snacks – Page 4 – OwlCat Designs

February 27, 2012December 16, 2017

Chocolate Coconut Rounds

There they were, sitting timid in the middle of my fruit basket trying to pretend they were not there. Overripe bananas, like the poor step child in an old fairy tale. Since I only like to eat them when they are still a little green, these brown things in my fruit basket are definitely not my thing. But over time I have come up with various ways to use them up, using them for smoothies, pancakes or baking, after all they do provide a great source of natural sweetness without adding sugar. And yes, I have to admit before I did that, sometimes they would get thrown out. So that’s why they are scared. But fret not bananas, I have something yummy to turn you into 🙂

What do you do with your past prime bananas? Any favorites?

This recipe is grain and sugar free, the only sweetness comes from the banana, so it isn’t your traditional cookie, if you like things sweet, you might want to add 1/4 cup of sugar or some stevia. These are more like a piece of 70% cocoa chocolate, flavorful but just subtly sweet.

And without further ado here is how to make them:

Ingredients

1/2 cup egg whites (about 4)
2 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup ground almonds, natural not blanched
6 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup almond butter (cashew butter or other nut butter would work as well)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 dash of salt

Directions

Combine shredded coconut, ground almonds, coconut flour and cocoa powder in a bowl
Add the mashed bananas
Melt the coconut oil together with the almond butter and stir until smooth, add to bowl
Add the egg whites
Mix until everything is fully incorporated
Divide dough into two portions and between wax paper, work each one into a roll of about 1 1/2” to 2″ diameter.
Place in the freezer for about 1 hour or until nice and solid.
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Remove one roll from the freezer, and slice into rounds 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick, place ona lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
In the meantime, repeat the same with the other roll.
Let the rounds cool down on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

February 21, 2012December 16, 2017

Pennsylvania Dutch Fasnachts

Since today is ‘Mardi Gras’ the day before Ash Wednesday, traditionally the Pennsylvania Dutch (which are descendants of German and German speaking Swiss settlers to this area: Dutch comes from the German word for German: Deutsch) eat fried pastries called Fasnachts. It’s a free form donut type treat, that was traditionally made to use up the sugar and lard before Lent and fasting started. And since Judy told me all about how to recognize a real ‘Fasnacht’ and how to distinguish them from all the impostures (for one, don’t trust the ones at the grocery store, they are not real unless they are made with POTATO)

Having lived in PA, albeit not in Dutch country for the last 12 years, it is about time to have one of those. And today is the day. So I scoured the internet for recipes and came up with one that seems authentic enough to me. I decided to give it a whirl myself and see if I can’t make some that would stand up to the scrutiny of my dear ‘Dutchies’. After all, I am from Switzerland, I speak German, so… Looks like that might give me some points towards credentials to make these 😉

Recipe from: bellaonline

I did make my own adjustments, some to return the recipe to a more authentic state (like using lard instead of Crisco) others since the modern kitchen is a bit different and I often find, that older recipes need less liquid in today’s kitchen. I am guessing this might be because back in the day, most houses would be heated with wood, and wood heat is very dry, the flour people would have used would have been drier, and during the rising time, the drier air would have affected everything as well. I think next time I would use 1/2 cup less milk to start and see how that goes. In this recipe I ended up using a whole cup more flour, and even this way, the dough was very sticky and hard to manage. I ended up making Fasnachts (or Fastnachts, translates to ‘fasting night’ or more accurately here, the night before the fast/lent) from about half the dough, turning the rest into baked concoctions.

as you can see, the dough is very soft and cutting it into squares, was a bit of a challenge

after that the pieces got to rest and rise, here ready for frying (Note: the recipe suggest to put them on wax paper, which I did. The result? The whole thing sticks, I ~~think next time I~~ will not use wax paper ever again. Floured cookie sheet might work better…

some leftover dough pieces getting fried…

the finished product, here I tossed some in sugar, left some plain. They are also delicious with cinnamon and sugar, but I hear traditionally, some folks cut them in half and butter or syrup them up. Yes, you heard right, syrup 🙂 I don’t think I’d survive that much sugar, but by all means, go try it.

they end up pretty airy, I think the recipe could easily get away with less yeast. But they are delicious! Now off to the office to have them authenticated by the experts 😉

Ingredients

2 cups milk
1 cup mashed potatoes (no salt, milk, or butter added)
1/2 cup sugar + 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 stick margarine, softened
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
6-1/2 cups flour (divided, 2 cups + 4 1/2 cups)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 can (3 pounds) ~~Crisco® or similar vegetable shortening for frying~~ (to make them really traditional, you have to use lard)

Directions

To make the mashed potatoes, either peel and boil or steam, cool and then peel. Mash with a fork. In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk with the mashed potatoes.

