Tag: salt

Breakfast · Desserts

Peanut Butter Oat Energy Balls

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I love a peanut butter oat bite or dessert. These energy balls go to the next level with chocolate on top. I wish I had remembered to add the flaky sea salt to enhance the sweet/salty factor but they are yummy as they are!

Peanut Butter Oat Energy Balls

INGREDIENTS:
  • ⅔ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¾ cup crunchy natural peanut butter (I used regular milk)
  • 3 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips (53% cacao) 
  • 1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil
  • ¾ teaspoon flaky sea salt (I forget this step–oops!)
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Line the cups of a 24-cup mini muffin tin with silicone or paper liners.
  2. Combine 1⅔ cups oats, ¾ cup peanut butter, ½ cup almond milk, 3 tablespoons chia seeds, 2 teaspoons honey, 1½ teaspoons vanilla and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl; stir to mix well. Divide the mixture among the prepared cups, about 1 heaping tablespoon each; firmly press the mixture into the cup bottoms.
  3. Combine ½ cup chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High until the oil is melted and the chocolate chips have softened, 45 to 60 seconds. Stir until the chocolate chips are completely melted and incorporated into the oil.
  4. Spoon a scant teaspoon of the melted chocolate mixture over the oat mixture in each cup, spreading to cover the entire surface. Refrigerate, uncovered, until the chocolate layer is beginning to set (the surface will begin to lose its shine and become dull), 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon flaky salt; refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled and the layers are fully set, about 1 hour.
  5. Step 3

Recipe from EatingWell

Vegetables

Basil Salt

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If you have a plethora of basil in your garden and aren’t sure what to do with it, try Basil Salt. I shared this recipe with my daughter, Megan, who had SO much basil. She made the salt and it is delicious!

Basil Salt

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 cups basil
  • 1 cup sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Wash and dry the basil leaves.
  2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Blend the dry basil leaves and salt until well blended.
  4. Spread the salt mixture on parchment paper in a baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
  5. Once cool, break it up and blend the mixture again.
  6. Store in an air-tight container. Keeps well for a year.

Recipe from biancafrombrooklyn

Cookies and Bars

Crave’s Rockstar Cookie Recipe

cathysmaha3 Comments

These cookies are amazing! I’m not familiar with Crave’s cookies, but this recipe was intriguing with the addition of crushed pretzels. I’ve never made cookies this big but follow the recipe for the best results. I baked for the full 15 minutes and would stop at 13 minutes next time. They do continue to book on the sheet and you don’t want them to cook too long and dry out. Make sure you let them rest for the full 20 minutes to set up. Then grab a glass of milk or a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Crave’s Rockstar Cookie Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks
  • 3/4 cup crushed pretzels
  • 3/4 cup toffee bits
  • 1 cup salted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • sea salt for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
  2. Measure out the milk chocolate chips, semi sweet chunks, pretzels and toffee bits into a bowl. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth, light in color and fluffy. This will take a few mintues.
  4. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix in the egg add vanilla.
  5. Once completely combined, stop the mixer and add in the flour, baking soda and salt.
  6. Start mixing slowly, once the flour mixture is about half way incorporated into the dough, pour the chocolate chips, pretzels and toffee bits into the mixer and allow everything to mix together.
  7. Stop the mixer as soon as the flour is completely incorporated. Avoid over mixing.
  8. Measure out the dough into generous 1/3 cup portions or weigh out 6 oz of cookie dough for each cookie. Loosely gather the dough together in a tall ‘ball’ leaving the top jagged, for texture. Avoid packing the dough together tightly.
  9. Repeat this with all of the cookie dough.
  10. Bake at 350° for 13-15 minutes, or until the cookie dough has spread and the edges are turning golden brown.
  11. Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, use the back of a metal spoon and push the edges of the cookie towards the center, creating a perfect circle.
  12. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 20 minutes.*
  13. Serve warm.

*The cookies will continue to bake on the hot pan, so it is okay if the center of the cookies still look slightly underbaked when you take them out of the oven.

