Potato Patties With Egg and Asparagus

March 19, 2015March 8, 2018 by Sarah | 1 Comment

I hope this post finds you well and just in time for the weekend. Why? Because big breakfasts are what my weekends are all about and precisely where these Potato Patties With Egg and Asparagus were born. I rarely eat any breakfast during the week. I’m not sure when that happened, but it did and I know, it’s not a great routine to get into, but so it goes. Let’s forget about Monday through Friday and focus on the weekend, which is when you’ll be making this eggy, garlicky, asparagussy (<quite proud of that made up word) goodness. There’s something about layering food that makes it taste that much better to me. I like grabbing a little of everything in each yummy bite. I know I could do that if these three ingredients were all sitting side-by-side on the plate, but it just takes the fun out of all of it. I want everything snuggled together ready to be devoured in under a minute’s time. This potato, egg and asparagus breakfast is extremely simple. If you haven’t ever cooked a thing, try making this. Everyone can make eggs, right? Can you use a spatula? Do you know how to shake a salt shaker? Sweeeeet! That means you can also impress your family with this super tasty take on breakfast.

Nut & Fruit Bars

March 12, 2015January 18, 2016 by Katie | Leave a comment

Nuts are our ingredient of the season. If you’re as excited as we are with this selection, you can get a head start with some of our past nut recipes, which we’ve added to the archive.

We end up eating a lot of snack bars in our house, most often packing them for hikes and days out, but also as a little treat at the moment when you realize that there’s too many hours between now and the next meal. I’ve never made a homemade snack or granola bar before, but have wanted to try for a long time because of the opportunity to personalize the ingredients. When I saw today’s recipe on Food52, I was excited to try it, partially because it’s simple enough, that it’s the perfect base for experimentation. Lo and behold, just six short months later I’ve finally put a batch together! We’ve been snacking on these all week, and I’ve quickly decided that this recipe is a keeper. Even little Alex, with his mouth full of teeth has no trouble eating these and always requests another.

This couldn’t be a better first recipe for our nuts category, since it’s packed with walnuts, almonds, nut butters, coconut, and pumpkin & sunflower seeds (we’re being liberal with our nut category!). Consider this nut & fruit selection below a suggestion and feel free to swap in your favorites and/or change the ratios to your liking. Of the few changes I made to the original recipe, I was most excited about my decision to add a touch of spice with the Baharat spice mix, which adds a bit of complexity and depth to the nutty flavors. I’ve included a link to our previous post with the Baharat blend if you want to try it, but using it is not necessary. You can completely leave out the spices or modify them to your liking ~ adding a pinch of whatever spice you like!

Nut & Fruit Bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups quick oats
3/4 cup roasted almonds
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup ground flax seeds
1/3 cup honey
3/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 tsp Baharat spice mix
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Line a baking dish with parchment or wax paper.
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until everything is well blended.
Dump the mixture into a backing dish and press down to flatten.
Freeze the mixture overnight, then cut into bars, and store in an airtight container with wax paper between layers in either in the freezer (my preference) or the fridge.

https://liveseasoned.com/nutty-snack-bars/

The original recipe recommended keeping the finished bars in the fridge, but we first sampled them straight from the freezer (when I was cutting them), and we really liked how firm they were then as opposed to their softer texture after we moved them to the fridge; in the end we decided to keep them frozen. And really, that would be my one complaint with a recipe like this ~ that the bars have a tendency to crumble and fall apart if they get too warm. As a result, I’m still on the hunt for a homemade bar that’s just like this one except with a sturdier disposition for taking on hikes. If you have any recommendations, send them our way!

Garlic + Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas

February 25, 2015January 18, 2016 by Sarah | 3 Comments

I’m a big fan of crispy, salty snacks, but I feel pretty bad about myself when I eat an entire bag of kettle cooked chips. Maybe you don’t, which I applaud you for, and that case go open another bag while you read this recipe. I think these garlic and parmesan roasted chickpeas are the perfect substitute for potato chips because they provide the crunch and the salt that I’m craving, but they also pack some protein. They’re baked, not fried like chips, and really you could season them however you see fit. I recently kicked my chips and dip habit (thank you, thank you very much) and I found I’m baking these up quite often to satisfy my salt tooth. Is that a thing? It is for me at least.

