Honey Sesame Chex Snacks

As you can tell, I haven't been baking a whole lot.  I have gotten into the swing of throwing quick meals together.  However, recently I've gotten the bug to try new things!  Hooray!  Today, I was in the mood for a healthy snack.  I found this yummy recipe from this amazing book I bought from a sales guy that came to my door (yes, soliciting might sometimes work, ha ha!).  The book is 7 Secrets Cookbook by Neva & Jim Brackett.  I made a few simple modifications and it turned out so delish, I can't stop eating it!  The happy news is, it's relatively healthy! It is going to be an awesome snack for the movies or for when hiking.  YUM!

Honey Sesame Chex Snacks

3 Tablespoons honey or agave

3 tablespoons Silk Coconut Milk

1/2 teaspoon onion power

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups Rice or Corn Chex

1 cup pretzel sticks (broken up)

1/2 cup each chopped almonds & sesame seeds

Combine the wet ingredients.  I heated mine in the microwave for a minute or so.  Mix all the dry ingredients and the seasonings in a large mixing bowl.  While mixing the dry ingredients, pour the honey, coconut milk mixture over the pretzels and chex.  Make sure to mix it very well, gathering the sesame seeds that like to sink to the bottom!

Using Non-Stick Spray on a large flat cookie sheet first, make sure to coat the bottom well.  Pour the mix onto the cookie sheet and bake at 250 for about 2 hours. Let it completely cool and then break it up and store it in a cool, dry place.

Enjoy!

Mock Cheesy Kale Chips

A few months ago, my Sister-in-law found this amazing recipe and brought it to a family function.  I couldn't stop eating them, they were incredibly delish!!  These are seriously addictive!  So make up a batch, just for you and don't feel guilty about it, cause I didn't!

Mock Cheesy Kale Chips

Adapted from Pride and Vegudice

1 bunch kale

1/2 cup almonds (soaked overnight)

1/2 cup cashews (soaked overnight)

1 red bell pepper, deseeded

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup nutritional yeast powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Make sure your kale is washed AND dried.  Remove the stems from the kale and cut into large pieces.  Place the kale in a large bowl.  Strain almonds and cashews and place in a high speed blender.  Add the red bell pepper, lemon juice, nutritional yeast powder and salt.  Blend until smooth.  Pour the "cheese" sauce over the kale leaves and using your hands make sure each piece of kale is covered.  Place in a dehydrator and dehydrate at 115 until crispy.  You can also bake these at 300 for about 30 minutes or until crispy.

Spring Rolls - Guest Post

 This is another fabulous recipe that my friend Cindy has shared.  This is one of my favorites, because it is again so simple but the combination is so delicious!  Get this...it's just veggies!  I love it!  Cindy shared these with us months ago and the presentation was beautiful.  She had used Daikon Radish on the bottom with a little Bragg's Liquid Aminos on the bottom and sesame seeds sprinkled on top.  It was beautiful. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Spring Rolls

Zucchini

Carrot

Green Onion

Cilantro

Avocado

Slice zucchini in very thin, long strips; set aside.  Slice cucumber, carrots and green onion into 3 inch matchsticks.  Remove stems from cilantro.  Slice avocado into 1/4 inch slices.  Place a zucchini strip on a flat surface.  Layer the end closest to you with a few matchsticks of each vegetable, slice of avocado and cilantro; roll up on a slight diagonal to secure fillings inside strip.  Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.  Serve with Dipping Sauce.  Refrigerated, sauce will keep for 4 days; rolls will keep for 2 days.

Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup raw almond butter

1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1/2 tsp. Chinese 5 spice blend

pinch of cayenne pepper

Piece of green pepper

piece of green onion

grated lime rind

Blend all together in a food processor; thin with water to desired consistency.

Veggie Nori Rolls

 Any fans of Sushi out there?  We are big fans!  However, as we try to stick to a more plant based diet, we have found a way to make our own simple veggie rolls.  They are wrapped in seaweed that has been dried.  It feels like crisp paper and can be brittle.  We usually buy ours at an Asian market because we need to buy it in bulk.  However, you can usually find dried seaweed at your local grocery store in the Asian food section. 

Veggie Nori Rolls

12-14 Nori Sheets

1-2 carrots

4-5 green onions

1 cucumber

cilantro

1-2 avocado's, sliced

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

In a small pot, combine quinoa and water.  Turn on medium heat and bring to a gentle boil, turn to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes.  With a Titan slicer thinly julienne your carrots, and cucumber.  Thinly slice your green onions (scallions) lengthwise.  Remove stems from your cilantro and wash the leaves.  Set aside on a plate as seen below. (Other veggies to add if desired: red peppers, zucchini, thinly sliced cooked beets, asparagus, lettuce, cabbage)

Prepare a small bowl with water for sealing the Nori.  

To Assemble:  If you have a mat to roll your Nori roll, you may use that, but it can be done without.  

 Place about 1/4 cup quinoa in the center of the Nori (make sure the quinoa is warm, not cool).  It doesn't have to be super neat.

 Place your veggies over the quinoa. I love more  veggies than quinoa in mine. 

 begin rolling the wrap with your hands.  It's okay if some of the veggies are sticking out, you will tuck them in.

 Using both hands tuck in the vegetables, still leaving a small part of the Nori unwrapped, as seen below.

 Dip your fingers into the small bowl of water and rub the water along the edge of the Nori.

 With your mat (or without, using your fingers to continue to tuck the veggies in), finish rolling the wrap tightly against that moistened edge.  It will stick together.

Your roll should look like this.  I like to eat mine just like this!  The seaweeds is very chewy, so it's not exactly pretty or easy to rip apart with your teeth, but I do it anyway :)  My kids like to cut theirs and dip it in Bragg's Liquid Amino's with a little wasabi.

Crunchy Plump Almonds

I love almonds!  Did you know they are one of the only nuts/seeds that are alkaline?  I don't f eel guilty about eating almonds....ever. Did you know that slowly munching on almonds is one of the best things for a ravenous appetite and are very satiating?  I find that when I feel hungry an hour before dinner, that munching on a handful of these with a few raisins always does the trick.

This recipe is very simple and I love to crush these up on my salads as well!

Crunchy Plump Almonds

1  cup almonds

3 cups water

Rinse almonds thoroughly.  Soak almonds in water overnight.  Rinse well.  Notice how large and plump they are! (Eating these soaked almonds are very nutritious, See this link) On a large baking sheet, place parchment paper or spray your pan with non-stick spray (optional) and bake your almonds on the lowest temperature possible.  I usually dehydrate mine.  Depending on the temperature in which you bake them, they should be crunchy in about 4 hours, maybe more.  In the dehydrator, I will dry them for 8-10 hours.  

Coconut Cinnamon Popcorn

It's time to share something sweet! Hailey and I were hanging out last night watching Thor and decided we wanted a snack. This is what we came up with. It's pretty simple and I'm sure I'm not the only one to think of it!

Coconut Cinnamon Popcorn
4-6 cup popcorn
1/2 cup coconut oil (heat on low, if not liquid already)
1/4 cup unrefined sugar
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon

Pop your popcorn. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small cup or bowl. Drizzle the coconut oil over the popcorn and then sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture and mix well.

After I did this I thought about mixing the sugar and cinnamon with the coconut oil BEFORE putting it on the popcorn?! You might try that! Who needs butter?! :)