Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Peanut BUT-FOR CAUSATION Bars

These are healthy (woot woot!) and delicious. Plus, SUPER easy to make! Life is good with these babies around :)

What you need:
- 1.5 cups quick cooking oats
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate, but you can use any kind)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk, but any kind will work)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (I used chunky to get an extra crunch)
- 1 mashed banana or a 1/3 cup of apple sauce
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon

How you make it:

Mix all of the ingredients together, pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8x8 inch baking pan or a 9inch pie tin and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes! Presto! Healthy dessert, snack, or breakfast! Also, next time I make this, I'm going to substitute the chocolate chips for dried cranberries or fresh apples chunks! nom nom nom !!!

Third Party Biscotti

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I love being home and I love the holiday season. Why? Beyond the obvious reasons (my dogs and all the other good stuff) it's because of the food and family, and making food with family!

I showed my grandparents my blog and my grandma instantly pulled out the holy grail that is her Russian cookbook. We spent the day baking, just like when I was younger. Oh man, I miss those days.

We decided to make one of my favorites, and one of my grandmother's originals-- Walnut and Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti. You should try it too--but beware, those Starbucks biscotti will never taste as good after you have one of these.

What you'll need:
- 1/2 lb of chopped walnuts
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vinegar
- flour (as much as it takes)

How you make it:

EASY! The chop of the nuts can be however you like it. My grandma and I like it to be a medium chop, so you get some nice chunks of nuts in each piece of biscotti.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the nuts into a large bowl, pour the oil and eggs on top, then the sugar, the cinnamon, the baking soda, and lastly, the vinegar. Make sure to pour the vinegar directly onto the baking soda. Add a cup of flour and mix everything together. Continue to mix the ingredients and add more flour until the texture is tough but still wet. You want to be able to shape the dough and it more or less keep its shape, while it is still very sticky. Does that make sense? I should have taken a picture, but I think you will manage.

Separate the dough into thirds, shaping each into an oval loaf and placing them on a lined baking sheet. Keep some space between the loafs as they will spread out a little. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with some extra sugar (makes a delicious crunch!). Pop them in the oven and bake for 45mins.

When the loaves are done baking, let them cool completely before slicing. These biscotti are more crumbly and soft than typical biscotti. If you want them to be a little more dry, after the loaves have cooled and you have sliced them, place the slices flat on the baking sheet and bake again at 300 degrees for another 15mins.

Enjoy!

This is bailey! How adorable is he?!

Baked Apple Chips

Growing up I always accompanied my mom on trips to the market (yes, I call the grocery store the "market," don't make fun of me). I developed the habit of shopping for food to feed six people, and when I moved away for college, I couldn't seem shake the natural tendency. Plus, I eat insane amounts of fruits and vegetables on my own. Sometimes though, I simply can't make it through all 4lbs of apples in time, and the last 3 or 4 start to spoil. What to do?! My family never let food waste, so I needed to find a solution...

What's a better way to rescue a few apples from demise than to make them into delicious apple chips that store for weeks?!

What you'll need:
- apples
- cinnamon


How you make it:

First, start by removing the apple cores. You can use a special tool that does that, or you can do what I did and use the sharp point of your vegetable peeler. (I'm sure a thin knife would do the trick too)

Next, cut the apples crossways into thin slices, making sure to keep the thickness of the slices consistent.

Now, line a cookie sheet with either foil or parchment paper (I used foil and they stuck a little, so use parchment paper if you have it)

Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 275 degrees for an hour. Flip the chips, and then bake for a second hour.

I couldn't resist and starting to snack on them immediately, but if you let them cool they will get crispier.

So easy, completely healthy, and really really delicious!

Double Whammy! Chickpea (Garbanzo) Bean Mediterranean Salad & Crunchy Snack

Lately I haven't been moving much (wooohooo library hibernation). So, I thought it would be best if I took a break from the desserts and made something a little healthier...a lot healthier, actually. These recipes are ridiculously easy and very satisfying! You can serve the salad as a side, or make it your lunch! There's definitely enough protein to make it a meal. The snack is great for munching on when you want to get that salty-crunchy fix OR you can toss some in a salad in place of of caloric croutons!

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a great source of zinc, folate, fiber, and protein. They're low-fat and low-cal. PLUS, made right, they can be very tasty! [credit: Wikipedia]

Here are two recipes that utilize these bad boys in the best ways! Remember, all of my measurements are suggestions. Use the proportions that satisfy you most.

Mediterranean Garbanzo Bean Salad

What you'll need:

- 1 can of garbanzo beans

-1/2 tsp of cumin

- 1/2 lemon

- handful of chopped cilantro

- salt & pepper to taste

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

- 1/2 small onion, chopped

How you make it: 

First, drain the beans and rise them. After you shake off all of the excess water, place the beans in a small bowl, juice the lemon, and add the rest of the ingredients. Carefully mix it all together (you don't want to turn the beans into mush). You can eat right away or refrigerate for a couple of hours to make it even better! Quick and simple! 

Crunchy Garbanzo Bean Snack

What you'll need:

- tbsp olive oil

- 1 can of garbanzo beans

- your favorite seasoning mix (I used the Adobo seasoning I featured in my previous POST. I really want to try using Tony's Creole Seasoning!)

How you make it:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then, rinse the beans and shake off any excess water. Next, spread the beans across a double layer of paper towels to dry them even morer. Once your oven is fully preheated, remove the paper towel and spread the beans across a baking pan (I suggest you use one that has a rim so they don't roll off the sides.)  Pour the olive oil over the beans and mix it around, making sure to get every bean coated. 

Then just pop it in the oven on the middle rack and let it cook for 35-40 mins. When you take the beans out of the oven, immediately sprinkle them with a coating of your desired seasoning. As the beans cool they will become even crispier. Munch away!