Gnocchi with Herbs, Peas, and Parmesan

February 19, 2015January 18, 2016 by Sarah | Leave a comment

I’m certainly not the first person to pair gnocchi with peas, parmesan and herbs, but it was such a great combination that I had to share it here in case you haven’t tried it yet. I made gnocchi the day before with vodka sauce and it was AWFUL. Like so bad I couldn’t finish it so I tried again with an even easier take on the sauce.. garlic and herbs all day in this house. I was able to put this all together in less than twenty minutes, which means it’s the perfect ‘I don’t wanna cook, but I want a nice warm meal’ type of dish. If you’re vegan, leave out the parmesan and maybe substitute in some toasted pine nuts. You’ll also have to replace the butter, but that’s an easy one.

Sarah’s Warm Winter Drink

February 17, 2015January 18, 2016 by Sarah | Leave a comment

I really didn’t know what to call this warm milk creation. I certainly don’t want to call it that. It is kind of a mix between horchata and Spanish rice pudding, but I wouldn’t want to offend anyone by calling it that because I made this recipe up. I don’t really know if it is anything like authentic Spanish rice pudding or Mexican horchata and that’s why we’ll refer to it as Sarah’s warm winter drink, a name that’s completely non-descriptive, whoops. It’s a pretty awesome drink though and you can make it several different ways so don’t let its disappointing name discourage you. Vegan? We got you covered too. Like most recipes and projects on Seasoned, we try to give you the gist of the recipe, but encourage you to make it your own. Katie and I cook depending on seasonal ingredients and what’s in our cupboards, which means lots of these recipes are adaptable.

Rosehip Jam

February 10, 2015January 30, 2016 by Katie | Leave a comment

While roses and treats are synonymous with Valentine’s Day, we wanted to turn that tradition on its head by suggesting you make a sweet rosehip jam instead! Plus, you can get around those thorny environmental and social impacts by skipping the bouquet this year. And, if you’re about to tune out because we’re suggesting making a jam, hang in there because this jam contains only two (2!) ingredients and doesn’t require any cooking. It’s that easy, folks.

Pistachio and Orange Torrone

February 5, 2015February 9, 2022 by Katie | 5 Comments

Orange is our ingredient of the season. You can find our full archive of zesty orange posts here, with everything from cocktails and cakes to candies and cleansers.

If you’re looking for a fun alternative to chocolates for Valentine’s Day, pistachio and orange torrone may be it! But I have to admit, it took me over two months to build up the courage to try making this recipe. Calder came across it in an issue of Bon Appetit while researching recipes for Thanksgiving. The ingredients were purchased, and I promised to make it for the holiday (Thanksgiving, not Valentine’s Day). Then I didn’t, and I didn’t make it for Christmas or New Year’s, but here we are and I’m finally making the sweet for my sweet!

Torrone is a nougat-type treat made from honey, sugar, egg whites, and nuts, commonly almonds. The nougat comes in two varieties, either hard and brittle or soft and chewy. This recipe is for the soft and chewy variety. Torrone is a traditional Spanish treat served at Christmas, and is popular in many countries that were previously under Spanish rule, including Italy, Latin America, and the Philippines. The combination of citrus flavor and pistachios in this pistachio and orange torrone recipe are characteristics of an Italian torrone.

Crab Chowder

January 29, 2015January 19, 2019 by Sarah | 3 Comments

I’m happy to report that so far my weekly soup challenge is successful! Woah, I just realized I already transformed my soup-a-week goal into a challenge?! I think I’m on the challenge train. Anywho, I grew up eating this chunky crab chowder. This recipe actually comes straight from Momma Schu. She has been dubbed the soup queen many times in the past. Years ago, she would stir up soups for soccer concession stands, pot lucks and get-togethers. My job usually consisted of unwrapping the bouillon cubes, but I get a sense that this is where my love of cooking came from. Thanks for that Momma Schu and with no further ado, I present you with the yummiest crab chowder.