Add 1/2 cup sugar plus the margarine. Mix with an electric mixer at low speed. If the mixture is still warm, cool to about room temperature before proceeding with next step. – Dissolve the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in barely warm water. Add to the potato mixture and mix well. Add 2 cups flour and mix again. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 25 minutes.

Add the lightly beaten egg and salt to the mixture. Add 4-1/2 cups flour, stirring it into the mixture with a large spoon. Turn onto a well floured board and knead for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add a small amount of extra flour if necessary so the dough can be handled without sticking to your fingers. Grease a large bowl. Place the dough in the greased bowl. Cover with a thin towel, and let rise in a warm, draft free place for about 2 hours or until it is at least double in size.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough 3/4″ thick. ~~You can use a doughnut cutter to cut the dough or~~ cut as typical Fastnachts – Cut the dough into 3″ to 4″ wide strips, then cut the strips into 3″ to 4″ pieces. To allow the center of Fastnacht to fry completely, cut a small slit in the center of each piece, using a sharp paring knife. Arrange the pieces of dough, about 1-1/2″ to 2″ apart, on large ~~wax paper lined~~ trays. Cover each tray with a thin towel. Place the trays in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough pieces have raised to about double in size. (In the picture on the right, the dough has raised sufficiently and the doughnuts are ready to fry.)

Heat the ~~shortening~~ lard to 365º. Be very careful adding the Fasnachts to the oil, lower gently on a wire spoon, do not drop in the oil, it will splatter and can burn you very badly. Deep fry until both sides are golden brown, turning one time. Drain on white paper towels. Cool completely before serving. Store in a covered, airtight container.

Makes about 20 to 24 Fastnachts, depending on size.

January 24, 2012December 16, 2017

Portable Chicken Meatball ‘Muffins’

Chicken Turkey Meatball Muffins

I came to thinking about this the other day. Can you name a snack that would deliver protein versus carbs, just one thought, on top of your head, …nothing? Right, thought so. Short of protein bars (mostly containing sugar=CARBS and soy), there really isn’t much we ‘snack’ on that would fall into this category. So when I came across a recipe for a turkey meatloaf a light went on, and I tinkered around in the kitchen until I came up with this variation.

I’ve made two versions so far, one with chicken breast meat and venison, (all ground) the other with turkey thigh meat and chicken thigh meat with the addition of vegetable.

Chicken Venison Meatball Muffins, (I think I added some jalapeno, see the green?)

I notice using breast meat and venison makes the muffins denser, the second version is a bit softer and juicier due to either using only thigh meat, or the additional vegetables. For vegetables I used the pulp from my juicer. I like having fresh squeezed vegetable juice in my diet, since the micro nutrient content of fresh homemade vegetable juice is out of this world, but having no compost, feel bad throwing out the dry pulp that is left over. Well, I stuck it in these and let me tell ya, it tastes awesome! If you don’t have a juicer, I am sure you could just shred and/or blend some vegetables, if juicy, squeeze in some paper towels and reduce the egg whites a bit or add some additional oats. Have not tried that, but don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

Meatballs to go, now who wouldn’t love that??

Eat them cold or microwave for 20-30 seconds to warm up. You could also put them on a salad as a protein addition, if you like.

Chicken Venison Meatball Snackie

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground chicken thigh meat
1 lb ground turkey thigh meat
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup quinoa flakes (optional)
1 cup liquid egg whites (about 5-6)
2 tsp paprika, sweet
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp chipotle* pepper, ground (optional, makes it spicy, yum!)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried thyme

* if you don’t have chipotle pepper, use cayenne

Chicken Turkey Vegetable Meatball Muffins

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground chicken meat (I used breast meat)
1 lb ground venison (which is always lean, you know, no junk food or CAFO’s in nature)
1 cup mixed vegetable pulp (I used a mix of celery,kale, kohlrabi, carrot and golden beet)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup liquid egg whites (about 5-6)
2 tsp paprika, sweet
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp chipotle pepper, ground (optional, makes it spicy, yum!)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F
Place meat, egg whites (if using, vegetable pulp and quinoa as well) and oats together in a large bowl.
Mix the spices and salt in a small dish, add to the large bowl and mix into the meat using a fork until well incorporated.
Line a muffin pan with (jumbo) muffin cups or grease well
Form into 12 balls, about baseball sized and place in muffin pan
Bake 30-35 minutes or until cooked through.
Cook in muffin pan for 5 minutes, then place on cooling rack
Keep in the fridge or freeze for later use

