Felafel

I love felafel along with almost all other Greek/Mediterranean food. I finally made some felafel and froze the extras for another day. These were perfect for throwing into lunch, whether it be a salad or in a sandwich.

Felafel
Sugarcrafter

• 1 (15 ounce) can chick peas


• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced


• 1 tsp onion, finely minced


• 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped


• 1 tsp lemon juice


• 1 tsp crushed red pepper


• 1 Tbsp flour


• 1 tsp baking powder


• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, divided

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drain the beans completely, and then place them in your food processor along with all ingredients except for the breadcrumbs. Pulse a few times just until well-blended, and then spoon into a medium-sized bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and combine.

Form the mixture into small balls and flatten them slightly. Bake for 12 minutes and then flip and bake for another 12 minutes.

Chocolate Pretzel Bites

These were so easy and fun. I'd seen them around the blogs awhile ago and meant to make them. Every seemed to love these. I think it's the salty/sweet combo. 

Chocolate Pretzel Bites

Rolo's Candy, unwrapped
Butter Snap pretzels (or any pretzels with a square base)
Pretzel M&M's

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Lay the pretzels in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top each pretzel with a Rolo candy. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the Rolos are just melted. Remove from oven and place an M&M on top of each Rolo. Allow to cool before serving.

Toffee

I'd never made toffee before.

Sounded delicious.

So I did it. 

Then I immediately gave it away because it was too delicious to keep around.

Toffee
Mehan's Kitchen

1/4 pound almonds 
3 cups (6 sticks) salted butter 
3 cups sugar
1 pound semi-sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast nuts on baking sheet, about 15 minutes. Remove nuts from oven and let cool completely. Transfer cooled nuts to a large ziplock bag and pound nuts until coarsely ground.

Melt butter in an 8-quart pot over medium-low heat; stir in sugar. Continue stirring until toffee reaches 305 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 30 minutes.

Pour toffee onto an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet, spreading evenly. Let cool until toffee is slightly hardened. Run a knife along the edges of the baking sheet to make toffee easier to remove.  

In a bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water, melt chocolate. Remove chocolate from heat and let cool slightly until it reaches about 95 degrees on a candy thermometer. Immediately pour melted chocolate over toffee, spreading evenly to cover. Sprinkle over coarsely ground almonds, pressing down with offset spatula. Transfer to refrigerator until toffee is set, about 1 hour. To remove toffee from pan, run a sharp knife along the edges and lift toffee from the bottom. Using your hands, break toffee into large pieces.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo chicken dip. Bet you can't eat just one. Or something.

I made this forever ago for the superbowl, so pardon the picture. It came out of the oven and I had to beat off one hundred hungry hands to get this picture in!

This dip is so good it will knock your socks off. If you like buffalo chicken wings you may have to hold yourself back from eating an entire dish of this dip. Don't say I didn't warn you!

I recently made this for the second time and used it as a calzone stuffing. Um. Holy amazing!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Frank's Red Hot 

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing (I used blue cheese)
1/2 cup any flavor FRANK'S® REDHOT® Sauce
1 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese (I used cheddar cheese)
2 cans (12.5 oz. each)  Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained

HEAT oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.

MIX in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Stir in chicken. Smooth top and sprinkle remaining cheese over casserole.

BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potato fries. Obsessed. I really can never get enough of these guys. At a restaurant, if these are on the menu, I will order them. No questions asked. Sweet or savory, you really can go no wrong with sweet potato fries. These home made guys were just as good too! I gobbled them right up all by myself.



Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Annie's Eats

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil greased with cooking spray.

Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and cut each half into long spears.  (Soak in cold water for 20-30 minutes before continuing for crispy texture outside.  Drain well and pat dry.)  Place the potato spears on the sheet pan and toss with olive oil.  Spread them in a single layer.  Combine the brown sugar, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on the potatoes.  Bake for 15 minutes, then turn with a spatula or tongs.  Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned.  Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and serve hot.

Pumpkin Bean Dip

I can't believe Christmas is 3 days away. I'm going to play a little game upon my return to NY called lets see how long I can keep the Christmas tree up in our apartment. Shhhh....don't tell Spice.

