Chickpea Crackers with Za'atar and Maldon Salt

Do you ever have those days where it feels like your cupboards are completely bare and there is nothing in the fridge besides condiments, a couple of beers and some limp vegetables, but the mere thought of grocery shopping is completely out of the question? 
Well... that was me this past weekend. It was cold and I was hung over as hell and had no intention of leaving the house for any reason whatsoever.  I decided to challenge myself to make some snacks and come up with dinner based on whatever I had kicking around the kitchen.  Now, keep in mind I am not one of those people that stockpiles soup, casseroles and meat in the freezer, so I can have dinner ready at the drop of a hat.  Take a peek into my freezer and you will find a large bottle of Bombay Sapphire, flax seed, a giant jar of walnuts and some spelt flour.  So, pulling something out of the freezer for dinner wasn't really an option.  Staring bleary eyed into the cupboard for what felt like 30 minutes, I was finally able to get my brain to work and figure out what I was going to make as a snack to accompany the beer I had in the fridge.  Sure, I could have just whipped up a bunch of popcorn and called it a day but I figured if I wasn't going to leave the house, I should be somewhat productive and make something fun.

Weeks ago while riding my stationary bike I came across a recipe for these chickpea crackers with zaatar spice.  Of course I told myself to write down the name of the blog AS SOON as I got off the bike.  Did that happen? No, of course not. I found a big ass jar of za'atar and a large bag of chickpea flour in my cupboard and spent a good 20 minutes searching for the recipe.  Fortunately, I had everything on hand to make them and got to work!

Chickpea Flour (also known as gram flour, besan or garbanzo bean flour) is made from ground, raw or roasted chickpeas, commonly used in Indian or Pakistani cooking to make papadum (lentil wafers), and pakoras (vegetables fried in chickpea flour batter).  Chickpea flour is also used in Southern Europe to make an oven baked flatbread of sorts called Farinata (Italy) or Socca (France).  I've used this awesome flour to make besan ka cheela and socca with leeks and herbed almond spread, and now these delicious crackers that are vegan, gluten free and high in protein and fiber!

Making crackers from scratch can be a little labor intensive but the taste difference between store bought and homemade is like night and day.  The trick to perfect crackers is to roll out the dough evenly; If the crackers are too thick they will take forever to cook.. too thin and they will burn. 
These are great as is, but pairing them with hummus (chickpea madness!!) will give you a super healthy, protein rich vegan snack... and if you have everything on hand, you don't even need to leave the house!


Chickpea Crackers with Zaatar and Maldon Salt (makes 32 large crackers)
From Dolly and Oatmeal

2 cups garbanzo bean flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/3 cup + 1-2 tablespoons warm water, plus more if needed
2-3 tablespoons za'atar 
maldon sea salt for garnishing

In a large bowl, whisk the garbanzo bean flour with the salt and baking powder until combined. using your hands, rub the olive oil into the flour to distribute evenly; about 2 minutes - make sure there are no large clumps.
Transfer the flour mixture to a food processor.  With the processor running, drizzle the 1/3 cup of warm water until the mixture comes together.  If your dough is still dry, add more water by the 1/2 tablespoon until dough ball has formed
Knead the dough for 5 minutes.  Divide it into two pieces and wrap each piece with plastic wrap. let it rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper

Prepare a flat work surface with two pieces of parchment paper.  place one piece of dough on top of one piece of parchment, wet your hands a bit and flatten the dough with your palm.  Cover dough with second piece of parchment and roll out to an 1/8-inch thickness with a rolling pin.

Trim edges and set scraps to the side, sprinkle with za'atar.  Use your rolling pin and roll over the dough once more to push za'atar into the dough's surface.  Using a pastry brush, lightly brush tops of crackers with olive oil, sprinkle with maldon sea salt.

Transfer the crackers to prepared baking sheets and bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Crackers will be lightly browned on the edges when done.  Remove from oven and let crackers cool.  Repeat with remaining dough.

Crackers can be stored in an air-tight container at room temp for up to 4 days.

Moroccan Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemon

 

Lately, I have become obsessed with preserved lemons. Maybe it's due to their beautiful, intensely yellow color, a respite to this gloomy, cold weather that at this point is making me rethink WHY THE HELL I moved back to New York in the first place. 

Commonly used in Moroccan cuisine, preserved lemons are basically whole lemons that have been packed in salt and sent to chill out for a month or two. Over time, the peel softens and the flavor intensifies resulting in a tangy, sour, salty condiment that can be added to foods.  These lemons are commonly added to the infamous Moroccan tagine, a slow cooked savory stew made with meat, poultry of fish paired with vegetables, fruit (fresh or dried), and spices such as cinnamon, cumin, saffron, coriander and paprika.

