Blueberry and fig smoothie recipe

I've been in Georgia for about 2 weeks now, and I finally feel settled. The movers delivered my stuff yesterday (I found out the hard way that sleeping on an air mattress for that long is NOT pleasant), and before that I barely did any cooking. I had a pot, pan, cutting board, and knife with me, but I couldn't get inspired to cook something that I would have to eat off of a paper plate with plastic utensils. I did make spaghetti and a couple of decent stir-fries, but nothing was worth writing about. But now that my kitchen cabinets are full and I've rested from yesterday's marathon unpacking session, I finally feel ready to cook again.

While I was still recovering today, I decided to make a smoothie. I was drinking smoothies almost every day before I left Michigan, and I'm very excited to be reunited with my blender. It was also perfect timing because today I got blueberries and figs from my grandmother's garden. I don't typically think of blueberries and figs as a good match, and I was planning to make a blueberry and peach smoothie, but I decided to give my body a brief break from peaches (I've been eating about 5 a day) and try this weird combo. To my surprise, I really liked the flavor. It was more subtle than the smoothies I usually make (I might try adding more fruit, especially blueberries, next time), but was incredibly good. I usually use yogurt in my smoothies, but I didn't have any and substituted milk. One of the primary reasons I love smoothies is that you can practically throw anything into a blender and it turns out great, and this was the perfect example.

Blueberry and fig smoothie
(Printable version)

1/2 cup milk or plain yogurt
1/2 cup blueberries
4 large figs, stems removed
2 handfuls of ice

Add all ingredients to the blender, and blend on high until the ice is all pulverized. Serves 1-2.

Two gluten-free granola bar recipes

In addition to the fig, pecan, and flax crackers I made for my Mother's Day care package, I also sent two kinds of granola bars.  I found two recipes that sounded fantastic and couldn't decide between them, so I went overboard as usual.  Luckily granola bars fare well in the freezer, so none of them went to waste.  Both have relatively little refined sugar and are gluten-free, and I thought both were delicious.  Unfortunately the cocoa and orange variety (on the bottom in the picture, if you can actually tell them apart) had too much liquid and didn't stay together very well at all (I pieced one together for the picture).  I loved the combination of chocolate and orange, though, and I think the problem could be remedied simply by reducing the amount of orange juice.  The fig, raisin, and walnut ones were fabulous, too, and these held together well.  So, here are both recipes.  I recommend going overboard and trying both.  What do you have to lose?

Cocoa and orange granola bars (adapted from Anja's Food 4 Thought)
(Printable version)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
zest of one orange
3/4 cup dried fruit (I used half apricots and half currants)
1 1/4 cup orange juice (I would start with 3/4 cup and add more if necessary)
2 Tbsp honey

Combine oats, walnuts, salt, cinnamon, cocoa powder, zest, and dried fruit in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together orange juice and honey.  Pour the orange juice mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well.  Let this sit for 15 min, and then add more orange juice if the mixture isn't sticking together.  Spread this out on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that it's about 1/2" thick, and bake at 350 for 25 min.  Then let cool and cut into bars.  Wrap individually and freeze for long-term storage.  Makes 20 bars.


Fig, raisin, and walnut granola bars (adapted from Simply Sugar & Gluten-free)
(Printable version)

2 cups rolled oats
2 Tbsp flax meal
6 Tbsp teff flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup agave nectar or honey
2 eggs, beaten
water if necessary

Combine oats, flax meal, teff flour, walnuts, figs, raisins, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together agave nectar and eggs.  Pour the agave mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well.  If you need to moisten the mixture so that everything sticks together, add water a tablespoon at a time.  Spread the mixture out on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that it's about 1/2" thick, and bake at 350 for about 20 min.  Then let cool and cut into bars.  Wrap individually and freeze for long-term storage.  Makes 20 bars.

