Category: Snacks (Page 6 of 11)

Radish-Herb Spread

April 14, 2016 / Jenny / 18 Comments

The fresh and bright flavors in this radish-herb spread will liven up any cracker or piece of bread. Crunchy radishes, savory chives and dill, and creamy Greek yogurt combined with Feta cheese make up this delicious spread. Add excitement to a lunch or take it to a party, and indulge in some garden freshness and protein-rich goodness!

I am so enjoying radishes this spring. They are like a breath of fresh air, and they add life to everything they touch. This radish-herb spread is no exception. The fresh radishes and herbs, combined with the tangy creaminess of the yogurt and cheese, make it full of flavor, yet not too heavy. Spread it on crackers or bread, or use it as a dip with tortilla chips and vegetables.

There has been a lot going on since I last posted, including two spring snowstorms, two weekend getaways for spring break, and a birthday for my son, among many other things. While most people around here prefer to go south for spring break, we went on two mini vacations, first a couple hours west, and then a few hours northwest. And while it would have been nice to lie on a beach in a bikini in the sun, sitting in an outdoor hot tub while the snow swirled around us and landed in our hair was truly exciting and refreshing.

Walking through the snow along Lake Michigan on a cold sunny day, while the waves crashed majestically beside us, was beautiful and invigorating. Sometimes the most memorable times occur during the most challenging weather, and sometimes you don’t need to get very far away to feel like you are in another world.

And now the weather is turning warm, finally. Warm enough that we can start thinking about our gardens again, which brings me back to radishes. They are just so refreshing and invigorating, much like a cold walk on the beach. And they look like jewels. I have been adding them to salads a lot lately, and now this delicious spread. And the chives are from our very own garden–one of the few plants that thrives in the early spring–snow, frost, or shine.

The natural beauty of fruits and vegetables continues to amaze me, and maybe that’s partly because the seasons are always changing, and the plant life reflects the seasons. I always feel so contemplative, so wistful, when my kids have birthdays. Growing children are such poignant representations of the passage of time, the cycle of life, always changing. I hope you all have a great weekend! Savor the spring! There is a Fiesta Friday going on at Angie’s, co-hosted this week by Julie @ Hostess At Heart and Ashley @ Too Zesty, and I am sharing this spread with the talented bloggers there!

Radish-Herb Spread

Servings: about 2 cups of spread
Time: about 15 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 cup of Feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup of traditional, unsweetened Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of fresh chives, finely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of fresh dill, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of sea salt
4 radishes, finely chopped

Directions:

Wash and finely chop the chives, dill, and radishes. In a bowl, stir together the Feta cheese and the Greek yogurt. Add the herbs, radishes, and salt. Stir again to completely combine. Adjust the seasonings if desired. Use the spread on crackers, bread, or as a dip for tortilla chips and vegetables. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Bites

March 31, 2016 / Jenny / 15 Comments

These little cookies hit the spot if you are looking for something sweet, yet full of protein and nutrition. Peanut butter and oats give the cookies lots of nutrients, taste, and texture, and they are easy to eat as a satisfying snack or dessert. These peanut butter-oatmeal bites are going so quickly around here, next time I make them I’m going to double the recipe!

With my kids’ spring sports schedules starting, I am once again looking for snacks that taste good, can be eaten quickly, and that also have nutrients to give my active kids good energy. I am very happy with this recipe, which I adapted from one in my Dr. Cookie Cookbook by Marvin Wayne and Stephen Yarnall. There’s just enough sweetness from the brown sugar to make the cookies taste like a treat, but enough substance to make them more than just sweet. If you are looking for an easy, protein-rich cookie, this is a great recipe to try.

It is the very last day of March today, and I must say I am really looking forward to April! Although it’s still chilly here, it’s such a great time to be outside, with the fresh wind, green grass, and trees and bushes budding. The spring peepers have been peeping really loudly at night, and I love to sleep with the window cracked open so I can listen to those frogs all night long. There is a feeling of new life and excitement in the air–I can sense it just from watching the birds in the sky.

Yesterday evening, I picked our first herb of the season–chives to chop and put on top of our macaroni and cheese. I had forgotten how convenient and fresh it is to walk outside and snip some herbs to add to our dinner. Soon there will be more and more things growing and blossoming, and more and more recipes to make! In the meantime, these little peanut butter-oatmeal bites are tiding me over very nicely.

I hope you all have a great weekend! I’m going to take a plate of these cookies over to Angie’s Fiesta Friday #113, co-hosted by two bloggers whose blogs I really admire: Sonal @ Simplyvegetarian777 and Laurie @ ten.times.tea.