Unless you are making Moroccan food on a regular basis, it's not too often that you will come across a recipe that calls for this delicious condiment. I first tried preserved lemons on a dare.  Having no idea what they tasted like, I shoved a quarter of a lemon in my mouth and instantly my tongue started burning and my eyes were watering from the overwhelming salty, sour flavor.  I quickly learned that these are best enjoyed in small amounts, cut into thin strips and simmered with broth, aromatics, spices and dried fruit to make a lovely sauce for chicken or fish.  You can make them yourself or buy them in an ethnic market or specialty shop and they last forever! I have had the same jar in my fridge for months, using a bit here and there to top off a plate of slow roasted root vegetables or adding a bit to a vinaigrette for a tangy salad dressing. 

This Moroccan chicken dish that I came across on Food 52 had all my favorite flavors on one plate: ginger, garlic and onions, olives, currants, buttery couscous and lots of spice... and of course preserved lemon.  Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!

Moroccan Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemon (serves 2)
Adapted from Food 52

2-3 T. safflower oil
2 lbs. chicken (I used 2 legs)
sea salt
black pepper

1 1/2 c. yellow onion, diced
1 t. ginger, minced
1 t. garlic, minced
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. ground coriander
1 1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. turmeric
1/8 t. cayenne
2-3 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 c. green olives (I used castelvetrano)
3/4 whole preserved lemon, pulp removed, rind cut into thin strips
1/3 c. currants
2 T. chopped cilantro

3/4 c. couscous
3/4 c. vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 t. sea salt
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. butter


Heat 2 T. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.  Brown the chicken on all sides and transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 T. oil.  Add the onion and sautee until slightly softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne and cook an additional minute or two. If the mixture starts to stick, add a splash of chicken stock.  Add the chicken back to the skillet and coat both sides with the onion/spice mixture. Pour the stock into the skillet so that 2/3 of the chicken is submerged.  Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. While the chicken is simmering place the couscous, sea salt and olive oil in a medium sized glass bowl. Bring 3/4 c. stock to a boil. pour over the couscous, mix with a spoon and cover with a lid or tightly seal with plastic wrap. Set aside for 15- 20 minutes.

After the chicken has simmered for 20 minutes, add the olives and preserved lemons and cook for an additional 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the skillet.  Add the currants cook over medium high heat until the sauce until it reduces by half, about 6-8 minutes.

To serve: Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the butter. Mix again and divide between two shallow bowls or plates. Place the chicken on top and spoon the reduced sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Almond Amazeballs

Despite the fact that I work in a kitchen, there are some days I come home with the realization that I've consumed nothing more than a cup of coffee, a spoonful of soup, 5 black beans, 3 cubes of roasted sweet potato, a couple bites of a raw kale salad and MAYBE a piece of fruit. Even though I'm surrounded by food 10 hours a day, I'm so focused on making sure that customers are getting fed that I sometimes forget that this girl needs to eat too! 
I usually have myself a pretty healthy breakfast, but if I haven't had a chance to have anything for lunch, the low blood sugar, headache and crankiness starts setting in around 4:00, which coincidentally happens to be the busiest part of my day.  I'm way too consumed to even THINK about eating, but know that if I don't get some nourishment ASAP I will end up stress eating an entire bag of chips when I get home. Not so good.
I'm a big fan of energy balls, bites, bars or whatever you want to call them.  Packed with healthy fats, natural sugars and protein they are just the thing that helps tide me over until I can have a more substantial meal.
These energy balls are packed with dates, almonds, coconut, peanut butter, oats, and lots of seeds (pumpkin, flax and sunflower).  They are amazingly good and good for you. They're AMAZEBALLS!

Almond Amazeballs (Makes 12-14 balls)
From Dishing Up The Dirt

1 c. raw almonds
1 c. dates, pitted and chopped
1/4 c. ground flax seed
1/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 c. almond butter (I used peanut butter)
1 T. coconut oil
1 t. cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

1/4 c. mixed seeds (I used pumpkin and sunflower)
1/2 c. oats

Place almonds in a food processor and process until finely chopped.  Add the dates, flax, shredded coconut, nut butter, coconut oil, cinnamon and sea salt and process until uniform, but still a little chunky.
Place the seeds and oats in a large bowl.  Add the date mixture and mix well to combine. Roll into balls and refrigerate at least 45 minutes before serving.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container.

Fire Cider

Fire cider is a delicious health tonic made with fresh horseradish root, ginger, garlic, raw onion, and turmeric (among other things) that is infused in a base of raw apple cider vinegar and sweetened with raw honey.  Containing roots, fruits and herbs that have anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, this delicious concoction can help boost the immune system, stimulate digestion and improve circulation.

Most people reach for fire cider at the first sign of a cold or flu, hoping to kick the immune system into full gear. Speaking from experience, I've definitely put the breaks on a cold with this stuff, along with plenty of rest, liquids and clean eating. 

I've gotten into the habit of making a large batch in October, so I'm well prepared when heading into cold and flu season. It's worth nothing that making fire cider takes a little advance planning. Whereas it only takes 10 minutes to prepare all of your ingredients, you must wait at least two months for all of those herbs, roots and fruits to fully infuse the apple cider vinegar.  Once the 60 day wait is up, you simply strain the liquid into a large mason jar and add raw honey. 

You can take fire cider by the spoonful (I try to take 1 T. every day, or 1 T. every three hours if I'm feeling under the weather), or by adding to some hot water (with or without some whiskey) to make a hot toddy. Although I've never cooked with it, I've read that you can use it anywhere you want a little added heat.. fried rice, salad dressing, stir-fry... or even throwing a shot into to your next Bloody Mary!

Fire Cider
(Makes approximately 5 c. )

1 head garlic, peeled and smashed
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 c. grated ginger
1/2 c. grated horseradish root
1/2 seeded habanero, chopped
2-3 sprigs rosemary
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 orange, zest and juice
1/2 c. finely chopped turmeric root
1 liter apple cider vinegar
raw honey, to taste (I used 6 T.)

Divide the garlic, onion, ginger, garlic, horseradish, habanero, rosemary, lemon and orange juice and zest, and turmeric between two quart sized mason jars. Divide the apple cider vinegar between the two jars. Cover with lids, give it a good shake and place in a cool dry area, giving it a shake once a week.
After two months, strain the liquid into a large pitcher and stir in the honey.  Transfer to glass jars and store in the fridge for up to two months.

Mung Bean Hummus with Za'atar

I've made (and eaten) ALOT of hummus in my day.  This wonderful chickpea based dip is one of the first foods I started incorporating into my diet when I started experimenting with vegetarianism in my teens.  Finding hummus in the grocery store fifteen years ago was almost unheard of, you had to venture to a health food store and even then the choices were very limited. So, from a young age I started making my own and began to prefer the taste and texture of homemade versus store bought even when I had the opportunity to get my hands on the stuff.

I basically lived off of the stuff in college (you know... that and cheap beer), using it as a dip for crackers or vegetables or smearing on a bagel piled with vegetables for a lunch that could be thrown together in the matter of minutes.  The less time I had to spend cooking or thinking about meals, the more time I had for studying... and drinking.

After seven years of eating hummus day after day I began to tire of it...shocking, I know.  I decided to take a break from what is thought of as "traditional hummus" consisting of chickpeas, lemon, garlic, sesame tahini, salt, and maybe some cumin or cayenne.  I thought, why not add some fresh herbs, or roasted garlic, maybe some kalamata olives. Or... instead of chickpeas, use cannellini or black beans. 
For several years in my twenties, I worked in a vegetarian restaurant where I made a different flavor of hummus each day of the week, so I made more variations of this bean based dip/spread that you could ever imagine.

It wasn't until recently that I came upon this recipe for mung bean hummus and my mind was blown.. why the heck didn't I ever think of that??  Mung beans have been used for thousands of years in both sweet and savory dishes, originating in India then cultivated all throughout Asia.  They were used medicinally, dispelling heat from the body and aiding in detoxification.  They are one of the main staples of an Ayurvedic diet, helping to bring balance to the body by improving digestion and enhancing overall health and vitality.  Today, mung beans are consumed for their amazing health benefits, helping to lower cholesterol, control diabetes and help protect against breast cancer.  Like most other legumes, mung beans are also high in fiber and low in fat.

Combining these beans with lemon helps to boost your vitamin C intake, sesame tahini gives your body a dairy free calcium boost and the garlic will help boost your body's immune system... not too bad for a snack food!

Mung Bean Hummus (makes 2 c.)
From 101 Cookbooks

1 1/2 c. cooked mung beans
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. sesame tahini paste
1 large clove garlic, peeled & smashed
1/2 t. sea salt
1/3-1/2 c. water

Za'atar spice and extra virgin olive oil for drizzling on top

Pita chips for serving*

Start by adding the mung beans to a food processor and pulse until a fine, fluffy crumb develops, at least a minute. Scrape the bean paste from the corners once or twice, then add the lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and sea salt. Blend again, another minute or so. Don't skimp on the blending time, but stop if the beans form a dough ball inside the processor. At this point start adding the water a splash at a time. Blend until the hummus is smooth, light and creamy. Taste, and adjust to your liking - adding more lemon juice or salt, if needed. Top with a sprinkling of za'atar and a healthy swirl of extra virgin olive oil.  Serve with homemade pita chips.

* To make the pita chips, cut a couple rounds of pita breads into squares or triangles. Toss with a glug of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and arrange in a single layer on a large sheetpan.  Bake at 350 until light browned and crispy (about 8 minutes each side), flipping them over halfway through.

Apple Hemp Muffins

Apples. I will never tire of them.

Weather it be in the form of hard cider, pie or just straight up snacking I will continue to eat the hell 'outta apples until citrus fruits come into the seasonal spotlight.

I've been fortunate to receive two massive bags of local, organic utility grade apples this fall, which automatically translates to lots of apple crisp.  To avoid falling into a complete sugar coma I decided to take the remaining apples and make a batch of unsweetened applesauce.

Then I realized... wait, I don't even eat applesauce.  It's not like I wouldn't eat it, but I would never go out of my way to buy it otherwise.  In the attempt to not let this beautiful jar of sauce go to waste I scoured through old cookbooks and recipe files for some sort of baked good that would put it to good use.

The recipe for these apple hemp muffins had been tucked away in one of my many random recipe folders for a good two years.  I would always pass them by because they had applesauce (which was something I never had the house), but now with my massive jar of apple mush, I finally had the opportunity.

With a couple modifications, these muffins came out great! The addition of hemp seeds gives these cake like, lightly sweetened vegan muffins a boost in protein and a healthy dose of essential fatty acids.

Apple Hemp Muffins
Makes 1 dozen
Adapted from this recipe

1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. oat flour
1/2 c. hemp seeds
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. ground ginger
1 c. applesauce
1/2 c. maple syrup
3/4 c. almond milk
1 t. vanilla
3 T. coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients, sifting in baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, combine applesauce, maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla, and coconut oil and mix together. Add the wet to dry and mix until just combined. Spoon into lined or lightly oiled muffin tins. Bake 25-30 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container.

 

 

 

Sesame Almond Nori Crunchies

I've never been much of a snack person.

I'm one of those three meals a day people. I eat when I'm hungry and that usually only occurs around my designated meal times.
When I do my shopping for the week, I'm great at planning what I'll have for breakfast, lunch and dinner but I always forget to throw some snack foods in my cart for those occasions when I find my blood sugar plummeting at 4 o'clock because I didn't have a substantial lunch.

Truth is, most foods targeted as "snacks" are prepackaged foods with a long list of ingredients, many of which are unrecognizable.
Most times I'll just reach for a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts, but sometimes I wasn't something a bit more fun.. something that's a little more.... snackable.
My cupboards are almost always stocked with a variety of nuts and seeds (walnuts, pistachios, sunflower, pumpkin, flax, hemp, sesame etc..) to throw in baked goods, make milk, toss into granola, or add to a salad.  Not only are nuts and seeds super versatile, they're also packed with healthy fats, protein, and are nutrient dense.

I was checking out some of my favorite blogs this past weekend and stumbled upon a new site called "She Cooks Macro"; most of the recipes focusing on macrobiotic cuisine. Macrobiotics is a dietary regimen that focuses on using whole, simple, unprocessed foods to achieve balance within the body to promote healing. The diet emphasizes whole grains, seaweeds, legumes, fruits, vegetables, some nuts and seeds and fermented soy products like miso, tempeh and tamari.
One of the recipes that caught my eye was this sesame almond nori brittle. This was primarily based on the fact that I had everything on hand to make it, but it was also chocked full of healthy stuff and looked highly snackable.  The fact that it took 15 minutes to throw together didn't hurt either.

Sesame Almond Nori Crunchies
From She Cooks Macro

2 T. safflower oil
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. brown rice syrup
1 c. sesame seeds
1 c. almonds
1 t. tamari
6 sheets nori, torn into small pieces.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the oil, maple syrup and brown rice syrup in a large sautee pan and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the almond, sesame seeds and tamari. Add the nori and mix well to combine. Spread on a sheetpan lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely, then break into pieces.
Store in an airtight container.