making things fancy

There's nothing wrong with a handful of raw almonds for a snack. But what if those almonds could be toasted and flavoured with maple syrup and rosemary? I'll be honest, I have a fair quantity of free time these days, so I'm taking full advantage by turning everything I eat into a fancy, flavourful feast. I'm really enjoying La Tartine Gourmande lately. Here's another recipe from her website.

Toasty Nuts
Originally from The Sprouted Kitchen's new cookbook. Egg white acts as a binder in this recipe - you can change the recipe by mixing any number of flavours into the beaten egg white, like different sweeteners, herbs or spices.

1 egg white
2 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups unsalted mixed nuts
2 tbsp flax seeds
3 tbsp millet or quinoa
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary

Preheat oven to 300. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat egg white until frothy. Beat in maple syrup, cayenne, pepper and salt. Add nuts, flaxseeds, millet and rosemary. Toss to combine. Spread out evenly on the baking sheet, and cook 25-30 minutes, until browned and toasted.

Other things I've been making this week:
Jamie Oliver's blueberry cake - upside down and flavoured with citrus zest.
Not Without Salt's hot fudge pudding cake - just like that boxed pudding cake, but better.
The Sprouted Kitchen's chocolate oatmeal shortbread cookies - mmmmmm.
Also from The Sprouted Kitchen - spiced lentil soup.

sugar plums

Sugar plums (of Tchaikovsky fame) are not some sort of sugared plum dessert, but just an old fashioned name for dried fruit, chopped up, mixed with spices, and rolled in a ball. Here, I combine dates, nuts and cinnamon for a sweet dessert or snack.

almond, walnut and date bites
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dates (seeded, of course)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp honey
pinch of salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder, for rolling

Combine nuts, dates, cinnamon, honey and salt in a food processor. Pulse until a thick, chunky puree forms. With wet hands, scoop out 1 inch pieces, roll in a ball, and roll in cocoa powder to coat. Refrigerate until firm.

Try changing up the dried fruit, nuts or spices. The combinations are endless. Think of your favourite lara bar, and create your own for a fraction of the price!

crunchy granola

A long time ago, I posted this basic granola recipe. This one follows the same basic recipe of equal amounts of sweetener, juice and nut/seed butter. It's something I haven't made for ages, so I decided to bring it back. Perfect for the cold winter months, try pouring some warm milk over granola for breakfast. 

granola with apples, pecans and raisins

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla paste

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried apples

Preheat oven to 325. Combine juice, almond butter, honey and vanilla in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until the mixture is smooth. In two 9x13 pans, combine oats and nuts. Pour liquid over, and stir to coat oats and nuts. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 or 10 minutes. Keep a close watch, because it can burn easily. When mixture is golden and feels dry, remove from oven and let cool. Stir in raisins and apples. Keeps for a month or 2 in a sealed jar. Try with yogurt or milk, or by itself as a snack. 

Here, it made a great parfait with the rhubarb applesauce I made a few days ago.