Each chicken venison muffin has 20 g protein, 3 g fat, and 5 g carbs, 123 calories

Each chicken turkey muffin has 18.3 g protein, 5.3 g fat, and 8.3 g carbs (includes fiber from the vegetable pulp) 156 cal (with Quinoa 18.8 g protein)

November 23, 2011December 16, 2017

Cocoa Post Workout Recovery Drink

I am not a big believer in supplements, protein powders and bars, thinking that most anything you need, you can get from proper nutrition. I resort to recovery drinks and an occasional protein bar, if I really don’t have the time to have something real. And since many of y clients always ask me what to take, and what to do, I decided to share this post workout recovery drink with you. Can you add a scoop of protein powder? If you like, sure. But the mainstay of this is the D-Ribose. Ribose is a special carbohydrate that is used in the body for energy production in the cells as it plays a critical role in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the energy unit that fuels our cells and bodies. It provides energy needed for short burst of power movements during physical activity, is needed to help our muscles squeeze, heart pump, brains think and countless actions that we don’t consciously control.

Ribose provides a raw material to facilitate ATP production. Many doctors believe that at least part of the problem with chronic illnesses, such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, is a lack of energy production to keep the organs, like the muscles and brain, happy. If the muscles have adequate energy available = less stiffness and cramping. This is similar to having enough money in the bank. If the money is gone, and the roof springs a major leak, no funds are available to fix it. In the end, the whole house is affected. Similarly, if the muscles are undernourished and energy production is down, the muscles will tighten, causing pain. Tight muscles can often pinch nerves, causing greater pain and starting a vicious cycle. One of the main goals of ribose supplementation is to improve symptoms by aiding energy production.

As I said, I generally don’t supplement, but after an extra hard workout, with a full day still ahead of me, I might help myself out a bit by having one of these!

Ingredients

1 cup milk (almond milk is fine, if you are vegan)
1/2 tsp D-Ribose powder
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp cocoa powder
(optional 2 tsp chia seed, for added protein and fiber, but will turn this in to bubble tea)

Directions

Put everything (except chia seed) into a blender or shaker and mix well. Add chia seed, if using and enjoy!

November 19, 2011December 16, 2017

5 minute Snack Cakes

Pumpkin White Chocolate version here shown made with rolled oats…

and Tropical Mango version with Raspberry Mango Sauce, shown made with Quinoa (I know, it looks like Ketchup; Trust me it tastes TOTALLY different!)

For breakfast, as a snack and the best part, it’s utterly delicious cold as well AND when cold, they are portable (minus the garnish)

You can make these with rolled oats or any other flakes such a quinoa or barley flakes. You might have to adjust cooking time a little, but whatever is on hand works for these!

As an easy alternative to getting a mango, peeling and pureeing it, I have used mango baby food. One of my friends turned me onto the idea of using baby food as a flavoring for plain greek yogurt. Check the ingredients, but the brand I use has no added sugar, some flavor varieties use fruit juice to add extra sweetness. Don’t like mango? Make it juts with apple sauce or maybe a pear baby food?

Tropical Mango Banana Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa or oat flakes,
1/2 ripe banana (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup mango purer (use 1 small glass of mango baby food, 4 oz)
1 tbsp sugar (palm sugar, etc)
(1 tbsp Chia seeds, optional)
1/4 cup rasbperries, frozen or fresh
Mix 1/4 cup of the mango, banana, oats (or quinoa), sugar, and Chiang seeds if using in a bowl
Grease two 8 oz ramekins with some oil on a piece of papertowel
Fill and smooh the top
Microwave on high for 3-5 minutes, depending on the power of your device. It’s done when the top does not look liquid anymore and the sides gently separate from the bowl.
Run a knife around the edge, inverted on a plate and serve with raspberry mango sauce (below), or your favorite topping. Such as maple syrup, almond butter, Apple sauce.
Or eat out of the bowl

For the raspberry mango sauce, heat the raspberries in a small saucepan then stir in the remainder (1/4 cup) of the mango puree

Pumpkin White Chocolate Oat Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oat or quinoa flakes
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp sugar
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp vanilla
White chocolate chips and coconut for garnish (optional)

Mix all ingredients except chocolate and coconut in a bowl, then divide into two 8oz prepared ramekin forms.
Microwave on high for 2 min 30 sec to 3 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge, inverted on a plate and decorate with white chocolate chips, cover with the just removed ramekin and allow heat to steam the chocolate until soft (you can also re-microwave for 30 seconds), serve with coconut, or your favorite topping.