In other news, I fly home to the Pacific Northwest tomorrow to spend Christmas with my family. It has been a year since I've been home and I am SO excited to see the parentals and enjoy some PNW time. Also, new running scenery. Gets me everytime =) I've got several long runs planned...lets just hope the rain stays away!

I made this as an appetizer of sorts at some point in the last few weeks. I feel in love with the dip! Very hummus-like, but with pumpkin! How genius is that?! I enjoyed this with carrots and some crackers but it would be good with any veggie or toasted baguette. Definitely recommend for Christmas-time noshing!

Pumpkin Bean Dip
Fannetastic Food 

• 1 C (overflowing) canned pumpkin


• 1 C black beans (rinsed)


• 1/2 C cannellini beans (rinsed)


• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil


• 2 cloves garlic


• juice from 2 lemons


• 1/2 tsp cumin (this totally made the dip!)


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 1/4 tsp pepper

Toss all ingredients in a food processor. Serve with veggies and chips or crackers.

Curried Butternut Squash and Potato Latkes with Apple Salsau

I don't know that I had ever had a latke before this endeavor. I am now a convert. What a fun snack! Minus having to shread and peal the potatoes and butternut squash, these are pretty easy and definitely yummy. The salsa that goes with it is very versatile as well. I think it would go well with fish or even as a salsa for chips!



Curried Butternut Squash and Potato Latkes with Apple Salsa
Cooking Light, December 2010

1 1/2 cups finely chopped Gala apples
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 finely chopped seeded serrano chile
5 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
3 cups shredded, peeled butternut squash (about 3/4 pound)
3 cups shredded peeled baking potato (3/4 pound)
1 cup grated onion
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1/4 cup olive oil, divided



Combine apple and lime in a bowl; toss. Add onion, chile, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; toss. Cover and chill.

Combine squash, potato and onion in a colander; drain 30 minutes, pressing occasionally with the back of a spoon until barely moist. Combine potato mixture, remaining 4 tablespoons cilantro, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, flour and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl; toss well.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Spoon 1/4 cup potato mixture loosely into a dry measuring cup. Pour mixture into pan; flatten slightly. Repeat procedure 4 times to form 5 latkes. Saute 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Remove latkes from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure twice with remaining oil and potato mixture to yield 14 latkes total. Serve with salsa.

Homemade Granola Bars

If I could help it, I would not be a granola bar type of person. I'd much rather eat whole/real foods than fake, processed, sugary bars. Unfortunately, between running from dance classes to the gym and to work and to all other things in between, its hard to not just grab a granola bar and go.

Thankfully I found Lara Bars, which have no preservatives and are made strictly out of real food. Not to mention they are really quite tasty, too! Unfortunately, which an almost $2.00 price tag per bar, its not something I could readily afford. So glad I thought of creating my own! Now I can make them as big or small as I'd like and just throw it in my bag for when the going gets tough and the tough get hungry!

You can really use any combination of dried fruits and nuts in these. I will definitely be experimenting in the future. You can add nut butters if you'd like, or honey, maple syrup and chocolate chips for sweetness. Its pretty hard to screw these up, so try some new combos and let me know how they turn out!



Homemade Granola Bars

1/2 cup dried apples
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seed
1 teaspoon vanilla

Line an 8 by 8 inch baking dish with plastic wrap. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until combined. I found it a bit easier to let the fruits blend for a bit and then add the nuts and so forth. Spread the misture into the baking dish and press it into place. Cut into bars of any size/shape you would like and wrap in plastic wrap individually. Store in the refrigerator in a large plastic bag.

Buttermilk Onion Rings

For the start of college football season last Saturday, I felt like we needed some fried snack food. And of course, who pops up on my tv that morning but Bobby Flay making some delicious onion rings. Sold.

These were a great snack. They probably should have counted as a meal because we ate so darn many! I loved the way soaking the onions in the buttermilk mixture made them a little bit softer but still had that crunch! I will definitely make these again. Just what I need, another favorite fried food!

Buttermilk Onion Rings
Adapted from Bobby Flay on Food Network

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Pinch cayenne

Salt

1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch slices

2 cups peanut oil

2-3 cups all purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper

Combine buttermilk, flour, cayenne and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Soak the onion rings in the batter for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat oil in a large saucepan to 375 degrees F. In batches, remove onion rings from batter and dredge in the seasoned flour mixture. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and season immediately with salt.

