Chocolate Thistles

Chocolate Thistles

My friend Maggie sent this recipe to me and we tried it last weekend. 
These dessert treats were delicious, and so easy to make.

You start by chopping up a chocolate bar into tiny pieces and then melting it in a double boiler.

Or, do like I did and use a microwaveable bowl, stirring the chocolate every 30 seconds and returning it to the microwave.  This took me 1.5 minutes.

Then you mix in All-Bran cereal (the twig shaped version) and 1/2 cup of chopped nuts or chopped dried fruit - whatever you like.  I used raw almonds that I chopped up.

Mound the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes.

I made mine large, using a 1/4 c measuring cup to scoop and mound. 

Maggie's original recipe calls for a Tbsp amount.

Freeze and voila!

Definitely kid-approved delicious-ness!

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Enjoy!

Buttered Nuts with Rosemary and Orange

Buttered Nuts with Rosemary and Orange

In the same Real Simple magazine article that I followed to make Chocolate-Drizzled Nuts with Sea Salt comes this recipe for another sweet/savory snack.

This version is cooked in a large skillet for a couple of minutes, then cooled on a baking sheet.

You start by melting butter, then adding the mixed nuts, sugar, rosemary, and orange zest.

Then allow the nuts to rest for a little while before serving.

A couple of notes:

**I didn't have an orange so used lemon zest instead.

**I think fresh rosemary is the way to go in this recipe.

**The nuts were a little greasy so I'm cutting the amount of butter in half in the recipe below.

So delicious!  I am storing them in an air-tight container in the fridge and pulling them out for snacks in the afternoon with the boys.

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Enjoy!

Quinoa with Basil and Pine Nuts

Quinoa with Basil and Pine Nuts

This recipe comes from The Kind Diet.  It sounded like a great, simple side dish to experiment with quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WA).  The title calls for pine nuts, but as you'll see in the first photo, I used raw cashews that I already had, as she recommends in the book.

I started by placing my nuts in a small dry saucepan and roasting them on medium for 7 minutes or so.

To cook the quinoa, you start by rinsing it really well.  My men weren't big quinoa fans when I first started cooking with it.  It turns out, it's because I wasn't rinsing it - which is necessary with quinoa.  Even if the package says "pre-rinsed", do yourself a favor and rinse it a couple of times in a fine mesh strainer again.

You cook the quinoa with water and a little sea salt until it's boiling. 

Then you simmer it, covered, for 20 minutes.

Toss the quinoa, nuts, and some basil together with a little olive oil.

I chopped and mixed in half my basil, then topped the rest with fresh basil at the end.

The quinoa is nutty so goes great with the nuts.

David would recommend doubling up on the nuts, but the recipe below is the original.

Go wild making your own version!

 

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Enjoy!

Alicia's Soft Rice Porridge

Alicia's Soft Rice Porridge

I started thinking about eating a more plant-based diet earlier this year because of two things.

First, our friends Mike & Mary got interested in the subject and I was curious.

Second, I received Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet for Christmas and finally read it.

It made so much sense to me, and I asked David to read just one chapter from the book.

That led us into an entirely new way of thinking about nutrition, and we haven't looked back.

This recipe comes from Alicia's book. I haven't served this to the rest of the family because they're happy with their breakfasts, but it is a breakfast that I like and have made several times for myself, always a little differently.

I thought I'd better post it on the blog so I can always come back to it when I need a change in breakfast - I tend to get in a rut and need a change up.

We always have leftover cooked brown rice (or another grain) in the fridge, so this is a perfect use for it.

I'll tell you how I make it, then include Alicia's original recipe below.

You start by heating up a cup of leftover cooked rice and a cup of water in a saucepan.

Bring it to a boil, the cover and simmer it for 15 minutes.

The original recipe calls for 2 cups of water - it's waaaay too much for me.

I got with 1 cup and strain out a little before transferring to a bowl.

The original recipe also says to add your dried fruit to the saucepan with the rice and water, but I rarely remember to.  I usually just toss the chopped fruit on at the end.

I've used apricots, raisins, and dried mango in this dish.  All are great.

Then you place the dish in a bowl and add your toasted seeds and a chopped umeboshi plum.

The plum is obviously totally optional.  I love them, but not everyone does.

The original recipe calls for Toasted Sunflower Seeds.

I never toast them - just toss them on raw.  I'm sure they're even better toasted.

I've used raw walnuts, chopped raw almonds, and raw pumpkin seeds in this dish.  All good.

It's a filling breakfast, and I love the customizability (real word???) that allows me to use what I have on hand, or what sounds good that morning.

Enjoy!



Chocolate-Drizzled Nuts with Sea Salt

Chocolate-Drizzled Nuts with Sea Salt

I pulled this recipe from the November 2010 Real Simple magazine holiday party food special.

Obviously, it's been sitting in my recipe file for quite awhile!

I'm always on the lookout for simple desserts, and this is one I knew would go over really well.

I don't make desserts that often, so when I do it's pretty special.

This is one of the fastest desserts ever, and we're really enjoying the leftovers still today.

This could also be served as a snack or alongside other appetizers.

To make, I spread 2 cups of lightly salted roasted nuts on a baking sheet.

Technically it's supposed to be a parchment-lined baking sheet, but I got ahead of myself.

Then I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips in a small glass bowl and drizzled it over the nuts.

Ignore the large clumps of chocolate!

I then sprinkled the nuts with flaky sea salt and set the baking sheet in the refrigerator while we ate dinner.

15 minutes later I pulled out the baking sheet and transferred the nuts to a bowl.

Of course, we all loved the nuts.

Store the leftovers in a storage container with a tight lid.

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Enjoy!