Showing posts with label Misc.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misc.. Show all posts

Roasted Spiced Nuts


I have not posted in a long time....it's actually been almost a year.  I'm a teacher and during the school year, meals tend to be quick and not blog-worthy.  It's usually something I throw together with no measuring or recipe involved.  I cook something and we eat.  During the summer, I get a little more creative and try new recipes. 

There is something I have been thinking about blogging for quite a few months.  It's a recipe I put together after trying some that I found online - roasted spiced nuts.  This recipe came from my need to use up a supply of almonds and cashews that I had.  I was tired of eating them raw and wanted something sweet and spicy. 

It is a super-simple recipe and can be adapted many different ways with a variety of spices, extracts and nuts.  They are versatile, also.  We eat them as-is, on ice cream, and my favorite, on salads.  My next experiment will be to put them in a chocolate chip cookie recipe. 

Roasted Spiced Nuts

8 cups of nuts (raw, if available)
2 egg whites
1 cup Splenda
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cardomom
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Cover a large cookie sheet with sides with non-stick foil. 

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and vanilla until foamy. 

In a small bowl, mix the Splenda, brown sugar, salt and spices. 

Add the nuts to the large bowl with the egg whites and mix thoroughly until all the nuts are coated.  Add the sugar, salt and spice mixture and stir gently to coat all the nuts.  Spread the nuts into the pan.  Bake for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes.  Let cool completely and store in air-tight container for up to two weeks.

Healthy Peanut Butter Dip



This makes a perfectly healthy mid-afternoon snack for the kiddos and for us, also.  I got the recipe from Meal Makeover Moms' Kitchen.    I added a tsp of vanilla agave nectar to sweeten it a little. 

We ate the dip with apples as you can see but I was thinking that it could go on our waffles in the morning, also.  Cameron wants to eat it with bananas.  YUM!


Healthy Peanut Butter Dip

1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt (I used some of my homemade yogurt)
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla agave nectar

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve with apples, celery, pretzels or anything else you can think of that will go well with peanut butter.

Homemade Barbeque Sauce


This is the first homemade bbq sauce I have ever made.  It is quite tasty and super easy to make.  I doubled the recipe so I can have plenty on hand for several meals.  I planned on freezing some of it but never needed to.  We used it all!

Neely's Barbeque Sauce
from Food Network

Ingredients:

2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.