Onion Rings

So you know when you bite into something really delicious and you just kind of sit there for a second with it in you mouth and think about how life doesn't get much better? And your tastebuds are in overdrive and you are just using every sensation you have in your mouth to drain every bit of goodness from said delicious thing?

Yah, these guys will make that happen. Trust me. Or don't trust me, go make them. Then you will see that I never lie.

In the wake of yet ANOTHER snowstorm here in New York (which I must say I'm still all atwitter about but I swear I can hear the rest of the city mumbling curse words under their breath), I decided some fried deliciousness was in order. Since I mde doughnuts on the last snow day, I thought I should keep with the theme.  And I remembered some over the top amazing looking onion rings over at The Brown Eyed Baker, and new I was destined for a delicious dinner.

These are so easy to make and I am just so impressed with myself for making them and prolonging my frequent visit to Outback Steakhouse for their bloomin' onion appetizer (yes, I usually eat the whole thing). The dipping sauce is perfectly tangy to complement the fried love, or at least that's what I'm calling these.



Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce from The Brown Eyed Baker

• 2 medium sweet onions


• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper


• 1/2 cup buttermilk


• 1 egg


• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour


• 1 1/2 cups crushed potato chips


• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine ¼ cup flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne in a bowl.

In another bowl combine the buttermilk, egg and additional flour, whisking until a smooth batter is formed.

In a third bowl, place the crushed potato chips.

Prepare the onion rings by first dipping a ring into the seasoned flour, then into the batter (let the excess batter drip off), and then coat with the crushed potato chips. As you finish the rings, place them on a large plate. Repeat with all rings.

Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Drizzle the vegetable oil on the parchment-lined sheet and place in the oven for 8 minutes. Carefully remove the sheet from the oven and tilt to evenly coat with oil.

Working quickly, place your onion rings on the baking sheet and return to oven. Bake for 8 minutes, then flip onion rings and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise


• 2 teaspoons ketchup


• 2 tablespoons horseradish


• 1/4 tablespoons paprika


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder


• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano


• Dash ground black pepper


• Dash cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.

Applesauce

I really hate peeling and cutting apples. Probably tops the list of one of my least favorite activities, along with babysitting, flying and cleaning Spice's hair out of the bathroom.

However, I absolutely LOVE apples in general, including apple desserts, which makes it difficult to say no to the tedious activity of peeling and cutting the little buggers.

Haven't made anything with apples for a long while, so I made some applesauce. And don't you worry your pretty little head because I've got some plans for this applesauce. Actually, I HAD plans for the applesauce, but they are over now, I just haven't posted the excitement yet.

This was GREAT applesauce. I really like my applesauce without any sugar, but with lots of fun flavors. I used Simply Recipes' version and omitted the sugar because apples are sweet on their own! Step away from the sugar....


Applesauce
Simply Recipes

3-4 lbs of peeled, cored and quartered apples (I used granny smith, they're da bomb)
4 strips of lemon peel
Juice of 1 lemon (3-4 tablespoons)
3 inches of cinnamon stick
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer 20-30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon stick and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher.

Rosemary Cayenne Popcorn

Spice and I are going to turn into giant popcorn kernels. I swear.

We had a marathon of the second season of Tru Blood this weekend. I think we popped almost an entire bag full of kernels to partake of with our sexy vampire watching. PS: True Blood is an amazing show. I HIGHLY recommend you watch it. Now. After you watch it, tell me which vampire you love. Spice is in love with Eric while I am a true Bill devotee. Yes, these are vampires. Yes, they are Hot. With a capital H.

Back to the popcorn. Before we just started making vats of plain popcorn, I made some Rosemary Cayenne Popcorn. Delish. It had a very good balance between salty and sweet. Although, by the end of the weekend, I just started putting some sugar and salt on my popcorn and it did the trick for the lazy in me!

Rosemary Cayenne Popcorn
Montcarte

3 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced rosemary
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups popped popcorn

Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat.

Put 1 or 2 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.

When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.

Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.

In the bottom of a large bowl, mix the butter, rosemary, parmesan, brown sugar, cayenne and salt. Pour the popcorn into the large bowl. Stir the popcorn to evenly coat the kernels with the seasoning.