Recipe from CookingwithKarli

Vegetables

Dehydrated Tomatoes in Olive Oil

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Sungold cherry tomatoes are my favorite and they produce for weeks. I often oven roast the tomatoes but I had access to my dear friend’s dehydrator and took advantage of it. The process took several hours and resulted in wonderful dried tomatoes. I followed the directions below to preserve the dried tomatoes with olive oil, fresh basil, garlic, oregano, salt. The result was delicious seasoned, dried tomatoes for pizza, chicken, and other dishes.

Title

INGREDIENTS:
  • 3-4 cups of olive oil depending on the size of canning jar
  • Fresh basil (you’ll need a good amount of leaves to include in each layer, more on this below)
  • 4-5 cloves of minced garlic
  • ½ cup of dried oregano
  • Kosher salt
  • 3-5 pounds of sun dried tomatoes (try and find the imported variety; here’s a link to some organic sun dried tomatoes just in case you can’t get them from Italy) (Note: I used my Sungold tomatoes from my garden)
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Note: I used a dehyrator to first dry the Sungold tomatoes from my garden. It took several hours and did a great job.
  2. Start by finding a large, wide mouth, mason jar; pint size is fine, but if you can find larger jars they’ll store more tomatoes. Wash your mason jar very well and you can even go as far as sterilizing the jar. Moreover, it’s vital that your hands and any other tool used for the process are exceptionally clean.
  3. Next, begin layering your unseasoned sun dried tomatoes in the jar in the following order: 1. layer of tomatoes, 2. sprinkle of kosher salt, 3. garlic, 4. pinch of dried oregano, 4. layer of fresh basil leaves
  4. Repeat the above layering process until you’re nearly at the top of the jar (don’t over stuff the jar because your last step includes filling the jar with olive oil).
  5. When you’re finished with each layer push down with a flat object to compress the ingredients.
  6. Finally, fill the jar with olive oil, making sure that the tomatoes are completely submerged (note: the oil will need some time to settle so make sure all of the tomatoes are covered).
  7. Screw on the lid tightly and store the jar in a cool, dark, closet or cupboard.
  8. You’ll need to let the tomatoes sit 6-8 days before consuming them (the oil needs to soften the tomatoes and you also need to let the garlic, basil, and oregano do it’s thing).
  9. Note: I refrigerated the tomatoes to make sure they would not spoil!

Note and Disclaimer (viz a viz Clostridium Botulinum) It’s vital when you cure vegetables in olive oil that you thoroughly clean the jar itself as well as all the ingredients and utensils used in the preparation. My family has been curing and pickling vegetables (as well as tomatoes for tomato sauce) for well over 50 years and we haven’t had any health issues. Although our family has been doing this for many years without incident, there aren’t good studies establishing this practice as safe. Many food safety authorities advise against preserving tomatoes and garlic in oil due the risk of bacterial contamination and proliferation of spores, especially clostridium botulinum, which could be fatal.

Recipe adapted from Scordo.com

Appetizers · DIY · Family Favorites · Garden · Home · My Roots · Vegan · Vegetarian

Easy Dill Pickles

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My Mother always grew a large garden and had a plentiful canning room in the basement with many types of pickles, tomatoes, corn, green beans, chicken, beef, peaches, pears, apples,  jams. jelly, and more.  What she didn’t can, she froze.  I fondly remember the annual family gathering to pick, husk, parboil, cut and pack sweet corn for the freezer.  How wonderful to enjoy this bounty during the long, cold Iowa winters.

This year I had a plentiful harvest of cucumbers. With the first hard freeze shortly after Labor Day,  I had to pick most the produce, including many cucumbers.  I made my Mom’s Easy Dill Pickle recipe and it didn’t disappoint. The addition of fresh garlic to the second batch will be a new twist!

