Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds aka Crack Seeds

We carved our pumpkins this weekend and got a whole bunch of seeds from our hard work! I have been saving this recipe that I tore out of a magazine  last month and I was so excited to try it today. These pumpkin seeds are delicious and I cannot keep my hands off of them, aka crack seeds. Enjoy!

Mix 1 cup pumpkin seeds , 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, 1 tablespoon sea salt (I always use less salt than a recipe calls for and this still tasted salty so go with your own salt preference), 1/3 cup sugar, and a pinch of ground cayenne in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk 2 egg whites until foamy. Fold in dry ingredients, and toss to coat. Spread in an even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden (I actually ended up roasting for about 45 minutes because that is how long it took my oven to make them golden.).

I actually quadrupled this recipe because I got 4 cups of pumpkin seeds from our three pumpkins. I only used 4 egg whites in my quadrupled recipe and this seemed like plenty.

Yum!

Red Curry-Glazed Salmon

I feel compelled to post this recipe because it's so easy and so good! My mom found it in a Real Simple magazine a few months ago and we've been making it pretty regularly since then. You can find really good salmon at Costco that I like to cut up and freeze, making this a super easy meal anytime. (If anybody has any other easy and delicious salmon recipes, I'd love to hear them!)

Ingredients:
4 5-ounce pieces salmon filet
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp light brown sugar
kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:
1. Heat broiler. Place the salmon on a foil-lined broilerproof baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix together curry paste, oil, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Dividing evenly, brush the salmon with the curry paste mixture.
2. Broil until the salmon is opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes. (My oven takes longer)

Moroccan Kale Salad

This salad is divine! I first tasted this salad when the chef at the chef's demo tent at our local Farmer's Market made it last summer when kale was in season. We probably ate this salad once a week during the last few weeks of last summer. Now that spring is in the air, I have been in the mood for new salads and yummy kale! I made this salad (doubled it!) for a BBQ at a friends house yesterday. So good!


Moroccan Kale Salad

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped                        2 Tablespoons EVOO

freshly ground black pepper                                                         Sea Salt

Juice of half a lemon                                                                     1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground tumeric                                                            ½ cup golden raisins

¼ cup sliced raw almonds                                                            10 pitted olives, quartered

½ crisp apple (peeled) and cored and finely chopped                  1 grated carrot (1/2 cup)

Honey, drizzled over salad to taste

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the kale with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Using your hands, massage the kale until the olive oil is coating the leaves and they begin to wilt, about 1 minute.

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the cumin and tumeric. Add the mixture to the kale and continue to massage the leaves until well combined.

Add the carrot, apple, raisins, almonds, olives, honey and toss until just combined. Season with salt and pepper. Let the salad rest for 10 minutes, then serve.

Dairy-Free Oatmeal Pancakes

These are our go-to favorite pancakes!  They do require soaking the oats so plan ahead if you make them.  We make them in huge batches for Addie to eat at daycare since most of their breakfast options contain dairy.  I love eating them with mixed berries over the top.  They don't have to be dairy-free so feel free to substitute regular buttermilk if that's your style.  These are an adaption of a recipe found on Houndstooth Gourmet (which unfortunately, is now offline).

INGREDIENTS
2 c unsweetened coconut milk (or almond, flax, soy, etc. milk)
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 c oats (old-fashioned or quick cooking... haven't tried steel cut)
2 large eggs
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c flour
1/2 c ground flax (this is my addition, I am a flax addict)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Make "buttermilk" by combining coconut milk and vinegar or lemon juice.  Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Mix buttermilk and oats together in a non-reactive bowl.  Cover and refrigerate at least two hours or preferably overnight.  Our best pancakes have been when we let them soak for 24 hours.  
3. Add eggs, honey, oil, and vanilla; stir to combine. 
4. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together.  
5. Let batter sit for another 10 minutes, just because.  
6. Lightly oil a non-stick pan or griddle.  Pour batter in 1/2 c increments.  Watch for the tops to bubble.  Turn pancakes and cook until golden on the second side.  
7. Serve with your favorite pancake toppings.

Mommy's Energy Bars

Hi!  A friend made these and emailed the recipe to me (I modified slightly).  They were great and easy to grab when I needed a quick snack between feedings/diaper changes/etc.  I wanted to be able to put it on my pinterest board so I thought I'd add it here. These are simple and yummy!  You'll have to ask M for her "Crack Cookies" which are also blog worthy... but I don't want to steal her thunder.

Ingredients
1/4 c brown rice syrup
1/4 c pure maple syrup
1/2 c peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 c old-fashioned oatmeal
3/4 c ground flaxseed

Directions
1 - Heat the peanut butter, brown rice syrup, and maple syrup over low heat and stir until combined.  The purpose of this step is to combine the ingredients, not cook them/bring to a boil.
2 - Remove from heat and let cool until warm (not hot).
3 - Add vanilla and stir.
4 - Add oats, flaxseed, salt, and cinnamon; stir.
5 - Put into a 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper.  Wet hands or back of spoon and press firmly into pan.
6 - Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (until edges are slightly browned)
7 - Remove from oven, cool slightly, cut into squares or whatever shape suits your mood.
8 - YUM!

NOTE: I tripled this and it worked great in a jelly-roll pan (see pic).

Green Tomato Bread

Outside we are starting to get our first measurable snow of the year, so what better to do than bake something warm and tasty?  We planted our garden much too late so we had a preponderance of green tomatoes still on the vine.  My mom gave me the lead on making Green Tomato Bread and a bit of googling later I found a recipe that I thought would fit the bill.  Of course, I can't let well enough alone so I made a few modifications.  Below is the recipe as I baked it.

INGREDIENTS
3 c all purpose flour (I used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
1/4 c ground flax
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 c sugar (I was scant on this because that seems like a lot of sugar)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c unsweetened apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 c finely shredded green tomatoes (about 2 medium - I used food processor; I also drained most of the liquid from the tomatoes)
1/2 c cranberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Combine the first seven ingredients in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.
3. Combine the eggs, oil, apple sauce, and vanilla in a small bowl; stir well.
4. Add mixture from step 3 to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened (it will be thick)
5. Fold in the shredded tomatoes and cranberries.  
6. Spoon the batter into two greased and floured bread pans.  
7. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
8. Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack.  

NOTE: The first time I made this I didn't drain the tomatoes and the batter was much too wet.  The bread did not rise much at all.  As I type this I am admiring two very full loaves (with drained tomatoes) in the oven.  I also made some mini muffins (bake for about 15 min) and regular muffins (bake for about 25 min).  

Lentil Cookies

You will be so surprised and delighted with these cookies: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/bals-lentil-cookies-recipe/index.html

My coworker said that he added the following:
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of allspice