Vegan Rustic Chive and Garlic Chickpea Crackers

I am calling these crackers rustic because you shape them by hand.  No need to roll out the dough and stamp them into neat rounds or squares.  Just slap them together and, ta-da! Crackers!

These crackers are crunchy and are perfect for dipping into a hearty soup or spreading a spicey nut cheese on.

The reason why these crackers are crunchy is because I used dried chickpeas.  I processed them until most of the chickpeas become flour;  the secret is to leave small bits of chickpeas.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic dried chickpeas 

4 T water

3 T organic chives, snipped into tiny pieces

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil

2 t organic garlic powder

1 t chive salt 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper; set-aside.

Place chickpeas into your food processor, blend until you get flour.  For a crunch flour, you'll want to leave in very small pieces of chickpea.

Place the "crunchy flour" into a large bowl and add remaining ingredients.

Stir until a dough forms.

Scoop up approximently 1 tablespoon of dough.  Roll into a ball and flatten between your hands and place on baking sheet.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until very lightly browned.

Store in an air-tight container.

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Ranch Hummus

Hummus is very versatile, you can enjoy it as a dip, on sandwiches, and in salads.

For lunch today I needed to make something quick because I didn't have a lot of time.  Whipped up some hummus, cut some carrots and I even tried dipping cashews into the hummus.  Surprisingly, it was very delicious!

Ingredients:

16 ounces organic chickpeas

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle on top 

2 organic cloves of garlic

1 1/2 t  organic dried parsley 

1 1/2 t organic dried dill

1 1/2 t organic dried onion powder

1 t organic lemon juice

1/2 t sea salt 

Method:

Place all ingredients into a food processor; blend until smooth.  

Place into a bowl and drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with dill.

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Vegan Chickpea Crackers

Rarely do I buy crackers in a market.  Either I can't find organic, vegan, or they contain palm oil.

No matter, this small hiccup has just led me to explore the wonderful and crunchy world of cracker recipes.  I've made several cracker recipes before, but this easy 7 ingredient recipe is by far the best.

Ingredients:

1 cup organic chickpea flour

4 T filtered water 

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil 

1 t organic dill

1 t organic oregano 

1 t organic onion powder

1/2 t sea salt 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper; set-aside.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, mix until a soft dough forms.

Roll dough out as thin as possible on a piece of unbleached parchment paper.  To cut the crackers out, I used the rim of a very small glass.  You can also use cookie cutters or free form for a more rustic look.

Bake 10 minutes, or until crackers are slight browned.  Remove from oven and flip each cracker; bake another 10 minutes or until slightly browned.

Store in a tightly sealed container.

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Vegan Ginger Pear Tea Granola

In the evenings, I do try to eat healthy after eating raw until 4 all day.  One of my favorite snacks is granola.  I like that it's filling, but doesn't weigh you down.  You can also easily alter the flavor by adding your favorite freshly brewed tea. The next time you brew some tea make a little extra and make this scrumptious granola.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups organic oats

1 cup organic almonds

1/2 cup organic Ginger Pear tea, brewed

1/2 cup filtered water

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

1/4 cup organic raw agave nectar 

1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil

1/4 t sea salt 

Method:

Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper; set aside.

Place all ingredients into a large bowl; mix thoroughly.  Spoon mixture evenly onto lined baking sheet.

Bake 45 minutes. Every now and then, using a large spoon, mix granola about so it bakes evenly.  Turn oven off and let granola sit in the oven for 15 minutes.

Store granola in an air tight glass container.

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Roasted Peas

These roasted peas are my new favorite snack.  They are crunchy, healthy, and full of flavor.  You can make them spicey, salty, or savory.  Toss them in a salad or straight into your mouth!

Ingredients:

2 cups organic peas, frozen or fresh

1 t organic extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a small baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper; set-aside.

If using frozen peas, let thaw completely.

In a bowl mix peas and oil, season with sea salt to taste.

Roast 40-45 minutes.

