ROSEMARY RAISIN PECAN CRISPS / CRACKERS !

Raisin rosemary crackers/ Crisps from Trader's Joe are very addictive and it’s one of our family favorite snack to have with compote and soft creamy cheese or even butter.  When I stumbled on the recipe here I was so overjoyed and tried immediately.  I have made 4 to 5 times couple of years back with variations for my kid lunch box.  But when I started posting lunch boxes in my blog thought of baking this again and here it is...   This is great for holiday treat, gifts and great finger food to entertain friends and family. It tastes great with compote, any creamy cheeses or butter. They are very much addictive on their own.  The combination of Toasted pumpkin seeds, pecan, raisin/ cranberries fresh Rosemary ... It’s totally unbeatable combination.  In this recipe you can use entirely all purpose flour or you can also use 50/50 of spelt flour, rye flour or whole wheat flour along with all purpose flour. This recipe is very versatile, you can substitute your favorite seeds and dry fruits of your choice.  My personal favorite is this combination which I mentioned earlier, but I did try various combinations and everything turned out great.  Each batch of this recipe makes lots of crackers/Crisps. It’s easy to half the recipe, but I never halved the recipe since we all love this a lot I make a large batch and its stores great for several weeks.  Its fall and the weather started to cool down and its great time of the year.  So don't wait it’s definitely a great one to bake in this holiday....

ROSEMARY RAISIN PECAN CRISPS

Adapted from  Dinner with Julie

Ingredients :
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Baking soda - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Buttermilk - 2 cups
Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup
Honey - 1/4 cup
Raisins - 1 cup ( I substitute with craisins or chopped figs)
Roasted pecans - 1/2 cup ( I sometime substitute with Almonds)
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds - 1/2 cup
Sesame Seeds - 1/4 cup
Ground flax seed - 1/4 cup
Fresh Rosemary - 1 tbsp

Method :

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a large bowl stir all the dry ingredients.
3. Add the Buttermilk, brown sugar and honey.  Stir a few strokes.
4. Add the Dry fruits and nuts along with chopped rosemary. Stir just until blended.
5. Divide the batter evenly in 6 mini loaf pans( 4" * 21/2").
6. Bake them to 30 to 35 minutes until the top turns golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
7. Remove the cakes and cool them completely.
8. To get neat even slices, freeze the mini loafs in freezer for couple of hours.
9. If you want to bake whole batch you can do it or take couple of loafs and slice it as thin as possible using a serrated knife.
10. Lay them in a single layer in sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
11. Bake the slices for 10 to 15 minutes, flip them and bake it again for 10 to 12 minutes.
12. They should be completely dry to touch and curled slightly at the edges.
13. Some crisps or crackers will be soft in the middle they will crisp up as they cool.
14. Make sure you don't over brown them or burn, keep an eye when they are baking .
15. Cool them completely and store in a airtight container. 

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HOW TO COOK FRESH GARBANZO(CHICKPEA) BEANS AND TWO WAYS OF MUNCHING THEM !!!

Wait wait.. Scroll down to see the cute little Garbanzo bean in the shell.  Don' t they look cute and brings smile in your face ?? Yes it is, these fiber and protein rich Fresh Garbanzo bean is delicious to eat as well. You can use the fresh garbanzo beans exactly like fresh edamame or the beans may also be removed from their shells, and cooked similarly to English peas.   The fresh Green Garbanzo's are the most versatile one you can use for simple to complicated recipes.  It can be steamed, boiled, tossed in salad, you can make curries, salads, tastiest hummus etc. The fresh garbanzo tastes like peas when they are raw.  We all love this fresh Garbanzo, I never ever miss buying them whenever I see them in market.  This is very tasty when it is steamed and tossed with good quality olive oil and salt or with slight seasoning.  It is a wonderful and healthier snack for munching as well.  You can also microwave them by sprinkling little water.  Today I am posting 2 simple ways of munching this Fresh Green garbanzo..