Crab Chowder

Ingredients

4 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
5 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 lb. fresh crab meat
2-3 cups heavy whipping cream
chicken or vegetable bouillon to taste
pinch of salt and pepper
handful of oyster crackers

Instructions

Warm olive oil in a big soup pot.
Add the onion, celery, red pepper, and carrots. Sauté until soft. Throw in a pinch of salt and pepper.
Add the potatoes and cover with water. Add chicken or vegetable soup base to taste. Cook on medium high till potatoes are soft.
Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and crab meat.
Turn down the heat. After a few moments, when the soup cools enough to not curdle the cream, add 2-3 cups of heavy whipping cream.
Slowly bring heat to desired serving temperature.
Serve with oyster crackers and a dash of pepper.

https://liveseasoned.com/crab-chowder/

If you are far from the ocean and wondering what crab meat to buy, we usually go with this. On that note, have you ever gone crabbing? As I grow older and realize that I’ve had slightly different opportunities than others, I come to appreciate them more and more. I didn’t realize that other kids weren’t hauling in crabs from the side of the boat every summer. Crabbing is relatively easy if you’re in a good spot. All you need to do is tie a string around a raw chicken neck, attach a couple sinkers, drop it in the water and wait. When you feel a little tug, you pull the line up hand over hand ever soooo slowly. When the crab and bait are almost at the surface, you scoop them up with a fishing net. It’s that easy! Like I said though, you have to go find a good spot. So if you visit the beach next summer, talk to some locals and ask where they go crabbing. They might not tell you, maybe they’ll tell you a fake spot, or who knows, maybe the crabs are so abundant that you can go crabbing right off the dock. If you ever get the chance, this is me telling you to try it. You’ll have fun.

Orange & Almond Cake

January 27, 2015July 26, 2017 by Katie | Leave a comment

Oranges are our ingredient of the season. We’re filling our archives with zesty drinks, candies, crafts, and even cleaners!

This recipe for orange and almond cake produces a deliciously dense cake with just the right amount sweet, citrusy zest to brighten any cold and grey afternoon. And that’s why it’s become a winter staple in our house (of course, yesterday I happened to make it on one of the warmest & sunniest winter days, but I couldn’t fight the urge to bring the sunshine in!). The cake is finished with a sweet syrup made from fresh orange juice, and as a result, it definitely doesn’t need any sort of frosting, rather it pairs perfectly with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee ~ just what you’ll need after a day out in the snow.

The recipe comes from one of our favorite cookbooks, Jerusalem, which we may have mentioned here and here. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we share a favorite dish from the book!

A note about the ingredients ~

I love this cake’s short and sweet ingredient list. Of course the eggs, butter, sugar, flour, and salt are pantry staples; you just have to pick up fresh citrus and almonds or almond meal.

This recipe calls for the zest from four oranges and a lemon, as such, be sure to buy organic. There are two reasons to think about buying organic: 1. environmental and 2. health. From a health perspective, you’ll often see oranges and other citrus as being a “low pesticide residue” fruit as they are protected by their thick skin. Since those pesticides remain on the rind, anytime you’re using the zest in a recipe, you would be exposing yourself to a higher concentration of the pesticides if you don’t buy organic. And, I’m sure you know this, but an easy way to ensure that you’re buying organic in the produce section is to look for fruit and veg with a 5 digit code that starts with 9.

As for the almond meal, you can easily buy whole almonds and use a food processor to make the meal, but since this recipe calls for a whopping 2.5 cups, I find that it’s easier to just pick up a bag of pre-ground almonds. Not sure where to look? You can always find it for a good price in Trader Joe’s nut section.

When it comes to zesting the citrus, I find that it’s quicker and easier to use a zester that produces the nice long strips of zest. You can zest a whole orange (or four!) relatively quickly, and then use a chef’s knife to give the pile a few chops and create the smaller pieces that you need.

On with the recipe then. We’re trying out a new feature on our recipe posts, and we hope you like it! You can see the recipe below as in the past, but now, if you would like to print it, just hit the “print” button to the right of the title. That will open the recipe without photos in a new window as well as allowing you to print the PDF and/or save it as a file on your computer. yay! If you’re having any trouble or have any suggestions for further improvements to our recipe posts, we would love to hear them.