Fig, pecan, and flax crackers recipe

Since I've started packing up my apartment, I've become even more sensitive to the fact that nobody wants more junk to sit around.  So for Mother's Day, I wanted to give Mom something useful.  Between work and taking care of my grandmother, she has been excessively busy lately, so I decided to make her a care package of sorts, with healthy snacks that would keep her going at work and on her weekend trips.  It was also a present for me because it gave me an excuse to try new recipes (thanks, Mom!).  These crackers sounded perfect for Mom, so I gave 'em a shot.  They recipe made more than I expected, though, and I ended up taking some to a cookout with friends.  Between my friends and my parents, I've heard a lot of good things about these crackers.  I loved them, too, and had to package them up before I scarfed them all down.  And best of all, these crackers are the easiest ones I've ever made.  They're thick, and don't require the use of a rolling pin (I'm still not very skilled with my rolling pin).  In fact, their appearance is more similar to a cookie than a cracker, and they do have a hint of sweetness from the figs and brown sugar.  Sweet cracker?  Savory cookie?  Call them whatever you want, but I highly suggest making them.

Fig, pecan, and flax crackers (adapted from life as a h4)
(Printable version)

1/3 cup flax seeds (whole ones, not ground)
1/4 cup almond or flax meal
1 1/2 cups gluten-free baking mix (or white or whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar
4 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup dried figs, chopped
1/2 cup milk (or more, if necessary)

Combine flax seeds, almond or flax meal, baking mix, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the mixture until the butter is in tiny pieces and well distributed throughout the flour/flax/etc.  Add the pecans, figs, and milk to the bowl, and stir until everything is mixed well.  If you're having trouble incorporating all of the flour into the dough, add milk a tablespoon at a time (I added about 1/4 cup more).  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 min.  Then divide the dough into two pieces and roll each piece into a log with a 2" diameter.  Using a sharp knife, slice the log into 1/4" slices and place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper (some of my crackers fell apart as I was slicing the logs, but I pieced them back together and it worked fine).  Then bake the crackers at 325 for 20-30 min, until they are golden brown.  Let them cool before serving or storing.  Makes about 30 crackers.

White bean and garlic dip recipe

It's over.  The past five years have culminated in about two and half hours of torture.  Ok, that's not true at all.  The anticipation was torture, the actual event was rather anti-climactic (I had been warned that this is how it typically unfolds, but didn't believe it until today).  But either way you look at it, I now have a Ph.D.  To help ease my nerves yesterday afternoon, I decided to make some snacks for my committee, including this white bean and garlic dip.

This dip went over extremely well, and I'm a big fan myself (even though I could barely eat anything for most of the day).  The big bowl of dip was almost entirely gone, and Mom and I may fight over the small amount left over.

White bean and garlic dip (adapted from Cooking Books)
(Printable version)

1 head garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans (or 1 can)
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Remove most of the outer skins from the garlic head, and cut the top off of the head so that the top of the cloves are exposed.  Place the garlic head in a piece of foil, drizzle it with a bit of olive oil, wrap it up in foil, and bake for an hour at 300.  Once the garlic is soft, let it cool for 10 minutes.

While the garlic is roasting, combine the thyme, sage, and cumin in a small skillet over medium heat, and toast until they become very fragrant (about 5 min), stirring frequently.  Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skin into a food processor, and also add toasted herbs/spice and all other ingredients.  Process until smooth, and season with salt and pepper.  Makes about 3 cups.

Dried fruit, nut, and coconut truffles recipe

I've alluded to the fact that I've moving and some of you have inquired about my new destination, and I can finally announce that I'll be heading back to Georgia this summer.  I'm incredibly excited for many reasons: 1) I'll be very close to almost all of my family and a lot of my friends, 2) I have a job doing exactly what I want to do, 3) I won't have to put up with winter anymore, and 4) I'll be very close to Atlanta (one of my favorite cities).  It's been a grueling few months of applications, interviews, and decisions (though it was nice to be in the position to have to make decisions), and I wanted to do a backflip when I called to accept the job this week.  Then I realized that I don't know how to do a backflip and would most certainly end up in the hospital if I tried.  So instead, I started cooking.  You see, for the past month and a half, I've been gone for about half of every week.  Academic interviews are a lot of fun (and I've eaten some of the most amazing food I've ever had), but they're tiring and take up an insane amount of time.  I've missed my sanity, but also my kitchen.

