackers

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

I’ve become a big millet fan. I love the crunch it adds to baked goods. According to The World’s Healthiest Foods, millet is a good source of magnesium and like other whole grains has heart-protective properties and can lower the risk of type two diabetes.

I also added flax seeds and turmeric for an extra nutritional boost. Heck, unlike store bought crackers, these are actually good for you!

You can pretty much add whatever you want to crackers. You just need to keep a balance between the dry and wet ingredients so that you are able to roll them out thinly. (Too sticky? Add more flour. Falling apart? Add more liquid).

Ingredients
1 cup wheat flour (more if needed)
1/4 cup millet (rinsed)
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons coconut oil or unsalted butter
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon water (or more if needed)

Method
1. Heat oven to 400º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (thanks Christine!).
2. Add flour, coconut oil or butter, salt, cheese in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until flour and butter are combined.
3. Add yogurt and pulse until mixture holds together but is not sticky.
4. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/4-inch (or thinner) add flour as needed to keep from sticking.
5. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet. For a crispier cracker, roll the dough out a bit more on the baking sheet. I like them 1/8-inch. I find it easier to thin them out on the baking sheet rather than transferring the flimsy dough.
6. Score lightly with a knife or pizza cutter. Sprinkle with salt, fresh cracked pepper or other topping if you like (poppy seeds?) .
7. Bake until lightly browned. Start checking at 10 minutes. The thicker the cracker the longer they take. My last batch took almost 20 minutes.
8. Cool on a rack; and break apart. They should stay fresh for a few days.

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Garlic Roasted Beans

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

A few weeks ago my friend David made a delicious snack by roasting Garbanzo beans. They were tasty, salty, and crunchy—the three things I look for in a good snack. I ate them with impunity, knowing I was getting protein and folic acid along with my snack-food fix.

Roasted garbanzo beans are a traditional Spanish tapas— but why stop at garbanzo beans? I had a jar of beautiful anasazi Beans so I tried them. I also tried white beans. The garbanzo beans held their shape the best; they went in the oven looking like garbanzo beans and came out looking like garbanzo beans. The other beans opened up as they cooked. This gave them a delicious, airy crunch.

2 cups of cooked beans, drained (I start off with dried beans. Click here for bean-cooking details.)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon of sea salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon of pepper (black or cayenne, I use both)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil (you can actually omit this if you want)

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Toss all ingredients until well coated.

Spread out in a single layer in a baking sheet with sides (if you omitted the olive oil, lightly grease the pan).

Bake for 35-50 minutes (smaller beans will take less time, large beans, more), stirring every 15 minutes or so. When done, they should be crispy.

Experiment with different spices/herbs. Cumin? Rosemary? Wait until after the beans are roasted before you add fresh herbs (or cheese…ymmm). Buen apetito!

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Spicy-Sweet Apple Chips

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

I think that I was a squirrel in a previous life. Each fall I scurry about loading up at the farmers market, shoving as much winter squash as my little re-usable grocery bag can hold, fearful that I’m not getting enough to last until spring. I get a little panicky.

I was in full squirrel mode when my husband and I went apple picking a couple of weekends ago in the Hudson Valley. Boy, did we do some picking…a hefty bushel. That’s a lot of apples.

We picked some at Stone Ridge Farms. They were crisp, delicious, but not all that pretty. Apparently if you don’t spray apples, they can develop russet, which is a little unsightly but actually sought after by some apple connoisseurs for its spicy characteristics. You won’t find any russet apples at the supermarket.

Next, we went to Mr. Apples. Mr. Apples is another low-spray orchard. The orchard didn’t have the expansive views that Stone Ridge had, but the hand-made signs, colorful proprietor and delicious apples made it worth the stop.

I was very satisfied with our apple haul.

The other day I experimented making apple chips. I tried various versions. Here’s the recipe I liked best:

Spicy-Sweet Apple Chips

Slice a couple of apples very thin. Making them consistent is the trickiest part. If they aren’t consistent, some will taste like chips, while some will be chewy like dried apples, which isn’t the end of the world.

Mix a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a pinch of salt and tablespoon of sugar. Dip the apple slices in the mixture. I just dip one edge. You can also leave them plain, and they will still be delicious.

Line a cooling rack with parchment paper. You can cook them on a lined cookie sheet, but it will take longer.

Bake at 250º for 30 minutes, Turn and bake for another 30 minutes. If the slices are thick, you’ll need to bake them longer. If you have sliced them super-thin, be sure to keep an eye on them. Yes, you CAN burn apples slices even at the low temp of 250º. Until the other day, I would have said that was crazy.

Once they are light brown, remove from the oven and let cool. Be sure to store the apple chips in an airtight container so they’ll stay crisp.

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