Orange & Almond Cake

Ingredients

3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup + 3/4 cup sugar
zest & juice from 4 oranges & 1 lemon
2 1/2 cups ground almonds
5 large eggs
3/4 cup flour
pinch of salt

Instructions

Prep the oven and pan. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9.5 inch springform pan.
Mix up the ingredients. Place the butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and all zest in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on low until combined, but do not add too much air to the mixture. Add half the ground almonds and mix until combined. With the mixer on, add the eggs one at a time. Add the remaining almonds, the flour, and the salt. Beat until all ingredients are combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary.
Bake the cake! Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing with a spatula. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Use a skewer or toothpick to test for doneness, you'll want the cake to be baked through, but still be moist.
Make the syrup. When the cake is near done, place 1/2 cup of the citrus juice and the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan on medium-high. Bring the juice to a boil and then remove it from the heat.
As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, brush it with the boiling juice, allowing the syrup to soak into the cake. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before removing it.
Serve as is or add a dollop of whipped cream.

https://liveseasoned.com/orange-almond-cake/

Two Bits + Creamy Cashew Smoothie Recipe

January 23, 2015January 18, 2016 by Sarah | Leave a comment

We want to break down these internet barriers and invite you into our lives and we’re hoping you’ll do the same. You are welcome to share your a bit of your week or day in the comments, or if they’re better represented by a photo, tag us on instagram @liveseasoned

Katie here:

We like to share a photo and thoughts from our week, but I confess, that the above photo was taken two weeks ago while we were on the East Coast. It shows little A in his element – surrounded by kitties! That guy loves a cat like I would have never expected. He now has 4 stuffed kitties of varying sizes, and while I tried to capture him holding all of them at once (he’s been walking around the house with them), the photo escaped me! Maybe it’s because I spent the week feeling sleep deprived. I stopped drinking coffee while we were traveling for the holidays, but this week proved that I had to start up again (just a half cup in the morning), if I want to survive Alex’s early mornings! The coffee has also given me the power to start a few new knitting projects, finish others (more soon!) and straighten up this house, particularly my craft room/office, in an attempt to get our year off to an organized and creative start!

Sarah here:

I can’t believe January is nearly over! I feel like 2015 is moving way too fast already. To slow it down, I’ve been taking longer dog walks and drinking bigger smoothies. That makes sense, right? This week I came up with a new way of holding Ca$h’s leash. It’s basically a way to pit my entire body weight against his strength. That sounds complicated, but it’s really not. I’ll post a pic to IG tomorrow so you know what I’m talkin’ about. Yesterday I made an enormous creamy cashew smoothie and it was SO tasty!

Here’s a smoothie sippin’ outtake. This is why I don’t allow myself to appear in photos. See my smoothie ‘stache? Cashew smoothies are so creamy and delicious. Yum, yum, yum!

Creamy Cashew Smoothie Recipe

Prep Time: 12 hours

Total Time: 12 hours, 10 minutes

Creamy Cashew Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

1 heaping cup of raw cashews (soaked overnight)
1 cup tea (I used pineapple green tea)
3/4 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen berries
drizzle of maple syrup

Instructions

Combine the soaked and drained cashews along with the tea, pineapple and berries in the blender.
Blend until smooth. Add more tea if necessary.
Add some maple syrup or other sweetener if desired and blend.

https://liveseasoned.com/two-bits-creamy-cashew-smoothie-recipe/

A nature-inspired lifestyle blog.

Category Archives: recipes

Potato Patties With Egg and Asparagus

Nut & Fruit Bars

Nuts are our ingredient of the season. If you’re as excited as we are with this selection, you can get a head start with some of our past nut recipes, which we’ve added to the archive.

Garlic + Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas

Gnocchi with Herbs, Peas, and Parmesan

Sarah’s Warm Winter Drink

Rosehip Jam

Pistachio and Orange Torrone

Orange is our ingredient of the season. You can find our full archive of zesty orange posts here, with everything from cocktails and cakes to candies and cleansers.

Crab Chowder

Orange & Almond Cake

Two Bits + Creamy Cashew Smoothie Recipe

Katie here:

Sarah here: