3 Ingredient Pumpkin Dip

December 5, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Necessity is the mother of invention right? Well that’s how this simple recipe came to be. I decided that I wanted a snack of celery and hummus and I was absolutely positive that I had some homemade hummus sitting in my fridge. Sadly, I was mistaken and there was no delicious hummus for me to eat my celery. So was left with two choices. I could eat my celery plain, but what kind of crazy person eats plain celery? Or I could find some substitute for my non-existent hummus. I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand to make a new batch of hummus but I did have a few things that I was able to throw together in less than 5 minutes and make a tasty dip. I bet that you probably have most of these things on hand now, so if you have some plain celery you have a hankering for go make this super easy dip!

3 Ingredient Pumpkin Dip

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tbsp tahini
1-2 tsp mustard (I used hot mustard, but you can use whatever you have on hand)

1. Ready? Mix this all together in a bowl and eat. That’s it!

You can adjust the amounts to your taste and the amount of dip that you need to make. This was a single snack size serving for me. This would be a really great dip for a crudite plate for a holiday gathering. I also used it as a topping for my lentil loaf last night and it added a really great flavor. So whip this up and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Applesauce

November 14, 2014 / ktbuchs87

A while back, I went to an apple orchard with my family. I came back with a whole bushel of apples, which is way more than two people can eat because they start to go bad. There are so many things that you can do with apples, like pies, crumbles, apple butter, baked apples, apple donuts, the list goes on and on. While those are all fine and dandy one of my favorite, and easiest, ways to use up apples is to make applesauce. There are many ways that you can make applesauce, but I find the simplest way is to make it in my slow cooker. I can barely call this a “recipe” as it really doesn’t take much to make, but here is how I make my applesauce!

Slow Cooker Applesauce

2 to 3 pounds of apples (really as many as your crockpot can hold)
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 to 4 sticks of cinnamon
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
water

1. Wash and cut your apples into slices, making sure you get rid of the core and seeds. You can peel your apples, but I like to keep the skin on for extra fiber

2. Place apples in your slow cooker and add in lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add in 1/2 to 3/4 cups water depending on how many apples you have. You don’t want to cover the apples with water, just enough to add a little bit of steam while cooking.

3. Cover and cook the apples on low for about 6 hours. Remove cinnamon sticks and either using a hand blender (the easiest way) or blender/food processor, blend the apples to desired consistency. I like them smooth but you can leave in a few chunks if you like.

4. Let the applesauce cool completely and then move to a mason jar or other container and store in the fridge.

I like to use my applesauce to make baked goods like muffins, bread, or cookies. It also is a great topping for pork chops or even as a delicious and quick snack! Now go and cook up those apples!

Maple Candy

October 24, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I am not that good at baking. When I come up with recipes, I like having freedom to add or subtract or substitute ingredients and that tends to not work as well with baking. Yes, there are ways to make things healthier or try different ingredients with baking, but you have to be very precise or else you end up with a lot of inedible failures. And I really hate throwing away food so I tend to shy away from baking. But I have been trying to come up with some good treats to share with you so that there is a good variety of recipes on this blog. There has been some success, but there has also been some failure. This maple candy believe it or not was a failure that ended up turning into a success. What I was trying to make was a frosting recipe I had made a few times before, what I ended up with was candy. Figure that one out! Either way, this is a tasty little candy that is actually good for you. It is a little salty, a little sweet, and satisfies the craving for a little treat. No more stalling, onto my frosting failure but candy succes!

Maple Candy

1 cup shredded or flaked coconut, unsweetened
2 to 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp molasses
1/2 tsp salt

1. In a blender or food processor, blend the coconut shreds until it starts to make a paste. This might take some time and you will have to stop and scrape the sides down. You don’t need a perfectly smooth mixture, but it should be sticking together

2. Add in the maple syrup, molasses, salt and 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil. Blend together, if you need more oil to help it come together add in another tbsp.

3. Either on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or silicone molds (I used a silicone ice cube tray) scoop out about 2 teaspoons of the candy mixture. Place the baking sheet or mold in the freezer for at least an hour. Remove and keep the candy in a container in either the fridge or freezer.

I like the salty flavor that these candies have but if you would like it a little sweeter, use 1/4 teaspoon salt instead of a 1/2 teaspoon. Make sure you keep the candy in a cool place or else they will start to melt. Hope you enjoy my rather fortunate failure and have a great weekend!

Olaf wanted to get in on these candies!

Date and Almond Sauce

October 10, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I have been testing out a few new recipes for another project that I’m working on (details later), which means that I have 3 batches of different healthy frostings sitting around my kitchen. This has been a good thing for Adam because he gets to eat and try all the things that I have been testing, but I still haven’t totally nailed down what I am looking for. Don’t worry I’m close, and along the way I have made a really great sauce that can be used for a multitude of things. I don’t usually post sweet recipes here, but I want to make sure I have a good variety for whatever culinary mood you’re in. And yes, there is sour cream in this recipe. Trust me on this one. After the recipe, I’ll give you some ways to use this tasty sauce!

Date and Almond Sauce

6 large Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
2 tsp molasses
1 tbsp sour cream*
1 tbsp smooth almond butter

* I use a dairy-free, homemade version of sour cream but you can use whatever you normally have on hand. You can also use greek yogurt if you would prefer.

1. Soak the pitted and chopped dates in warm water for about 15 minutes. Drain the water, reserving a few tablespoons. Add the dates and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor or blender. Process until you have a smooth sauce, adding some of the reserved water to reach the consistency you want.

You can use this sauce right away, but I like it a little better after it has been in the fridge for a few hours. You can use this sauce in oatmeal, smoothies, ice cream, yogurt, spread on bread, muffins, cookies, or if you’re totally wild you can just eat it with a spoon. Get creative and see what else this sauce tastes delicious on! I hope you have a great Friday and an awesome weekend!

Roasted Squash Seeds

September 26, 2014November 10, 2016 / ktbuchs87

I have another fall snack for you today, because fall food is awesome. Last week at the farmer’s market, I got a kabocha squash to try for the first time. The squash was delicious but the seeds were almost better. When I was little we would carve pumpkins and my mom would save the seeds to roast for snacks. Roasted seeds are easy to make and are a healthy snack. The kabocha squash seeds were a lot like pumpkin seeds so they roasted really well. Use whatever squash seeds you have on hand and enjoy this easy snack food!

Roasted Squash Seeds

Seeds from a squash (pumpkin, butternut, kabocha, or acorn are good)
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Scoop all the seeds out of the squash and clean them off as best as possible. You can rinse them off in a strainer to get the rest of the squash pulp off. Lay the seeds out on a towel in a single layer and let them dry completely.

2. Preheat the oven to 375. Place your seeds in a bowl and pour a little olive oil over them and toss to coat. Spread the seeds out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

3. Roast the seeds for about 10 minutes or until you hear the seeds popping. Remove from the oven and let the seeds cool before you start eating them.

That’s it! You can play with the seasonings and try different flavors like garlic and italian seasonings or even go sweet and try cinnamon and nutmeg. Either way, start getting all the squash you can so you can enjoy this tasty snack!