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Bites

Servings: about 24 cookies, depending on size
Time: about 40 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 large egg
2/3 cup of packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup of natural peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, vigorously stir the egg, brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, and vanilla until well combined. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to to wet ingredients, and stir until well combined.

Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet, about 12 cookies per baking sheet. Bake in your 350-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are golden. Cool the cookies on a wire rack. Repeat until all the cookies are baked. Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from the Dr. Cookie Cookbook by Marvin A. Wayne and Stephen R. Yarnall.

Cranberry Almond Bars

November 20, 2015 / Jenny / 15 Comments

Bright, tart cranberries are simmered with maple syrup and honey, then given some extra zing with a splash of lime juice. The result is a thick, intensely flavorful filling that jazzes up a base of ground oats, almonds, and whole wheat flour. These cranberry almond bars are delicious and nutritious, and they are perfect for breakfast, dessert, a snack, or a treat to pack in the kids’ lunchboxes.

I must admit that until recently, I have kind of under-appreciated cranberries. But it is cranberry season, and it seems cranberries are everywhere! I have made these almond bars in the past, and used strawberry jam for the filling (also very good), basing the recipe on one I found in the September 2015 issue of Real Simple magazine. However, now that it is November, I wanted to make these bars with something seasonal, so pumpkin and cranberries came to mind. I’m still working on the pumpkin angle–I haven’t hit upon the right proportion of ingredients yet–but the cranberry filling? Amazing! It is so good, that I am thinking of tripling the recipe and using it as cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner.

I now fully appreciate the powerful flavor of cranberries, not to mention their gorgeous, ruby-red color and their health benefits (vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients). For me, sweetening the berries with things like maple syrup and honey, rather than sugar, makes the filling even more appealing. Talk about rich, flavorful, and natural! The filling recipe below is one I put together from researching different recipes for cranberry sauce. Lots of the recipes called for orange juice or orange zest, but I added a splash of lime to mine, because that’s what I had on hand, and it works great. The filling thickens as it simmers, and thickens even more as it cools. The base and the topping of these bars is nutritious, with ground almonds, oats, and whole wheat flour making up most of it, providing lots of protein, iron, and fiber. All in all, these bars have it all: great taste, great texture, and lots of health benefits.

With Thanksgiving, my husband’s birthday, and my daughter’s birthday approaching, all within the same week, things are ramping up into high gear around here. I have so many things on my mind, it feels like the thoughts are swirling around like the leaves that blow all over our yard. And these thoughts are trivial compared to what has been going on in the larger world lately. So what do we do with the scattering thoughts and the chaos? We gather. We feel for those who are affected by violence around the world, and we gather around a table and give thanks for what we have. We scatter, and then we gather.

My family went to a special park this past weekend, and I took some pictures of moments I wanted to hold onto. The beautiful river, the clear water carrying leaves downstream, and the old roots of a tree near the riverbank. The water moves, and the roots anchor. We scatter, and then we gather, and often food is in the center of the gathering, connecting us. If you are gathering for Thanksgiving this upcoming week, Happy Thanksgiving in advance! And have a wonderful weekend too. I look forward to the weekly blog gathering of inspirational bloggers at Angie’s Fiesta Friday co-hosted this week by Loretta @ Safari of the Mind and Petra @ Food Eat Love.

Cranberry Almond Bars

Servings: 12 bars
Time: about 25 minutes for preparation, about 40 minutes for baking
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Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 cup of cranberries (frozen or refrigerated is ok. If frozen, run cold water over them first)
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of honey
1 lime

For the base and topping:

1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of raw almonds
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into pieces
1/3 cup of packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of salt

Directions:

For the filling:

Measure the cranberries, maple syrup, and honey into a small saucepan. Bring just to a boil, and stir until the cranberries pop. Then turn the heat down to medium-low to low, and gently simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to thicken. Allow the sauce to cool, and as it cools, it will thicken more. Add a splash of lime juice, to your taste.

For the base and topping:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 inch square baking dish with 2 crisscrossed pieces of parchment paper, leaving an overhang of paper on all sides, and pressing the paper down inside the dish.

In a blender or food processor, pulse or puree the oats, flour, and almonds until finely ground. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the butter, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and everything is combined. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture (for the topping). Press the remaining crumble mixture into the baking pan, using a straight-sided glass or measuring cup to pack it down evenly.

Spread the cranberry filling over the bottom crust, distributing it evenly. Scatter the reserved 1/2 cup of crumble mixture evenly over the top. Bake until golden brown and set in the middle, 35 to 45 minutes.

Let it cool completely. Then, holding the overhanging parchment paper, transfer it to a cutting board and cut with a sharp knife into 12 bars. Enjoy!