Quick Recipes

Hello! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but I do have a few quick recipes for you all today. And I have a broccoli soup recipe coming up soon.

At work we once had a ton of extra chick peas and did not know what to do with them or how to incorporate them into the meal. So we roasted them with smoked paprika powder and boy we have been making them ever since. I wanted to make some for myself at home, cause the head chef doesn't roast them long enough, he leaves them to soft and not roasted long enough. I like to make them crispy (I do enjoy everything crispy and crunchy). Sort of like the ones you can buy in the store, those wasabi chick peas (ooo a new idea to try and make!). And these are a great snack, good source of protein, and can be added to just about anything. Oh and they smell like bacon when they roast! Funny story. I was making these one morning and my younger brother came down stairs and asked, "Are you cooking bacon?" "Haha, kind of. They are chick peas."

Smoked Paprika Chick Peas

1 can garbanzo beans/chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pat the beans dry, remove the skins of the beans. (This does not need to be done, but I like to because they roast better, I think.) Mix all of the ingredients together,

place on a sheet pan and roast for 30 to 45 minutes. Shake them a few times while they cook, this prevents stickage.

Add them to anything, like I previously stated. Salads, tacos, stews, a snack, you think it add it to it! So far this is how I have enjoyed them: in a tex-mex stir fry with peppers, spinach, tomatoes, and black olives (not pictured); a salad that contained salsa as the dressing, tomatoes, black olives, roasted peppers, and I think I added some cheese (below); and lastly I had another salad with roasted corn, peppers, salsa, tomatoes, black olives, and avocado (top of the recipe).

For the second quick recipes I have some candy for you. I wanted to make those "jelly" filled candy that you get in a box of chocolates. I wanted to make them quickly so I came up with this idea: adding xanthum gum to make the "jelly". The process I have seen done before goes like this: coat the bottom of a mini cupcake liner with chocolate, freeze it, added the filling, top with more chocolate and let them harden. It did work. For the filling I thought about what to use. Jam! With xanthum gum to thicken it up so it wouldn't be to watery. That worked also. Amazing what xanthum gum can do. If you feel uncomfortable using it, please don't. You probably eat it all the time without even knowing it. Manufactures use it in everything from dressing to ice cream to cookies and bread. Yup everything. And it is just from seaweed, so it is perfectly safe to consume. So here you go:

Chocolate Candy Cups

1/4 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips (or your favorite)*
1/4 cup carob chips*
6 tablespoons of jam (any flavor you like)
1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum
8 mini cupcake liners

*note you can use all chocolate if you like, I just enjoy that combination

Melt the chocolate and carob chips over a double boiler. Once melted, add about two teaspoons of chocolate to the liners.

Tilt the liners in the air so the chocolate moves up the sides of the liner. This helps the chocolate cup have sides.

Once they are all chocolate coated, place in the freezer for about 10 minutes, so the chocolate hardens.

While they are in the freezer, mix your jam of choice with the xanthum gum. It is going to get a little stringy/gummy looking, but that is how it works.

Once the chocolate is ready, add some of the filling to each cup. Top with more chocolate. There may be extra chocolate left over, use it up! Add raisins, coconut, anything tastes good coated in chocolate. Allow them to harden either in the freezer or the fridge for at least 30 minutes, longer is better. Remove the paper lining, and there you go.

The jams that I choose to use were raspberry and strawberry. I did try apricot, it was ok, and I mixed apricot jam, strawberry jam, and almond extract to make a spoof of the Italian 7 layer cookies. You can use the same method to make peanut butter or even better almond butter cups, just do not add xanthum gum to the nut butters. (Believe me, do not add it. They come out gross and coat your mouth all funny with this slimy feeling, totally gross.) But do try chocolate and almond butter, such a delicious combination!

Up coming a broccoli soup recipe!