 

FRESH GARBANZO TOSSED WITH OLIVE OIL & SALT

Ingredients :

Fresh garbanzo - 1 cup shelled (remove the pods from the shell just like pea pod)
Olive oil - 1/2 tbsp
Sea salt - as needed

Method :

1.  First remove the pods from the shell.
2. Wash it.
3. Now in a big vessel add 2 cups of water.
4. Keep this washed garbanzo in the strainer or in a bowl.
5. Close it with the lid and steam for 15 minutes in the medium flame.
6. Remove it and transfer to the bowl.
7. When it’s hot add Olive oil and Sea salt. 
8. Give it a nice toss.
9. Enjoy warm and healthy snack !!!

Note :

1. You can also microwave this fresh garbanzo(shelled) in the bowl by sprinkling little water and covering slightly with the lid (not fully). It just takes 3 to 4 minutes depending on the amount of bean you use.
2. You can also blanch them in the boiling salt water for few minutes, strain them and follow the same procedure from the point 7 to 10.
3. You can also char them in the broil mode in the oven for 5  minutes this gives nice and smoky flavor to the beans, then you can toss it with the olive oil and salt.

SEASONED FRESH GARBANZO BEANS

Ingredients :

Fresh garbanzo - 1 cup shelled (remove the pods from the shell just like pea pod)
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Whole red chilli - 3
Curry leaves - few (if you cannot find this, its ok you can leave it out)
Garlic - 2  pods (crushed slightly)
Canola or any vegetable oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as needed

Method :

1. First remove the pods from the shell.
2. Wash it.
3. Now in a big vessel add 2 cups of water.
4. Keep this washed garbanzo in the strainer or in a bowl.
5. Close it with the lid and steam for 15 minutes in the medium flame.
6. Remove it and transfer to a bowl.
7. Heat oil in the pan.  Add the mustard seeds, when the crackling subsides.
8. Add the curry leaves, chilies followed by crushed garlic.
9. When it is slightly browned add the steamed garbanzo and salt.
10. Give it a nice toss.
11. Enjoy the hot and healthy snack !!!

Note :

1.  If you don't have Mustard seeds, whole red chilli and curry leaves, just omit them and substitute with Cayenne pepper or black pepper powder along with crushed garlic and salt.
2. You can follow the same procedure with the coconut oil instead of any canola or vegetable oil too. This gives a nice flavor.

Stay tuned for more recipes !!!

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BAKED KALE CHIPS - MUNCH HEALTHY !!!

The beautiful leaves of the kale plant provide an earthy flavor and more nutritional value for fewer calories than almost any other food around.  Like broccoli, cauliflower and collards; kale is a descendant of the wild cabbage, a plant thought to have originated in Asia.  Kale can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits.  Kale’s risk-lowering benefits for cancer have recently been extended to at least five different types of cancer.  Kale is now recognized as providing comprehensive support for the body's detoxification system. 

We love kale in any form like sautéing, steaming etc.  Munching Kale in the form of chips is another way of including them in your diet.  I am sure you cannot stop at just eating one. There are umpteen number of ways you can flavor the kale. But here is a simple flavoring for Kale with spicy garlicky flavor.  Hope you enjoy the healthy post!!!

BAKED KALE CHIPS

Ingredients:

Kale - 2 bunches

Olive Oil - 2 tbsp

Cayenne/Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Garlic Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp (Add according to your preference, usually I add very little)

 

Method:

1.  Tear the leaves from the stem/stalk to big or bite size pieces.( as it shrinks while baking).

2.  Rinse the kale in cold running water. Make sure there are no trace of mud or soil.

3. Dry them in the Kitchen towel.  There should not be any moisture.

4. Then mix the garlic powder, salt and Garlic powder with the olive oil.

5. Now massage the Kale leaves with this mixture until they are well coated.

6. Spread the Kale in the baking tray.

7. Bake them for 20 to 25 minutes in the 300f preheated oven, by flipping the Kale once every 10 minutes.

8. The time depends or varies in different oven.  Let it bake until it is crispy and make sure the edges are slightly brown but not burnt.