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Curried Mixed Nuts

My husband and I eat nuts everyday; we enjoy them as a snack, bake, and cook with them.  In a previous post, I wrote about my husband eating a mold free diet.  Some of the nuts I used to buy were grown in another country. By the time these certain nuts arrived to my market they were several months old. So, to insure we eat the freshest nuts possible, I researched purchasing nuts directly from nut farms. Last week we received a nut haul from Braga Organic Farms, located in California.  We received raw cashews, raw pecans, raw walnuts, raw pastashios, natural almonds, and raw sunflowerseeds.

As my husband and I took each bag of nuts out of the shipping box we oohed and aahed. The nuts and sunflower seeds were much larger than the ones I've been buying at market, and they all were fresh!  You can definitely taste the difference.  We are very pleased with this farm's products.  

We store the nuts and sunflower seeds in the refrigerator to help keep them fresh.

My husband is a big curry fan so I made these curried mixed nuts this morning for him and I am sure they will gone by this evening.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic mix nuts

2 T organic lemon juice

2 T organic curry powder

1 t sea salt 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper; set-aside.

Place nuts in a large bowl and mix in lemon juice, curry, and salt.  Pour nuts into the lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.

Store cooked nuts in a tightly sealed container.

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Vegan Ranch Guacamole

When I saw this recipe in the magazine Naturally, I thought it was the typical guac recipe.  Upon reading through the ingredients I saw peas, and thought that was a little odd.  How would peas taste in guac? Intrigued, I gave it a try.

My family eats guacamole at least 2-3 times a week.  I knew serving this new recipe with homemade burritos would be risky.

Firstly, by adding the peas it greatly stretches the only avocado in the recipe, which is nice, and the jalapeño, onions, garlic, and cilantro only enhance the flavor of the peas.

I didn't tell my family that I tried a new recipe.  Upon eating the first bite of the guacamole though my daughter did recognize a difference.  Everyone enjoyed the shake up though, and Ranch Guacamole will be made many more times!

Ingredients:

1 cup organic peas, frozen or fresh

1 organic avocado 

2 T organic lemon juice

1 medium organic tomato, diced

1/2 organic medium onion, finely diced

1 organic jalapeño, seeded and minced

1 t organic minced garlic 

3 T organic chopped cilantro 

1/2 t sea salt 

1/4 t pepper

Method:

In a processor, blend peas until smooth.

In a medium sized bowl, mash avocado. Add lemon juice, tomato, onion, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Add peas and mix well.

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Vegan Gluten-Free Coconut-Date Bars

Do you want or need a relaxing moment?  Try this, grab your favorite book, a cup of hot tea, and a slice of these Coconut-Date Bars.  Then, settle in by a roaring fire, a warm bed, or by a window so you can watch the birds or even the snow falling.

Ingredients:

6 T organic shredded coconut 

16 organic fresh pitted dates

1/2 organic walnuts, finely chopped 

1/2 cup 85% organic dark chocolate, shaved

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place whole walnuts on a baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper.   Roast walnuts for 10-12 minutes; remove from oven and place into a food processor.  Grind until finely chopped.

While the walnuts are roasting, line a 9"x9" square baking pan with unbleached parchment paper.

Sprinkle 3 T of the coconut on the bottom of the lined pan.

Press the pitted dates on top of the coconut, this will be a little messy. 

 Sprinkle the shaved chocolate on top followed by the warm walnuts.

 The warm walnuts will melt the chocolate.  Sprinkle remaining 3 T of coconut on top of the walnuts.

Store in a covered container.

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Vegan Avocado and Asparagus Dip

Earlier in the week, I made Corn Chowder with Asparagus soup, which was delicious!

The remaining asparagus I kept in a bowl of water to help keep it fresh, but soon the tops were beginning to fray and looking sad.  So I made a dip with my sad asparagus and my eat me NOW (or I'll deflate tomorrow) avocados.  You could also use this as a spread on your sandwich or as a pasta sauce.

Ingredients:

2 organic avocados 

1 cup orange asparagus 

1 t organic onion powder 

1 t organic red chili flakes 

1 t organic garlic, minced

1/2 t sea salt 

Place ingredients into your Vitamix or high powder blender.  Start on low and slowly proceed to high.  You will have to stop blending the mixture a few times to free up the blades.  Continue blending until smooth.