So, it was time to try something fun.  What's more fun than truffles?  I had never made truffles before, but a recipe in this month's cookbook of the month caught my eye.  These truffles are very different from what you normally find - they do have a subtle chocolate flavor (from cocoa powder), but mainly consist of dried fruits, including dates, and nuts.  I started cooking with dates about the time I started the blog - I bought several books about cooking with natural sweeteners, and of course dates are perfect for that.  I have now become hooked.  My only problem with dates is that I hate chopping them, but I finally learned that the process is simplified if you cut them up with kitchen shears (just make sure to clean the blades before the date goop becomes too hard).  Luckily, you don't even have to worry about chopping them in this recipe.  I really enjoyed these - they're sweet, but the coconut provides the perfect contrast so that they're not cloyingly sweet.  They're still slightly gooey, but harden up the longer that you refrigerate them.  They were the perfect fun treat to celebrate my eventual return to the south :).  I'm submitting these truffles to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is organized by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, and hosted by Anna from Anna's Cool Finds this week.

Dried fruit, nut, and coconut truffles (adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health)
(Printable version)

1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup dates
1 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries (look for ones sweetened with apple juice)
1 cup water
2 tsp orange zest
2 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 - 1 cup shredded coconut

Toast pecans and walnuts over medium heat in a dry skillet, stirring frequently.  When they become fragrant (about 5-7 min), set them aside and let cool.  Then pour them into your food processor and pulse until they become the consistency of a nut meal (don't overdo it).  Pour this into a mixing bowl and set aside.

Combine dates, apricots, cranberries, and water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 min.  Reserve the water off of the fruit and add the softened fruit to the food processor.  Pulse until it becomes a paste, adding back some of the cooking water if necessary.

Add the fruit paste, zests, lemon juice, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and honey to the mixing bowl and stir well to combine.  Spread out 1/2 cup coconut (you may need more later) on a small plate, and take a small piece of the mixture (about 1 Tbsp) at a time, and roll it in coconut.  Place each truffle onto a parchment lined baking sheet (they're extremely sticky at this point, so keep them in a single layer).  Once you have rolled out all of the truffles, refrigerate for at least an hour, and store them in the refrigerator if you have leftovers (they keep for a few weeks).  Makes about 3 dozen.

Hot spinach dip recipe

This weekend I was able to relax for the first time in months.  I honestly didn't know how to react at first, but then I ventured into the kitchen.  I decided that I needed to make a ton of food for the Halloween party that I was planning to attend, not thinking that everybody else had that same thought (we ended up with a TON of food).  I'm a veggie fanatic, so I decided to bring veggies and dip.  Want to try a fun (but scary) experiment?  Try searching for a spinach dip that doesn't involve onion soup mix.  Luckily Food Blog Search came to my rescue.

This dip is amazing.  It was best hot, and I "tested" it many times before I left for the party.  It was still great even after it had cooled down, and I continued to eat quite a bit throughout the night.  Apparently others agreed, because I heard several people talking about it, and a lot of it was gone.  It's creamy and cheesy, but not at all greasy, which is my main problem with most cheesy dips.  The next time I need a dip, I know where to turn.

Hot spinach dip (adapted from White on Rice Couple)
(Printable version)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, coarsely chopped
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
salt and pepper to taste
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium skillet, and then add onion and garlic and saute until tender.  Stir in water chestnuts and spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook for a few minutes.  Add the cream cheese, parmesan, milk, and yogurt to the skillet and stir until cheese melts.  Then reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 min.  Makes about 6 cups.

Crock pot applesauce recipe

Last week I decided that I needed to plan something fun during the weekend so that I would be able to keep myself motivated.  I don't know that most people would think that apple picking is the ultimate reward for working yourself to death, but I'm not your typical person.  This is my last fall in Michigan, and I have to take advantage of one of the best parts of living in this state.  I found an apple picking buddy, too, so apparently I'm not the only "different" one :).