Note:

1. You can make chips with any type of Kale. The baking time depends on how thick the leaves are.
2. Play with your imagination by adding different flavors each time.  
3. You can also follow the same procedure with chard, spinach too

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GRANOLA YOGURT PARFAIT WITH BERRY PRESERVE(Home made granola and Berry Preserve)

Parfait with healthy granola, low fat yogurt with some home made Berry preserves sounds healthy right... yes it is.  If it is home made granola and home made Berry Jam/Preserve then it is double likes.  Truly it is delicious and healthy dessert.  The berry jam/preserve which is I am posting has no sugar; instead I am using Agave Nectar.  I know everyone will be aware of this natural sweetener.  Anyway here is a brief... Agave is a natural sweetener extracted from the heart of agave plant.  It is low in glycemic index, so it is slowly absorbed into the body preventing spikes in blood sugar. It is 25% sweeter than sugar so you need less.  The sweet mild taste is perfect for sweetening beverages, baking etc. 

The Granola I am posting is oats with cranberry and nuts.  You can mix and match your favorite nuts and dried fruits of same amount.  But this is standard recipe which I am following every time I make and as I said by using different nuts and dried fruits every time.

The Berry Preserves is quick method which has no pectin in it, it can be stored in the fridge for a month.  You can follow the same method with your favorite fruits, just by adjusting the sweetener alone, as it depends on the type of fruit we use. As this has no preservatives this has to be consumed soon, not more than a month.

 

OATS AND CRANBERRY/NUTS GRANOLA

Ingredients:
           
Old fashioned oats - 2 cups 
(You can also use Instant oats, but reduce the baking time and amount of orange Juice to 1/4 cups)
Roasted almonds - 1/2 cup chopped
Dried cranberries - 1 cup
Pumpkin seeds - 1/4 cup
Sunflower seeds - 1/4 cup
Pecans - 1/4 cup chopped
Honey - 1/3 cup
Brown sugar - 2/3 cup tightly packed
Unsweetened Orange juice - 1/2 cup
Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp
Fine sea salt- 1/4 teaspoon
Nonstick cooking spray or Silpat or Nonstick Parchment

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°f.
2. Spread the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°f.
4. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
5. In a small saucepan, combine honey, brown sugar, Orange juice and cinnamon over medium heat.
6. Cook the above mixture, until the sugar has dissolved, stir constantly.
7. Mix together the oats, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and salt.
8. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir until combined.
9. Let this sit for 5 minutes, mix once in a while.
10. Spread this mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.
11. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. For every 10 minutes take the tray out and give it a stir/or to make even browning.
12. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
13. Stir in the cranberries and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture begins to brown.
14. Cool completely. Store in an air tight container.  You can keep this for up to 3 weeks.

Wonderful healthy snack is ready !!!

Note :

1. You can also add the choco chips, but add it after the mixtures is roasted and cooled completely.
2.  The oven time varies so watch out.  When the granola mixture is slightly browned it means it  is done.  If you brown or roast for too long then it becomes harder rather than crispier.

BERRY PRESERVE/JAM

 

Ingredients:

Mixed berries - 7 cup
Agave - 1 1/4 cup
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon (Use Meyer lemon if available)

Method:

1.  Wash and drain the berries.
2. Puree in the food processor roughly.
3. In the medium heavy bottom pan, add this puree, agave, and zest and Lemon juice.
4. Let this cook for few minutes, stir once in a while. (When it is cooking it splutters, so watch out)
5. Cook rapidly almost too gelling point.
6. When the mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.
7.  At first you will see lot of bubbles, later it starts to disappear and also it thickens. Then its time to do the gelling test.

Gelling test:

Place a plate in the freezer, now place a small amount of the hot spread on the chilled plate..  Set the plate in a freezer until the spread is cooled to room temperature.  Now run your finger through the cooled spread.  If it separates then slowly returns to its original form then it is ready.

Storing:

1. Cool this preserve.
2. And store in the clean sterilized bottle.
3. This can be kept for 1 month.
4. Usually I make this quantity and store in 2 bottles, when 1 bottle is done.  Then Open another one, instead of storing whole thing in single bottle.


For the Parfait :


I used Greek yogurt
Granola
Berry Preserve


In a tall glass, fill the above three in layers and enjoy your healthy dessert.

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