EASY DILL PICKLES

Medium Cucumber, sliced into spears or slices
Fresh dill
White vinegar
Water
Salt
Alum
Optional:  Peeled cloves of garlic

  • Wash medium size cucumbers and pack in canning quart jars.  Add fresh dill to the top (stem and all).  Place 1/4 teaspoon alum in the top of each quart jar of cucumbers.
  • Boil canning lids and rings in a separate pot.
  • Mix 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water.  To each quart of liquid add 4 tablespoons salt. Heat liquid to boiling point.  Pour liquid, while hot, over pickles.
  • Immediately place lids and rings on each jar.Let stand until cool.  Check to assure lid has sealed. Let the pickles sit in the brine for a few days/weeks. Store in a cool place.
  • I’ve also made these pickles and just placed in the frig, skipping the canning process.
Family · Family Favorites · Gluten Free · New Favorite · Skinny · Vegan · Vegetarian

Salt and Vinegar Popcorn…better than I ever expected

cathysmaha3 Comments

My youngest daughter LOVES vinegar potato chips and I spotted this recipe some time ago on a blog that I follow, Lucy’s Friendly Foods. I am a popcorn hound and had to try it. If my daughter, Sarah, liked it, it was a winner.

I’m happy to report we both liked it! The reduction of the balsamic vinegar had a delightfully sweet, and salty, taste. A nice, lighter, change from the traditional (and always yummy) buttered popcorn.

SALT AND VINEGAR POPCORN

12 cups popped corn
4 tablespoons dairy-free spread
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt

  • Pop the popcorn.
  • Melt the dairy-free spread in a saucepan.  Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
  • Simmer for 3-4 minutes to slightly reduce the vinegar.
  • Pour over the hot spread/balsamic mix.
  • Stir well and serve immediately.

Adapted slightly from:  lucysfriendlyfoods.com

Family · Family Favorites · Garden · Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetarian

Cool sweet, juicy watermelon…seasoned memories

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Summer and watermelon go together like Mac and Cheese.

When the weather is scorching hot…
a chilled slice of watermelon hits the spot.

As a kid we would take a half slice of watermelon outside and let the sweet juice run down our chins and arms.  Seedless watermelons were unheard of so a little ‘seed spitting’ was in order, too!  Mom probably had to hose us down before letting us back in the house.

girls eating watermelon

My Mother would always eat watermelon and canteloupe sprinkled with salt.  I prefer my watermelon naked but daughter, Sarah, and her friends introduced me to TAJIN fruit with lime seasoning a few years ago.  From the moment I tried it, I was hooked and it has become  family favorite.  The combination of lime, salt and a little kick with the sweet juicy watermelon is delectable.

I find TAJIN at Walmart and sometimes at the local grocery store in either the fruit section or ethnic foods section.

Give it a try.  I think you’ll be hooked too!

Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetarian

Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

cathysmaha1 Comment

Brussel Sprouts did not make their way into my kitchen until last year.  My early experiences with Brussel Sprouts left me scarred..they were always very bitter and tough.  My older daughter, Megan, set out to convert me starting with roasted Brussel Sprout chips.  From there I graduated to roasted Brussel Sprouts and NOW, I make Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts.

The tender Brussel Sprouts, purchased at Costco, are delicious roasted and the balsamic vinegar/olive oil glaze allows the sprouts to roast to a luscious golden brown. The final product is a taste bud party!

BALSAMIC ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS

3 cups brussels sprouts, washed and sliced in half
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoon olive oil
fresh ground sea salt and pepper

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Whisk together the vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  • Slowly add the olive oil until the well blended.
  • Put the brussels sprouts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle the oil and vinegar mixture over the sprouts and gently toss to coat.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, turning once. Sprouts are done when they are lightly browned.
Family Favorites · My Roots · Vegetarian

Cucumbers and Onions–Mom’s Style

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My Mother was an avid gardener growing lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, squash, green beans, peas, sweet corn, peppers, raspberries, strawberries, etc.  The rich top soil of Iowa made for  a prolific harvest each year. She would can and freeze vegetables and fruit for the family to enjoy all winter. Our farmhouse basement ‘fruit room’ was a treasure trove of pickles, canned tomatoes, relish, vegetables, soups, etc.

 

One of my favorite summer side dishes was my Mother’s cucumbers and onions. The recipe is simple, not written down, but made from memories in that Iowa farm kitchen.

CUCUMBERS AND ONIONS–Mom’s Style

Peel and thinly slice cucumbers and sweet onion.  Soak in cold, salted water for 30-45 minutes.  Drain.  In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, dash of milk, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over cucumbers and onions and serve immediately.