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Vegan and Gluten Free Ranch Seasoned Pretzels

Are you planning your menu for the upcoming holidays?  What about the snacks?  Do you have that covered?  When the holidays approach, we put all our energy into planning the meals.  When family and friends come over they also want something to nosh on before the big meal.  Be prepared with this simple and quick recipe.

You can also use wheat based pretzels if you don't have to watch out for gluten.

Ingredients:

1 bag of gluten free pretzels 

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil

2 T organic garlic powder

2 T organic onion powder

2 T organic dried parsley 

2 T organic dried dill

1 t sea salt 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper; set-aside.

Place pretzels in a large bowl, pour oil over pretzels and mix thoroughly.  Add spices and salt, mix well making sure all the pretzels are fully coated.

Bake for 15 minutes; watch the pretzels so they do not burn.

Let cool before enjoying!

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Vegan Nacho Doritos

When I was younger my friends and I would have sleepovers almost every Friday.  The menu included pizza, onion dip, and Doritos. During these sleepovers I would consume large quantities of Doritos. Looking back now I cringe at the thought of eating the traditional Dorito now in my older years. This is because now I am vegan, I eat organic, non-gmo foods with no artificial anything,  I do not eat food that's tested on animals, and lastly I boycott MANY brands that are fighting the gmo labeling initiatives that are currently going on in Oregon and Colorado.

These "Doritos" are crunchy and full of flavor.  You may be wondering, but do they taste exactly like the real thing?  Well no, no they don't and that's because I can't duplicate the flavor of artificial ingredients.  

Trust me you'll love these!  Oh, and I had some last night with vegan organic non-gmo onion dip. AWESOME!

Recipe originally from forkandbeans.com

Ingredients:

6 organic tortilla shells

1 T organic extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup organic nutritional yeast

2 t organic paprika 

1 t organic chili powder 

1 t organic onion powder 

1 t sea salt

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 2 large baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper, set aside.

Place the seasonings in a food processor and blend to create a fine powder.

Stack 3 tortilla shells on top of each other and cut into pie shaped slices.  Repeat with remaining 3 shells.

Place into a large bowl and mix in oil.  Make sure each piece gets coated with oil on both sides.  Sprinkle in seasoning and gently mix with a spoon, making sure each side of each chip is covered with seasoning.

Bake 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.

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Vegan Bagel Chips

Earlier this week I made bagels, and I purposely set aside a couple of bagels so I could make bagels chips.

Bagels chips are great with soup, dip, and vegan cheese.

A great autumn snack for this weekend!

Ingredients:

2 bagels, sliced thinly 

2 T non-dairy butter, melted 

2 T organic poppy seeds

2 T organic sesame seeds

1 T sea salt 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper; set-aside.

Slice bagels into thin slices, place in a large bowl.  Pour melted butter and seasonings over slices and gently mix with a spoon.

Spread slices onto the lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Cool before enjoying.

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Vegan Oven-Baked Carrot Fries

The potato french fry makes an appearance in our household on a regular basis.  As much as I would be very happy eating a plate of french fries with meals it's time to find a less carb-y option.  Enter these delicious baked carrot fries!  You actually can't tell the difference! The carrots become tender and fluffy in the inside just like a potato fry.

Bake some today with your dinner, you'll thank me!

Ingredients:

10 medium organic carrots

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Set aside.

Wash and dry carrots.  On a cutting board, cut off the tops and bottoms and peel each carrot.

Cut each carrot in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half lengthwise. 

In a large bowl, combine carrots, oil, sea salt, and pepper.

Spread carrots on the lined baking sheet.

Bake 20 minutes, or until tender and browned.

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Vegan Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Granola

Granola is perfect in everyway.  It caters to everyone's taste.  Granola is crunchy, it's superb as a snack, scrumptious as a topping for vegan yogurt, vegan ice cream, and fruit salad; it's also a great cereal.

I never used to like granola.  Growing up, my only encounter with granola was a granola cereal that was as hard as pebbles.  I could pour a gallon of milk in my bowl and these pebbles would soak up every last drop. I tried to eat healthy, but it hurt my teeth too much.

