Honey

Honey Date Nut Bars

April 8, 2018 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

Last week we had family in town for Easter. I had every intention of cooking a couple of vegetarian dinners but ultimately did not cook one single meal at home. I have no regrets though! Ultimately, the time I would have spent cutting vegetables or creating a sauce was spent having amazing conversations. I love cooking but I love quality time with family even more.

A couple of days before our guests arrived, I made these nut bars. I am definitely a grab and go breakfast kind of person. Even as a child, I did not eat a big breakfast. I’m so glad I had these on hand because they provided all of us with a quick, light breakfast or snack when we needed it. You’ll notice that there isn’t any fruit or chocolate in this recipe. It is so hard to find a granola or nut bar without these ingredients which is why I decided to create one of my own. If I really want chocolate, I’ll go grab a cookie. For a light, grab-and-go breakfast, I’ll stick with these nut bars.

Tips:

Don’t bother cleaning the food processor in between uses, it is all going to end up mixed together in the end anyway.
If mixture is too gooey to cut into clean rectangle shaped bars, refrigerate for an hour or more to help firm it up.

Honey Date Nut Bars

Makes 12 bar

2 cups roasted, unsalted almonds

1 cup roasted, unsalted macadamia nuts

8 pitted medjool dates

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup honey

¼ cup pepitas

2/3 cup crispy rice cereal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250°F. In a food processor, pulse almonds 8-10 times or until they are broken into half-quarter sized pieces. Pour almond pieces into large bowl and set aside. Place macadamia nuts in food processor and pulse 8-10 times or until they are broken into half-quarter sized pieces. Add macadamia nut pieces to almonds in bowl. In the food processor, blend dates, salt, vanilla and honey until smooth. Pour date mixture into bowl of nuts. Add pepitas and rice cereal, stir until all ingredients are evenly coated.

Spread nut mixture over parchment paper on a cutting board. Form into a square shape that is approximately ¾” thick. Cut mixture into 12 equal sized rectangles. Move bars (still on parchment paper) to a baking sheet. Spread bars apart, allowing at least ¼” of space. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

Chili Lime Roasted Cashews

March 7, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

I am a grazer – I tend to eat smaller meals and add in snacks throughout the day. In theory, this is a healthier way to eat. But that theory goes out the window if you’re reaching for chips or candy all day long. I need something new that isn’t over-processed. A snack like cashews is ideal because the protein helps me feel full without eating a huge portion.

The biggest issue I have with the seasoned nuts I find in my local stores is that the salt and seasoning tends to be over the top. Yes, I want flavor but I don’t want to still taste my snack an hour after eating it. I kept the spice mild so you won’t get overwhelmed here but you can easily take things up a notch if you want to.

Tips:

These are full of flavor but not necessarily spicy. If you want to add more heat, increase the amount of cayenne pepper into the blend.
Don’t skip out on stirring the cashews periodically during the roasting process – this helps to give them an even roast.

Chili Lime Roasted Cashews

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

½ teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ chipotle chili pepper

¼ chili powder

1 lb raw cashews

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice and honey. Add in all seasonings and whisk until well blended. Stir cashews into spice mixture until they are evenly coated. Spread cashews on lined baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Cashews will take on a golden, reddish color but should not blacken. Spread roasted cashews on paper towels and allow to fully cool before eating.

Five Spice Citrus Salad

February 25, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

It has been such a long and rainy winter here in San Antonio. I’m not used to needing a heavy coat for more than a day or two at a time, let alone weeks at a time. I find myself daydreaming about bright colors and warmer climates. I won’t be going on a tropical vacation any time soon so my next best bet is eating bright, flavorful fruit.

We are currently right in the middle of prime orange and grapefruit season. There are so many varieties of citrus available and I took full advantage of that for this recipe. I love the variety of colors as well as flavors from these fruits. Given the tartness that sometimes comes along with citrus, I wanted to contrast that with a little bit of sweet and a little bit of spice. The result is a perfect dish to serve with brunch or eat as a snack.

Tips:

Place some paper towels under the edges of your cutting board, this will help to catch any juice that runs off the edge as you’re cutting the fruit.
Feel free to mix and match your citrus fruits to your liking or based on what is available seasonally. The main idea is variety.

Five Spice Citrus Salad

Serves 6-8

3 grapefruit (I used one large and two small)

6 oranges (I used blood oranges, tangelos, sumo citrus)

¼ cup pomegranate seeds

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

1 Tablespoon fresh mint leaves

4 Tablespoons honey

½ teaspoon Chinese five spice seasoning

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Cut citrus fruits into ¼ – ½ inch slices, removing seeds as they are found. Cut rinds off of slices then place slices on paper towels to absorb excess any juice. Move citrus slices to a serving platter and top with pomegranate, feta and mint. In a small bowl, mix together honey, Chinese five spice and vanilla. Drizzles honey mixture over citrus salad as desired.

Fruit Bruschetta

August 5, 2017 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

I love hitting up my local farmer’s market for seasonal produce and I love hosting friends at my house for tasty eats. The best is when these two loves come together with an easy recipe that is dressed to impress. When hitting up the farmer’s market, I often browse for what looks enticing and create a dish from the ingredients found rather than coming in with specific ingredients to find. This has resulted in me being more creative in the kitchen but has also expanded my palette. When you find a golden baguette and perfectly ripe berries you can’t walk away empty handed. For this recipe, I ultimately combined fresh finds with what I already had in my kitchen – goat cheese, mint, plums and honey. Listen, I like fresh but I also hate to waste so I’m all about using what is already on hand too.

This fruit bruschetta is light and flavorful but it is also so easy to make. It is ideal for entertaining and could be used as an appetizer, a dessert or even a snack.

Tips:

This recipe highlights using seasonal fruit. If you can’t find plums, substitute them for blueberries, pomegranate seeds, or whatever seasonal berry you can find.
Watch the bread slices closely in the oven, it is all too easy to accidently burn them. The goal is for the bread slices to be lightly toasted on each side.

Fruit Bruschetta

Ingredients:

Ciabatta baguette

8oz goat cheese (softened)

1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

1 cup raspberries, washed

1 cup blackberries, washed

1 cup plums, washed and sliced

Honey for drizzling

Directions:

Set your oven to Broil.

Slice baguette diagonally into ½” thick slices. Lay out the slices of bread on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 1 minute or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven, flip each slice of bread over and place back in oven for 1 minute or until lightly golden. Remove cookie sheet from oven and let bread slices cool completely.

In a bowl, combine goat cheese and chopped mint leaves. Spread goat cheese onto bread slices (be generous, it’s delicious!). Top with fruit as desired then drizzle with honey.