November 12, 2011December 16, 2017

Cranberry Oat Scones

Guess what I found in my freezer? Cranberries! …and I remember putting them in there too. At the very tail end of winter, they were on sale, and I can be such a sucker for sales when it involves things that can and will be eaten. As for those cranberries, well, apparently they did not. So since they endured summer somewhere in the recesses of my freezer, I decided it was time to finally turn them into something, well, more than just frozen cranberry taking up space in the freezer.

For those of us that enjoy an occasional baked treat, scones are the perfect marriage between sweet and substantial. These scones are just a touch sweet, and even though full of oats and other goodness, have a surprisingly light texture. Having made the discovery before that finding a good scone, isn’t as simple of task as it seems. I remember the taste bud disappointment from biting into what I expected to be slightly crunchy on the outside and soft crumb in the center, just to bite into a brick, a extra sweet brick 🙁 Not a fan, no can’t say. So with this recipe I made sure that would not happen. Try them still warm for breakfast or reheat in the toaster oven.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar (sucanat, coconut sugar or turbinado/raw)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
7 tbsp butter, cold, cut into cubes
2/3 cup + 2 tbsp rolled oats
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup + 2 tbsp milk (dairy or almond) or half & half
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp turbinado (raw) sugar for garnish

Directions

Combine dry ingredients (flour through salt)
Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter or 2 knifes, or pulse in the blender until coarse meal forms
Add 2/3 cup oats and stir to mix
Add cranberries, then add the milk and vanilla
The resulting dough is going to be quite sticky. Using a measuring cup, drop by the 1/4 cup onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, spacing about 2″ apart. (I made them in the 1/2 cup size before, but they get really big)
Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp oats and 3 tbsp sugar
Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until skewer inserted from the side comes out clean

Makes about 12 scones, (or 6-7 big ones )

November 11, 2011December 16, 2017

Chicken Liver Paté

I find it interesting how so many foods that back in the day were most likely eaten because people would not waste any part of an animal, are now either gourmet foods or at least they sell for a lot more at the store than you should reasonably be asking for them. Let’s take chicken wings for example. Definitely a ‘what are we going to do with this’ kinda food, but go check the price of wings on the meat section… As for me, I am not a fan of liver at all, in fact you could chase me with calf liver, but I love good Paté or Mousee Trufée, goose duck, chicken, it’s all good. But as with so many things, it is generally either out of budget or there are too many ingredients in it I am trying to avoid, or both, like in this case. I for one think that a chicken liver paté, does not need any pork in it, thank you very much. Or soy, or hydrolyzed plant protein or whey or even egg. Paté is, I know, not everybody’s thing, but this spread is fantastic, even if you go with the basic version and omit the truffle paste. No need to like liver, I don’t.

When I first looked into making this, I had looked through my old recipe books, and all I found was seriously time consuming recipes, where you bake stuff in a water bath in the oven. Who has time for that, I ask? So off I went into the kitchen and after a little tinkering, came up with a version, maybe not 100 % traditional in its preparation and technique, but tasty? check, and quick? check. So if you like some good gourmet food on occasion, you’ll be happy to know that it is easy to make and very much every day affordable (although you might want to curb that habit just a bit, liver paté is a pretty rich food)

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
8 oz chicken liver
3/4 tsp green pepper corns
3/4 tsp black pepper corns
1 tsp salt
1 small clove garlic
2 tbsp Cognac or Calvados*
(optional: 1 tsp truffle paste )

* Calvados is a French spirit distilled from apples, basically an apple brandy from a specific region

Directions

Melt all but 1 tbsp of the butter over low heat in a heavy sauté pan.
Add the peppercorns and turn heat up to medium.
Chop the chicken livers into pieces and add to the pan, stirring occasionally. Cook until browned on the outside, but still slightly pink inside (unless you really like your meat well done, then go for it, cook it more)
With a fork, pick out the cooked liver pieces, let cool slightly then put them into your food processor.
Add 1 tbsp Cognac or Calvados to the pan and scrape up any browned bits, then remove most of the peppercorns from the pan and set aside.
Crush the garlic into the same pan, roasting until golden, then tip the butter and garlic into the food processor with the chicken livers.
Pulse a few times to combine, then add the remaining 1 tbsp Cognac or Calvados, and the salt, blend until smooth
Add the truffle paste (if using) and the pepercorns and pulse a few times to combine
Melt the remaining butter. Spread chicken liver mix from blender into several small ramekin forms and pour the molten butter over top.
Refrigerate for at least a half hour before serving. Whatever you are not going to eat within 3-4 days, freeze for later.