This is where the advantage of age helps.  You live and learn; I've learned that granola can be delicious, just make it yourself!

Granola can be sweet when made with chocolate, dried fruits, maple syrup, or agave.

You can add spices to alter the taste of granola very easily.  For the coming autumn, I will be adding cinnamon, allspice, and pumpkin spice.  Perfect for the cool weather and the perfect treat to take along on my next hike.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic oatmeal 

1 cup organic shredded coconut 

1/2 t sea salt

1/2 cup organic coconut oil, melted 

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup organic peanut butter

1/4 cup organic maple syrup

1 cup vegan mini chocolate chips

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, coconut, and sea salt. Add melted coconut oil, water, peanut butter, and maple syrup.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Evenly spread the mixture on the lined baking sheet.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon.  

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Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Crackers

Crackers are one food I don't buy a lot of.  Either I can't find organic crackers, or they contain soy, and they aren't vegan.  Being a vegan, I have resigned to the fact that I will have to learn to make certain foods if I still want to eat them. 

I do admit though, these cinnamon sugar crackers are truly delicious and are perfect with peanut butter or to make s'mores.  These crackers are hearty, so they will hold up to a good smoosh of melted marshmallow and chocolate. Or, just enjoy eating them all by themselves.

Ingredients:

6 T non-dairy butter, cold and cut into 1" pieces 

1/3 cup organic brown sugar 

1 organic flax seed egg

1 T vegan honey 

3/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

3 cups organic unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 t sea salt

1/2 t organic baking soda

1/2 t organic cinnamon

Topping:

1/4 cup organic cane sugar

2 T organic cinnamon 

Method:

Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth.  Add flax egg, honey, flours, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Place dough on a flat surface that is lightly floured.  Roll dough out into a rectangle and about a  1/4" thick.  Cut dough into squares.

Transfer squares to the lined baking sheet.

In a small bowl mix sugar and cinnamon. Using a teaspoon sprinkle each square with the sugar mixture.

Bake 25-30 minutes.

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Vegan Pretzel Almond Snack Mix

This pretzel mix offers the best of both worlds, it's spicey and sweet.

I am making a large batch to bring to my brother's house today.   I am helping my brother and sister in-law who are in the process of packing up their home and moving out of state.  

You can easily alter this recipe to suit your taste.  Try adding raisins, a variety of different nuts, or instead of a spicy flavor try garlic, dill, and onion powder for a ranch flavor.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic pretzels 

1 cup organic almonds 

2 tablespoons organic brown sugar 

2 tablespoons non-dairy butter

1 1/2 teaspoons chive salt*

1/2 teaspoon organic cayenne pepper 

*Recipe for chive salt is here

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees 

Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.

In a large bowl add pretzels, and almonds mix well.

In a saucepan add butter, sugar, and cayenne; bring to a boil.

Pour over pretzel mixture and gently combine.

Spread pretzel mixture on lined sheet.  Bake 20 minutes, stir occasionally.

Remove from oven and sprinkle chive salt evenly over pretzel mixture.

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Vegan Baked Ranch Chickpeas

Crunchy, flavorful, nutritious, and simple.  What else would you ask for or want from a snack?

 When I first made baked chickpeas, I was floored. How could this small round mushy chickpea transform into a crunchy eat-the-whole-bowl snack?

 First of all, I have to admit I had only ever eaten hummus up to that point.  Also, to be honest I am not even sure I knew hummus was made from chickpeas.  Those were the BV (before vegan) days, when I walked around with no clue what was in my food or were my food came from.

Becoming a vegan years ago has changed all of that I am happy to say.  I now know what is in my food and what shouldn't be.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce bag of organic chickpeas 

2 tablespoons of organic extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons organic garlic powder

1 1/2 tablespoons organic onion powder

1 1/2 tablespoons organic dried parsley 

1 1/2 tablespoons organic dried dill

1 tablespoon chive salt 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, set aside.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together and spread out evenly onto the lined baking sheet.

Bake for 45 minutes.  Stir the chickpeas around every 15 minutes, be careful that the chickpeas do not burn.

Store in a covered container.

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