Pumpkin Butter

September 15, 2015September 16, 2015 by Katie | Leave a comment

Pumpkins are our ingredient of the season. In the past we’ve sampled pumpkin brews, used them to make mini pumpkin pies, and have added the seeds to not one, but two, salads.

After seeing Sarah’s request, I couldn’t help but make pumpkin butter as the first recipe for our new ingredient of the season. I have made apple butter many times, this was my first attempt at pumpkin, and rather than use the crockpot, I decided to try an oven-based recipe. I’ve since learned that while they are both butters and methods equally easy and produce delicious results, pumpkin butter cooks up much faster than its apple counterpart! I used this recipe for guidance, but made a few modifications as discussed below.

For this recipe we’re skipping the canned variety and starting with a raw pumpkin. If you’ve never bought a pumpkin for baking, you want to pick up one of the smaller “sugar pumpkins” and not the big pumpkins used for carving jack-o’-lanterns.

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

July 7, 2015January 18, 2016 by Katie | 2 Comments

Lemon is our ingredient of the season! So far we’ve used it in a buckle, in bars, and in the shower. Oh, and there are two on my counter waiting for our next project!

After all of our desserts and drinks in the lemon category, are you ready to try something savory? This Lemon Ricotta Pasta is the perfect savory use of lemon. The citrus takes a pasta dish that could feel heavy when mixed with two cheeses and lightens it up, perfect for a summer dinner on the deck.

As you’ll see, this dish is also crazy easy to make. After an early morning flight back to Colorado yesterday, our family is still in recovery mode and trying to get back into a routine. It’s weeks like these when I like to cut myself a break and keep dinner simple while still actually cooking because I find that even simple dinners are key to helping us regain a routine.

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.

Spring Rolls {Vegetarian & Vegan}

August 5, 2014February 7, 2018 by Katie | 5 Comments

Mint is our ingredient of the season. Our archive of mint posts is rich with ideas for drinks, salads, main dishes, and cosmetic uses!

Before last week I had eaten my fair share of spring rolls, yet never made them, but with mint as our ingredient of the season, this was one of those recipes that I was excited to stretch my muscles and try making at home. I was totally intimidated before my first wrapper hit the water, but I’m happy to report that these were surprisingly easy to prepare!

Making spring rolls at home is so much fun because you can personalize them to your tastes, choosing your favorite protein (tofu, shrimp) and vegetables (sky’s the limit!). On this particular night, we opted for veg rolls with tofu as our protein and nappa cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers as our vegetables. I did the rolling while Calder and A.Max were out on a bike ride, but while doing it, I thought about how this would be even more fun to do with a group of friends ~ setting up a big spring roll bar and letting everyone roll their own. If you try that, let us know how it goes!

Watermelon Dill Gazpacho + Coconut Lime Crema

July 22, 2014February 23, 2015 by Sarah | Leave a comment

I didn’t discover gazpacho until my late teens, but I’ve been in love ever since. It’s the perfect meal for a hot summer day and you best believe that’s the norm here in North Carolina. In college, I worked at a catering company and I remember scrunching up my nose when I read gazpacho on the hor d’oeuvre menu. I had no clue what it was and when another waitress told me it was basically cold soup, I was a little weirded out by the idea. One of the chefs saw that whole interaction, pulled me aside, listed off the ingredients and gave me a sample. I was hooked. It really wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I thought it would taste like V8 and I really couldn’t imagine eating a whole bowl of it, but it turned out to be thinner and sweeter with a little pang of spice. Since my catering days, I’ve played around with a few different recipes so today I’ll share my favorite for sweltering summer days. Watermelon Dill Gazpacho with Coconut Lime Crema is almost like a treat instead of lunch. It’s slightly sweet, very light and refreshing and there’s no spice so you won’t be sweating over your cold soup 😉

Equipment:

Blender (I used a ninja)

Gazpacho Ingredients:

1 cup cubed (very ripe) tomato
5 cups cubed watermelon
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 cup peeled cucumber
2 TBSP fresh dill + more to garnish
salt & pepper to taste

Gazpacho Recipe:

Blend the tomato and watermelon until smooth. Add in the olive oil and vinegar and blend for an additional minute. Blend in the cucumber and dill for about a minute until incorporated, but not completely emulsified. Add salt and pepper to suit your tastes.

Garnish with a sprig of dill and a slice of avocado and yellow sweet pepper if desired. I highly recommend serving the gazpacho with a dollop of coconut lime crema.

Coconut Lime Crema Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw cashews soaked for at least 4 hours
2 TBSP lime juice
1/4 cup + 1 TBSP coconut milk
1/4 cup cool water
Pinch of salt

Coconut Lime Crema Recipe:

Add the soaked cashews, lime juice, salt and water to the blender. Blend until smooth. Add the coconut milk and blend until creamy.
Gently drip the coconut lime crema into the bowls immediately before serving.

I truly believe the coconut lime crema makes this dish. It adds a perfect creamy component to the chilled watermelon. It’s also a more familiar taste so you can really wrangle in any guests who tend to eat on the safe side. If you’re not in the mood to make the crema, garnish the gazpacho with slices of avocado and sprigs of dill. The contrasting colors in this dish make it a pretty party food. I love serving gazpacho in small servings at get togethers that way guests don’t have to commit to an entire bowl of unknown, ya know? It’s also fun to play around with different designs and patterns in each glass. This watermelon gazpacho will fly off the buffet before you have time to fill up more shot glasses. I’m actually eating a whole bowl of it as I type!

Quinoa Salad : Variation 1 (vegan & gluten free)

June 17, 2014February 23, 2015 by Katie | Leave a comment

Mint is our ingredient of the season. So far we’ve shared a few mojitos, perfect for sipping while using our minted foot scrub.

Have you tried quinoa yet? It’s an uber nutritious grain, or psuedo-cereal, that’s high in protein, fiber, and minerals. Quinoa is native to the Andes, and that’s still where most of the world’s crop is grown, but with its increasing popularity over the past decade or so, it’s easy to find in most markets across the US. If you haven’t tried it before, don’t be deterred. Cooking quinoa is as simple as boiling water, and then you can eat it warm and lightly seasoned in place of rice or couscous as a side to meat and veggie dishes. Beyond side-dish status, we love to throw quinoa (warm or cold) into salads. It’s a fantastically simple use that quickly ups the salad’s nutritional content and can turn it into a hearty meal (and we aren’t the only ones singing the quinoa salad’s praises).

Fresh Guacamole

May 5, 2014February 23, 2015 by Sarah | 4 Comments

Happy Cinco De Mayo friends! In the celebration of Mexican heritage and pride we wanted to pass along our guacamole recipe. Guacamole is simple to whip up, which is why everyone should know how to make it by heart! I also learned how to store guac without it turning brown, like not even a tinge brown so read on muchachos. Arriba arriba!