I took the parents picking in August, but there weren't many varieties available that early in the season.  This time they had gala (pictured above), empire, courtland, and jonathan varieties, and I came home with a mix of all of them (and quite a few in my stomach).  Before we even arrived at the orchard, I knew that I wanted to make applesauce. 

Applesauce isn't very difficult to make on the stove, but I love the crock pot method because it allows me to throw the apples in the crock, go for a run, eat dinner, work on applications, and then have an amazing dessert ready at the end of the evening.  A few weeks ago I had some applesauce at Zingerman's, and it was fantastic.  By pure coincidence, this tasted almost exactly the same.  I guess that's what happens when you rely solely on the unadulterated apple flavors.  This is so simple, yet perfect.  I prefer leaving the peel on, too, because it gives the sauce a fabulous color and provides a little bit of texture.  I enjoyed it warm, but it's also good cold.  You could throw cinnamon or honey in if you want, but I'm having trouble adding anything else because it's so good by itself.  I'm already planning to make more of this to freeze, and I also want to make more with different varieties as they come into season.  Hmmm... I wonder how many times I can go picking this year.  I'm submitting this dish to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is organized by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, and is hosted by Graziana from Erbe in cucina this week.

Crock pot applesauce (adapted from "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann)
(Printable version)

20 small to medium apples (ideally use a variety), cored and quartered
juice of half lemon

Toss apples in lemon juice in a large crock pot (I used a 5 1/2 qt one).  Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.  Mash apples with a potato masher or ricer and try not to eat the entire crock of applesauce.  Makes about 6 cups.

Gluten-free granola bars recipe

For months, I had a stash of some sort of protein or granola bars in my freezer, but after discovering my gluten intolerance, it took me a while to make ones that I can eat.  It's definitely not hard to adapt granola bar recipes to avoid gluten because they usually don't involve much flour, so substitutions don't have a drastic effect on the results.  I don't know what took me so long to make these, but I'm glad that I have now replenished my stock.  This time I decided to give Ellie Krieger's recipe another shot.  To be honest, I didn't want to make my standby recipe because it would involve opening a new jar of peanut butter.  There's an unopened jar waiting in my pantry, but I don't trust myself right now.  Lately I've had an extreme weakness for all things nut-related (I blame it all on running, and I hope it will go away after my race at the end of the month).  So in an effort to avoid eating half of the jar in one sitting (and making myself extremely sick), I decided to go for my second favorite recipe.

I really like these and they're extremely filling, especially with the protein powder.  My bars look somewhat small, but that's all I need to keep me going.  In my opinion, they have the perfect amount of sweetness - they're sweet, but not overly so.  These also have a perfect granola bar consistency, and I think I'm enjoying these even more than I did last time, but that might be because I haven't had a granola bar in several months.  I especially appreciate that this recipe is so simple, although I'm somewhat shocked that the dates and apricots haven't ruined my cheap food processor blade yet.  Granola bars are one of my favorite mid-morning or post-workout snacks, and I'm not sure how I lived for several months without them.

Gluten-free granola bars (adapted from Ellie Krieger)
(Printable version)

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup gluten-free baking mix (or your favorite baking mix or gluten-free flour)
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried dates
1/2 cup whey protein powder (or powdered milk)
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs

Put all ingredients except for the honey and eggs in food processor and pulse until well blended and finely chopped. Add honey and eggs and pulse until well mixed. Pour into an 11x7" pan that's been lined with lightly-oiled wax paper. Bake at 350 for about 20 min, until browned. Let cool and cut into bars.  Makes 20 small bars.

I package mine individually and then freeze them.  If I want to take one with me somewhere, I'll pull it out of the freezer in the morning and it's thawed in a couple of hours.  If I want one immediately, I throw it in the microwave for about 15 seconds.  Somehow they stay extremely fresh!

Refrigerator pickles and banana peppers recipe

I've been eating cucumbers on salads since they arrived in my CSA box, but I wanted to try something different with them. During the summer, my grandmother keeps a container of cucumber slices in vinegar in the refrigerator. She puts them on the table at each meal, and then adds more cucumbers from the garden when the stock is running low. I love this method - the cukes retain their crispness and fresh taste, but they also have the acidity that I love about pickles. I've often done this myself (and learned the hard way that she must dilute the vinegar), but wanted to do something a little bit closer to a traditional pickle.

Refrigerator pickles and banana peppers

(Printable version)

3 small cucumbers, sliced thinly

1 large banana pepper, sliced

5 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tbsp raw sugar

2 Tbsp fresh chopped dill or 2 tsp dried dill

2 tsp mustard seed

2 tsp kosher salt

Combine cucumbers, pepper slices, garlic, and bay leaves in a bowl. Combine vinegar, water, sugar, dill, mustard seed, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir until the sugar dissolves, and then pour this over the cucumbers. Cover the bowl, let cool, and refrigerate. The cukes and peppers are great the next day, but they develop a more intense flavor if left longer.

I can't stop eating these to the point that I'm afraid that the acid is going to tear a whole in my stomach. They're great on salads or by themselves. They definitely taste closer to a dill pickle than the ones stored only in vinegar, and it's worth the extra effort. I'm really glad that I threw the banana pepper in there - it's much better than the heavily pickled store-bought ones! After depleting some of the original stock, I tried adding more cucumber slices to the bowl as my grandmother usually does. They're good, but didn't absorb nearly as much of the vinegar flavor as the original ones and maintain more cucumber taste. If you're after a strong pickle flavor, make a new batch each time. But make sure to make a lot because they'll go faster than you could ever imagine. I'm submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is organized by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, and is hosted by Dhanggit from Dhanggit's Kitchen this week.

Caramelized onion dip recipe

I had a long conversation about caramelized onions last weekend, so when I needed some kind of dip to bring to a wedding shower, my mind immediately drifted towards a recipe for onion dip that I bookmarked a long time ago. My only problem with making things involving caramelized onions is that I'm way too tempted to eat them all before they actually make it into the dish. I managed to exercise some restraint and salvage some this time.

Caramelized onion dip (adapted from Andrea's Recipes)

(Printable version)

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 large vidalia onions, sliced thinly

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

pinch of salt

freshly ground pepper

1 cup plain yogurt

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, vinegar, salt, and pepper, and let cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are brown and extremely soft (about 40 min). Let the onions cool to room temp. Beat the yogurt and cream cheese together with a hand mixer, and then beat in the onions. Refrigerate overnight, and then serve with veggies, chips, or crackers. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

This was delicious and I repeatedly "tested" it yesterday morning just so I would have an excuse to eat more. I even had one friend say that she enjoyed it despite not liking onions. Yes, that is the magical power of caramelizing them. I really liked the fact that the onion slices were intact, but feel free to chop the onions to prevent making a mess when the occasional onion slice falls to the floor.

Roasted chickpeas

I frequently use the black, kidney, and pinto beans that I've cooked and stored in the freezer, but it's been a while since I grabbed a bag of chickpeas. It's always good to have a high protein snack around, so I decided to try out a recipe for roasted chickpeas that I saw on Could It Be... SEITAN?.

Roasted chickpeas (adapted from Could It Be... SEITAN?)

2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari if you want to make it gluten-free)

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl, spread the chickpeas out on a baking sheet, and roast at 400 for 20 min. Then stir the chickpeas and continue to cook for another 10 min. Serves 3.

These are incredibly addictive, and make a great snack after a long run. The only downside is that they're not as crunchy the next day. They're still delicious (and I still ate them like candy), but from now on I'll probably only make one serving at a time or wait until I'm having people over to make the full recipe. I'm submitting this to My Legume Love Affair Twelfth Helping, which was started by Susan at The Well-Seasoned Cook and is hosted by Apu at Annarasa this month.

Pan-fried chickpea salad

I read through hundreds of recipes a day (thank you, Google Reader!), and mark many to save for future adventures. Occasionally I get the urge to stop everything that I'm doing and make one immediately. That's what happened here... only I couldn't do it immediately. I cooked up a bunch of chickpeas last weekend, I happened to have a red onion around, I always have yogurt... what was missing? Leeks. I love leeks, so I figured that I should wait to make this until I could acquire one. After a quick trip to the store, I was ready to get cracking.

Pan-fried chickpea salad (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 can chickpeas (or 2 cups cooked)

1 leek, sliced thinly

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup chopped red onion

3 Tbsp plain yogurt

1 1/2 tsp curry powder

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Add chickpeas and cook until they begin to brown. Add leeks and continue to cook until chickpeas are golden and leeks begin to brown. Add garlic, cook for another minute. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients; taste and adjust as necessary. Serves 3-4.

Yummy! I had no plans for this fitting into a meal... I just wanted to satisfy my cooking urges. It's a good snack - I have to admit that I've snuck a few spoonfuls from time to time. It's unbelievably simple, and a great way to use cooked chickpeas.

Speaking of chickpeas, I often have trouble getting them tender when I cook them. This time I cooked them in the crock pot (on high for about 4 hours) while I had two other pots of beans going on the stove. I think they came out much better this way.

White bean dip

I'm addicted to raw veggies. I can easily go through 5 cups of raw veggies a day (and that's in addition to the other veggies I eat with meals). I don't think I'll get tired of the veggies any time soon, but it's always nice to mix things up a little bit. Plus, I'm trying to get a little bit more protein in my diet. So, a bean dip seemed like the perfect solution.

White bean dip (adapted from "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman)

1 can great northern beans (or any white bean)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove, peeled

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp ground ginger

salt and pepper to taste

water, as needed (I used about 1/3 cup)

Put everything (except water) into food processor and blend. Add water a little bit at a time to make a smooth dip. Makes 2 cups.

Mark Bittman wins again. I'm in love with his new book (Food Matters), and he's onto something with this recipe. It's not your typical bean dip, but the spices work perfectly together. It would go well with chips or crackers, too, but I'm loving it with the veggies. In fact, it's calling my name from the refrigerator right now. This will definitely be something that I keep in mind next time I need to bring something for a party.

Extremely easy vegetable dip

I needed something to take to a Super Bowl party, and I immediately thought of veggies and dip. I could eat veggies all day, and it's always nice to have something a little big lighter to balance out all of the other food.

Vegetable Dip (adapted from "How to Cook Everything," by Mark Bittman)

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed

2 green onions

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (sour cream would also work)

1 1/2 tsp dried dill

juice of 1/2 lemon

freshly ground black pepper

Finely chop the vegetables, and then add remaining ingredients. You might want to let the yogurt drain in a fine strainer for a few hours to make a thicker dip (my yogurt had separated, so I poured out most of the whey and the remaining yogurt was thick enough). Makes about 3 cups.

This was simple, but tasty, and it seemed to go over well with my friends. It's basically a permutation of tzatziki, which is one of my favorite sauces/dips. The best part? I used some of the leftovers for a salad dressing today. I love multi-purpose creations!

Protein/granola bars: a wrap up

**These are not gluten-free recipes and were posted before I eliminated gluten from my diet.**

Over the last 6 months I've tried several granola and protein bar recipes. I love having these around because they're a great snack, especially after working out. With each recipe, I've wrapped up the bars individually and then stored them in the freezer. All of them froze very well (for up to several months, in some cases). I definitely have a favorite, and once again, Alton Brown wins.

Protein Bars (adapted from Alton Brown)

1 cup whey protein powder

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup whole white wheat flour

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups dried fruit, chopped (I've used various combos of raisins, dates, apricots, apples, papaya, and cherries)

1/2 cup nuts, chopped (I've used pecans, walnuts, and almonds)

12 oz. silken tofu

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

2/3 cup natural peanut butter (I've used smooth and crunchy, and both are good)

Combine protein flour, oat bran, flour, wheat germ, and salt in large mixing bowl. In separate bowl, whisk tofu until smooth. Add applesauce, honey, eggs, and peanut butter and mix well. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and blend well. Add in fruits and nuts and stir well. Pour into 13x9" pan that's been lined with lightly-oiled wax paper. Bake at 350 for about 35 min until it's browned. Let cool and cut into 24 bars with pizza cutter.

