Spiced Carrot Hummus

Makes about 2.5 cups

Ingredients

4 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed (you will need at least 3 x 15oz cans)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp crushed garlic

⅛ tsp (dash) cayenne (red) pepper

3 tbsp fresh parsley

1 cup finely shredded carrot

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Add chickpeas, salt, cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper, parsley, carrot to food processor. Turn on the machine to begin processing, and pour in the olive oil and lemon juice while it processes. Continue to process for about 10 min or until creamy and smooth.

Cherry Pecan Granola Bars

Slightly sweet, a little spicy, chewy, and crispy! Smells like fall when you bake them. Also reminds me of a cherry crisp pie.

Makes 8 breakfast bars , or 16 snack-size squares.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups dried tart cherries*
• 3 cups rolled oats
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup flaxmeal + chia seed blend

Directions

Line 8x8” baking pan with parchment. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Bring sugar and oil to a boil in saucepan, and let cook for 2 min. Pour hot sugar over dry ingredients. Mix well to coat. Using wet hands press the mixture into the pan firmly and evenly. Bake 325 for 25-30 min. until golden brown and edges are crisp. Set on cooling rack, and let cool completely before cutting into bars, using a very sharp knife. (A sharper knife will help keep pieces from crumbling apart as you cut). The bars will be slightly sticky, so they will store best if you wrap them individually in plastic wrap (plus they will be ready to take with you when you need a meal/snack on the go!). Keep these refrigerated to keep them fresh longer, and help them firm up. Best when eaten at room temp. though, so that they are softer.

*Cherries are not suitable for a low FODMAP diet. A few Low FODMAP alternatives to try: cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple.

Nutrition per snack-size square (1/16):

235 kcal

8 g fat

<1 g sat. fat

66 mg sodium

42 g carbs (4 g fiber; 28 g sugar)

3 g protein

Citrus Chard Juice

Makes about 3 cups (24 oz)

Ingredients

• 1 carrot
• 1 lime (peeled)
• big bunch of Swiss chard (enough to fill a large bowl)
• 2 apples (cored)
• 1/2 tsp ground fresh ginger (not the dry spice) (or 1" piece of ginger root)
• 1 medium cucumber

Directions

Add all ingredients to juicer, except ginger, unless using whole ginger root. If using the ground ginger, whisk it into the juice at the end.

Black Bean Hummus

Makes about 2.5 cups

Ingredients

1 can black beans, rinsed, drained

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed, drained, skins removed

¼ tsp reduced sodium salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp oregano

small bunch of parsley (about ¼ cup coarsely chopped)

½ tsp onion powder

3 tsp minced garlic

pinch of smoked paprika

pinch of chili powder

¼ cup tahini

¼ cup + 1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Puree all ingredients in a food processor, about 5 min or until desired consistency.

Sweet Potato Hummus

Sweet Potato Hummus

This. Is. So. Yummy. I could just eat this all by itself. I previously made a post about the hummus at Wegmans, and how delicious it was. Well, I found the perfect recipe for the sweet potato variation!

Adapted from wholeliving.com recipe.

Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. (about 2 1/4 cups mashed) sweet potatoes, baked, without skin
• (Place 3 medium sized sweet potatoes on baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 50-60min or until a knife inserts easily when pierced. Let cool. Remove skins.)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice (add 1 tbsp if you like it be more tangy)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp reduced sodium salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 3/4 cups canned low-sodium chickpeas
• 1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)

Directions:

Easy as pie!

Add all ingredients to food processor...Process until super-smooth (about 5 min), periodically scraping the mixture down the sides if needed.

Chocolate Banana SunNut Protein Bars with Coconut

I had Phood Nutritional Shake powder to use up, so I conducted this culinary experiment! Although it didn't turn out as I wanted, I like them because they are soft, have only a hint of sweetness, are a little nutty, and I found them to be incredibly filling (and since they are pretty low-cal, this is good if you're trying to stick to a calorie budget while still feeling satisfied). So, considering they aren't so sweet, I think they are perfect as a snack or breakfast bar, because it doesn't make me want to devour them in mass quantity. Still, I would like to tweak the recipe for next time, because I think it could use maybe a little salt, or replace some of the flour with cocoa powder. 

Makes 12 squares/ bars

Ingredients

1 banana, mashed

3 cups oats (quick oats are fine, but if you want more texture, use rolled oats)

1/2 cup Sunbutter creamy sunflower seed butter

6 scoops Phood Chocolate Caramel Nutritional Shake powder

1 avocado, mashed (skin and pit removed)

3 large egg whites (Vegan substitute: 3 tbsp flax meal plus 1/2 cup+1 tbsp hot water)

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1 cup applesauce, unsweetened

3/4 cup finely grated carrot

1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

3 tbsp sunflower seeds raw, hulled (optional topping)

vegetable or coconut oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 F. 

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan with oil.

Blend banana, avocado, applesauce, egg whites, and sunflower seed butter together in a large bowl. 

Add in the remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Spread mixture evenly into baking pan (it may help to wet a spatula to spread it more easily). Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top, if using. 

Bake for 30 min, or until knife inserted into center comes out clean with just a few crumbs (it will still be moist). Place the pan on a cooling rack until cool. Cut into 12 squares. 

Nutritional Info (via MyFitnessPal) per serving:

286 kcal, Tot. Fat 13 g (3 g sat. fat, 4 g MUFA, 3 g PUFA), Chol. 0 mg, Sodium 143 mg, Potassium 296 mg, Carbs 32 g (Fiber 7 g, Sugars 4 g), Protein 13 g

New PRINT button added!

This is kind of a big deal to me. Haha. I finally figured out how to add a code/widget thingy to my posts that allow you to view and print recipes more easily (Thanks to PrintFriendly.com)! I know from experience in reading recipe blogs that once you figure out you want to save and print a recipe, you just want the main info, not all the extra pictures and recipe/food babble. So, I hope my readers will appreciate this too!

This fantastic little gadget can now be found at the end of each post (little green PRINT button), where the other 'sharing' buttons are located!