Choco-berry Crispy Cups

This recipe is loosely based on a recipe for Chocolate Cranberry Crunch Bars. I made a bunch of changes, though to make it exactly to my liking.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Almond butter (or any other nut/seed butter you prefer)

3/4 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips

1-3/4 cups Rice Crispies-type cereal

1/2 cup freeze-dried raspberries (strawberries would also be great, just crush them a bit first)

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Directions:

Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in the microwave (for about 1 minute).

Combine the nut butter and chocolate in a large bowl, whisking until relatively smooth. Stir in the cereal and raspberries until well coated. Finally, gently stir in the maple syrup until well combined.

Press the mixture into an 8×8-inch dish lined with parchment or wax paper, 9 to 12 muffin cups, or 24 to 30 mini muffin cups. If using a muffin pan, I suggest lining the pan with wrappers to get them out easier.

Chill for 15 minutes. If making bars, remove the batch with the parchment paper and cut into bars while still a touch soft. Return to the refrigerator or freezer to chill completely. To maintain their crispiness, store these crunch bars in an airtight container in the freezer. Pop one out when guests arrive or when the cravings strike!

Quinoa with Sweet Potatoes

I've been holding on to this one for awhile. And I figured I better make it now before winter veggies are no longer around! A yummy recipe from Makezine.com:

This took me all of 25 minutes to make, including prep and cook time. I might just have to add this to my Thanksgiving roster.

Wine of the Week - STO 2011 "Suited" Chardonnay

Another bold and flavorful selection from Sort This Out Cellars.

Green apple and pineapple on the nose. Those scents carry over to the flavor, along with some surprising sourness. If you like white wines, this is one of the strongest ones you'll ever taste.

13.8% alcohol

Simple Carrot Salad

In reading French Kids Eat Everything, my biggest takeaway was that French kids eat carrot salad with dijon vinaigrette. I thought "My kid would eat that!"At the end of the book, the author was kind enough to include the recipe for the dressing, along with a bunch of others.

This salad also tastes similar to a vinegar-y coleslaw if you let it sit in the dressing overnight. Mmm!

Ingredients
Grated carrots (1 small per person)
Tomatoes (chopped, optional)
Grated or chopped cauliflower

for dressing:
1/4 cup Olive oil
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 Tbsp Maple syrup (optional)


Directions:
Mix together all dressing ingredients thoroughly. Pour (use discretion, I used about half of the dressing for 3 big servings of salad) over carrots and tomatoes, if using. Let it marinate if you have time. Keep chilled until serving.

Note: I used my food processor for all the grating, so I throw in the carrots and then the cauliflower and dump that into a bowl and pour the dressing on. It practically makes itself.

Mexi-Salad

Need an easy, affordable, yet filling meal? Nothing better than a Mexican salad!

Mix together:
Lettuce
Sliced bell peppers - red, orange, yellow
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen sweet corn
Shredded Mexican mix cheese
Salsa of choice

In a large pan in 2 tbsp olive, heat up the veggies and beans. Mix with other ingredients and serve!

I had my pinto bean queso as a side with homemade tortilla chips.

Chickpea Broccoli Casserole

A friend told me about this recipe years ago, but I never made it until recently. Big mistake! It's simple, but yummy. From Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Three 16-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
3 large carrots, grated (about 2 cups)
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
1/2 cup bread crumbs (preferably whole wheat)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas well, using a potato masher or firm fork. It takes about 2 minutes to get the right consistency. Add the vegetables and mix well. Add the bread crumbs and mix; then add the oil, and mix again. Finally, add the vegetable broth and salt, and mix one last time.

Transfer all ingredients to a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish (preferably glass or ceramic). Press the mixture firmly into the casserole. Cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.

Wine of the Week - Comique Révolution 2010 Central Coast Blanc

This is a wine I bought purely for the label. Because when you're at the supermarket and this little fop is staring at you from the shelf, how can you possibly take a pass? Especially for $5? How nice, then, that it turned out to be a good wine.

Celery and honeydew on the nose. Basically thin scents underneath an abundance of wateriness.

But a very flavorful taste. Lemony up front, with something bitey - maybe some cayenne pepper - accompanying it. A lot of juiciness. The flavor continuously blooms in your mouth, dominating your taste buds; best to enjoy this wine on its own, maybe with crackers or unsalted nuts.


14.2% alcohol

Roasted Corn, Black Bean, and Mango Burritos

I'm always seeing black beans and mangoes together. I couldn't help but want to try a recipe for my bean and mango loving husband and kid. I adapted this recipe for a salad into a burrito recipe by (dush) putting it on a tortilla and also made some changes to make it more friendly to my family. It's also incredibly easy and takes less than 20 minutes INCLUDING chopping all of the veggies if you do your chopping and lime-squeezing while the corn is cooking.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups corn kernels (frozen or about 6 ears, fresh)
• 2 cups diced peeled ripe mango (about 2 pounds)
• 3/4 cup chopped red onion
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 drained canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped (optional, I didn't use them because of the spice-averse baby and it was super tasty anyway)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained or 3 cups cooked beans (I only had 2 cups on hand and it was great anyway)
• Tortillas

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in corn; cook 8 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add beans and warm through. While corn is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl (I kept mangoes on the side). When everything is ready, add corn and beans to the veggies & seasonings and mix well. This is when I took a big scoop out, because I do not like mangoes. Then add mangoes in and mix well again. Scoop a nice spoonful onto a tortilla for each person and enjoy. Would be nice garnished with avocado or sour cream.
2. 
   
3. Place corn mixture in a large bowl. Add mango and remaining ingredients except greens; stir well. Arrange 1 cup greens on each of 8 plates. Spoon onto tortillas.

Spaghetti & Bok Choy

An interesting mix of Italian and Asian from Vegetarian Times.


Here's the yummy recipe, with a few of my tweaks:
Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
Bunch of bok choy, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup veggie broth
4 large eggs
1 leek, sliced
1/2 lb wheat spaghetti
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. In a pan, heat the oil and add the bok choy and bell pepper for 10 minutes. Add garlic and broth. Simmer for 3 minutes.

2. Fill another pan with 2 inches of water. Crack eggs into pan and poach for 5 minutes.

3. Cook pasta according to instructions. Add cooked pasta to veggie pan and toss.

4. Serve pasta mix on plates. Top with eggs, leeks, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Wine of the Week - Arrowhead NV Scarlet's Select

Arrowhead Wine Cellars of North East Pennsylvania bring us a wine that's rare for the region, with muted fruitiness, roundness, and a medium body.

Nice winter scents of nutmeg and black pepper on the nose, with some strawberry for good measure.

Up front, you'll taste a melted butter flavor leaning toward olive oil. Then come the deep flavors of tobacco, clove, and a little dark chocolate.

Very savory. A good red meat wine. Represents the region well.