These things keep me very full, and I love their flavor. They're more cakey than your traditional granola bar, but I like the texture. My favorite batch is the one that I'm currently working on, and it has a combo of raisins, dates, apricots, and pecans. The protein powder is expensive, but it makes quite a few batches of these. Make sure you read the labels and look for one that doesn't have a bunch of added ingredients. I'll probably stick to making these for a while. With fruit and nut variations, I think I can keep them exciting.

My second favorite recipe also came from the Food Network. It's good, but doesn't quite live up to Alton's.

Energy Bars (adapted from Ellie Krieger)

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried dates

1/2 cup powdered milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

Put all ingredients except for honey and eggs in food processor and pulse until well blended and finely chopped. Add honey and eggs and pulse until well mixed. Pour into 13x9" pan that's been lined with lightly-oiled wax paper. Bake at 350 for about 20 min, until browned. Let cool and cut into 24 bars with pizza cutter.

These are more like your traditional granola bar. They have good flavor, but don't keep me quite as full because they don't have as much protein as Alton's bars do. I'm impressed that my cheap food processor is able to cut through all of the dried fruit!

And finally, my third favorite.

Chewy Granola Bars (adapted from Recipezaar)

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup toasted wheat germ

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup flax meal

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup raisins

Toast oats in skillet over medium heat for about 5 min. Let cool. Combine all dry ingredients (except raisins) in large bowl. In separate bowl combine all wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and blend gently. Mix in raisins. Pour into 13x9" pan that's been lined with lightly-oiled wax paper. Bake at 350 for about 30 min, until browned. Let cool and cut into 24 bars with pizza cutter.

Again, these don't keep me quite as full as Alton's do. They're good, but don't have the fruity flavor that the other two have.

Overall, all of these are far better than store-bought bars and don't have all of the weird ingredients. They're really easy to make and store well. You really can't go wrong!

Yogurt, Flax, and Berries

This is one of the simplest things to make, but it's one of my favorite post-workout snacks/desserts. I eat this quite often and am still not tired of it, so I figured I should share.

Yogurt, Flax, and Berries

1/2 - 1 cup plain yogurt

2 Tbsp flax meal

handful of berries or grapes, fresh or frozen

Mix flax with yogurt. Add fruit.

How to you make yogurt even tastier? Add flax and fruit. I love flax seeds and meal, and I eat a ton of it. It's loaded with Omega-3s, but I mainly care about the fact that it has a delicious nutty flavor. I've used several types of fruit in this - mostly blueberries and grapes - and all are good, but different. My favorite is probably frozen grapes, although frozen blueberries (especially my quickly depleting stash from the summer farmers' market) are great too. This week blackberries were on sale (I still can't figure that one out...), so I decided to have a nice treat.

I had to teach myself to like plain yogurt, but it became easier once I discovered how much better organic yogurt tastes than regular. I typically buy either Stonyfield Farm or Brown Cow, and both are delicious. I'm still searching for a local yogurt source. I've been buying all of my milk and butter from Calder Dairy in Carleton, MI (and it's amazing!), but they don't make yogurt. Hopefully I'll be able to find something soon.

Avocado and Bean Dip

Last night I had plans to go to a friend's house for a movie night. I wanted to bring some snacks, but decided that I should do something simple. I found this delicious-sounding recipe, which seemed perfect given that avocados are on sale this week. I don't buy avocados that often, and I'm not sure why, because they're incredibly delicious.

Avocado and Bean Dip (adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites"

1 ripe avocado

1 can kidney beans (or 1 2/3 cups cooked beans)

1/2 cup salsa

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

juice of 1/2 lime

freshly ground pepper

Cut avocado in half and make crosswise and lengthwise cuts before scooping flesh out into bowl (results in small chunks). Add lime juice and mix well. Add remaining ingredients, stir well, and serve (with chips, veggies, etc.). Originally I would have said that this serves 5-6, but this is what the three of us managed to do:

Obviously we enjoyed it. It's simple, and has a very fresh taste. Next time I might also add some chopped fresh tomatoes (especially if I make it during the summer). This was another great use of my frozen beans!