November 10, 2011December 16, 2017

Super Muffins

I wanted to make muffins that taste good and you don’t have to feel super guilty about eating ~~six, four,~~ one. Not like I did that or anything…

Here’s the result, mightily loaded with chia (protein, omega-3 & fiber, essential minerals like phosphorus, manganese, calcium, potassium and sodium) and flax seeds (omega-3), coconut (medium chain triglycerides are more likely to be used as energy than stored as fat), sunflower seeds (essential fatty acids, B1, B5, magnesium, manganese and various other minerals) and ground almond (monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, fiber, B complex vitamins and essential minerals)

While I am in no way suggesting you should live on these, they have nutritional value versus just empty calories, which makes me happy.

Super as in mighty good and good for you too, yummo!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar (sucanat, coconut sugar or regular)
1/2 cup ground whole almonds
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut, unsweetened
2 tbsp chia seed
3 tbsp raw sunflower seeds
2 tbsp flax seeds (brown or golden)
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1 cup milk
2 lg eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F
In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (up to ground flax seed)
Add the milk and eggs, mix just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated, (do not over mix or the dough becomes tough)
Drop into paper lined muffin cups and bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes before removing individual muffins to a cooling rack.

unbaked…

…baked!

Okay, maybe I did have like 5… had to make sure they were really, really good before I posted it. You know, I am looking out for you guys 🙂

November 8, 2011December 16, 2017

Pumpkin Apricot White Chocolate Muffins

What to do if you were blinded by the fact that all pumpkins were the same price, but one person can only eat so much pumpkin and still you picked the BIGGEST one at the farmers marked? My solution was this: You make another pumpkin muffin! This one with dried apricots and some white chocolate chips. They are not super sweet, therefore the white chocolate chips make for a nice addition. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar ( sucanat, coconut sugar or regular)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp to 1/4 cup water
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 400
Combine dry ingredients up to cinnamon, add the chopped apricots by sprinkling them over the flour mixture so they don’t clump together
Add the chocolate chips
Stir in pumpkin puree, vanilla, oil and water. Stir until just combined and you can see no more floury pieces of apricot
Drop by the tablespoon full into prepared muffin tin
Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean

November 2, 2011December 16, 2017

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Had I only tried this sooner. I always thought that it would be way cumbersome to clean the seeds after you scoop them out of the pumpkin, that I would just throw it all on the compost. Well, this year, I (finally) git smart and decided to try roasting pumpkin seeds. Now in my defense, since I am not from here, pumpkins are not the main focus of our entire fall season, so I really did not grow up wit the pumpkin mania that hits the US every year 😉
To make cleaning them easier, scoop the seeds out first, using a spoon. Then remove all the stringy stuff. Place he seeds in a collander and with the water running, using your dish brush, clean and swirl the seeds.
Let them drip a little then spread on paper towels and allow to dry. Season with ingredients below and spread in a single layer on a (aluminium foil lined for easy clean up) baking sheet. Roast in a preheated oven at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until the seeds pop! (Haha, anyone remember ‘ Music & Lyrics‘ ? ), stir after 10 minutes.

But to make your life even easier, I tried it out in the toaster oven, and it works there too, yay for easy and quick! What can I say, I am a busy girl and the toaster oven has served as my version of a microwave lately.

Below recipes are for about 1 cup seeds, use less oil, if your pumpkin had less seeds or you’re using squash seeds. Unless of course, you had a zombie squash, then things are different…

Plain:

toss pumpkin seeds with 1-3 tsp oil (depending on amount and size of seeds)
1/2 tsp salt

Spiced:

toss pumpkin seeds with 1-3 tsp basting oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika, sprinkle on 5 minutes before done roasting*
(if you’re really into spice, use cayenne instead)

* Note: If attempting in the toaster oven, put the paprika on AFTER the seeds are roasted

Sorry no more toasted seed pictures, the seeds are too tasty to wait and do you know how hard it is to make beige or brown little seeds look pretty in a picture? 🙂