My first kale experience

I've eaten a lot of kale, but I had never cooked it.  I was excited that they had some at the farmers' market this week so that I could try it out.  I found a recipe where you cook kale with pre-cooked beans (I used great northerns), sauteed garlic and red pepper flakes, and chicken stock, and then add in some pasta.  It was delicious (especially with the kick from the red pepper).  I definitely recommend trying this out.  It's so easy (the hardest part was remembering to soak my beans the night before) and is one of those recipes that's easy to tweak depending on what you have on hand.

I also tried out a new granola bar recipe yesterday.  This one is also from the Food Network, and it's as good (but quite different) as Alton's.  Assuming they freeze just as well, it will give me at least 2 good bar recipes that I can alternate so that I don't get sick of either.

This weekend's adventures

Even though the weather was nice this weekend, I still managed to do quite a bit of cooking.  On Saturday I cooked a lot of the veggies that I got at the farmers' market and also made a lentil salad.  I was trying to recreate something that I have had several times before, and I came pretty close.  I cooked lentils and let them cool a little bit, then added red onion, red bell pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, pepper, and feta.  Then I put it in the fridge to have on Sunday (it's good when it's still warm/room temp, but I think it's even better cold).  I highly recommend it, and it's incredibly easy!

Yesterday I experimented with crackers.  I love crackers, but now that I'm trying to avoid all of the preservatives and numerous variations of corn and soybean products added to everything, they're off of my shopping list.  I found several easy recipes, and decided to try one out.  This one came out of the King Arthur Whole Grain book that I got from the library, but I also found it at Kitchen Link.  I made half of a batch in case it was a disaster, and I reduced the sugar quite a bit.  I wasn't able to roll the dough out quite as thin as they describe, and it definitely did not resemble a square (more like weird abstract art), but that's ok.  They turned out great, especially the ones that I let get extra brown and crispy.  I never would have thought of putting paprika and vanilla together, but it definitely works (and tastes very similar to wheat thins!).  I'm looking forward to making a bigger batch soon!

I've also made a few desserts recently that I forgot to mention before.  Last week I made oatmeal raisin cookies sweetened with apple juice concentrate (and raisins, of course).  They don't have the typical cookie texture and are more gummy/chewy, but they taste really good.  I'm not sure that the consistency would work well with other cookie types, but it goes along nicely with the oatmeal.  I've also been making individual servings of fruit crisps from time to time.  The peaches at the farmers' market have been amazing lately, so some nights I'll slice one, add some lemon juice and cinnamon, sprinkle some oats on top, and bake it for a while.  It's SO good, and easy enough that I can make it fresh every time I want it.  I'm very sad that peach season is winding down, but I guess I'll have to try it with other fruits.

Cooking with Mom

Even though Mom and I did quite a lot while she was here this weekend, we also managed to make a few things.  We went to Traverse City on Friday and spent the night, which meant that I missed my usual farmer's market trip on Saturday morning.  So, we decided to visit the one in Traverse City to make up for it.  It was HUGE, and even though I didn't intend to buy anything, we went home with some veggies (squash and zucchini, spinach, and corn) and some white-fleshed peaches.  We also tasted some jalapeno cilantro hummus, which prompted us to make some when we returned home.  We used this recipe but with much less oil (and a little bit of water).  It's very good (in fact, I was just enjoying some with my veggies), and has quite a kick due to the jalapenos and the enormous garlic cloves we used.  I bet it would be even better with dried chickpeas (unfortunately we didn't have enough time for them to soak).  It's a nice change from traditional hummus.

We also made some sourdough pretzels... mostly because I needed to use some of the sourdough starter that Jess gave me.  I let the bread machine make the dough, and I ended up adding a lot more water than the recipe called for because it was looking very dry.  Apparently I went a little bit overboard and we ended up with very sticky dough.  We had quite an adventure trying to roll it out and form pretzel shapes.  We were unable to achieve the traditional pretzel shape, but they still taste very good.  I added sesame seeds on top (instead of salt) for a new and different twist.

I also made Mom a loaf of herb bread by adding thyme and rosemary to the first recipe I used (and keeping the sunflower seeds).  It smelled good, and I can't wait to find out how it tastes...