Tag: Snacks
Pumpkin Hummus + Fall Tortilla Chips
I realize Halloween is over, but can you handle one more pumpkin recipe? I know I can, but then again, I could eat pumpkin pie every day whole year round. For others less out of their gourd for gourds, now that it’s November, pumpkin fatigue may have set in. Understandable. But I hope you’ll make an exception for this Pumpkin Hummus recipe, because not only is it easy, unique, and tasty, it’s also super fun to make with DIY fall-shaped tortilla chips.
When it comes to making hummus, the main thing that usually stands in my way is that I suffer from what I think of as Tahini Block. As in, I really, really don’t want to spend eleven bucks on a jar of ground sesame seeds when all I’ll use is a couple of tablespoons at the most. Therefore, I generally refrain from homemade hummus unless I can use a tahini-free recipe. This one fits that description! Though tahini adds a signature flavor, as a general rule hummus is extremely adaptable. As long as it starts with beans and ends up with a nice consistency, I say you’re safe to call it authentic even if no tahini is involved.
Now let’s talk tortilla. DIY fall shaped tortilla chips, to be exact. Of course you could buy tortilla chips at the store–I mean, who really needs to make their own chips?–but once you’ve cut your own shapes with delightful fall-themed cookie cutters, there’s no going back. Pumpkin and leaf-shaped dippers add a whole extra layer of seasonal character alongside this pumpkin hummus.
So for your next play date, Thanksgiving potluck, or Tahini Avoiders Anonymous meeting, give this fun combination a try!
Pumpkin Hummus + Fall Tortilla Chips
A savory, tahini-free pumpkin hummus paired with fun DIY tortilla chips!
Prep Time10 mins
Total Time10 mins
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the hummus:
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1 c. pumpkin puree
- 1 c. garbanzo beans, drained
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. cumin
- 1/8 tsp. paprika
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- pepitas, for garnish, if desired
For the tortilla chips:
- 12-18 6-inch corn tortillas
- olive oil cooking spray
- your choice of herbs and spices for sprinkling (paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, etc.)
Instructions
To make the hummus:
- Place garlic clove in the bowl of a food processor and run on low briefly to mince. Add all remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Serve garnished with pepitas, if desired.
To make the chips:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Using fall-themed cookie cutters, cut shapes out of tortillas. (You can either discard the remaining tortilla scraps or include them for other, funky-shaped chips.) Spray both sides of cutouts lightly with olive oil cooking spray, then sprinkle to taste with herbs and spices. (Or for sweet chips, try sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar.)
- Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 7 minutes, then flip chips and bake another 7 minutes. Serve with pumpkin hummus.
Notes
A Love Letter to Food Original Recipe
Mandarin Orange Yogurt Pops
I always forget about popsicles. They’re such a simple, versatile snack that’s just about fail-safe, and I have what is officially known as a “crap-ton” of popsicle molds sitting in one of my kitchen cabinets. But somehow, the idea of making popsicles rarely springs to mind.
Until, that is, I go swimming. When you’re by the pool on a hot day, doing the summer dance of in-for-a-dip, out-for-some-sun, don’t popsicles just sound like the perfect treat? They sure do to me! So the other day, when the kids and I were enjoying an afternoon by the pool, a craving for popsicles came on full force.
These creamy Mandarin Orange Yogurt Pops were just the thing, both for me the crew of my own kids and neighbor kids tromping through my house until school starts next week. Of course, if you’ve ever made popsicles, you probably realize that any mix of fruit, juice, and/or yogurt will pretty much work, so think of these as more “popsicle inspiration” and less “popsicle recipe.” The mandarin oranges here could easily be replaced by any frozen fruit, and the yogurt with honey could be flavored yogurt. (There’s a reason why even kids can make these frozen treats.)
What’s your favorite version?
Mandarin Orange Yogurt Pops
Creamy frozen pops with bursts of juicy mandarin orange!
Prep Time5 mins
Total Time7 mins
Servings: 8 popsicles (depending on mold size)
Ingredients
- 2 c. plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 c. honey
- 5 drops orange extract (optional)
- 1 15-oz. can mandarin oranges
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, stir together yogurt, honey, and orange extract (if using). Drain about half the liquid from the mandarin oranges, then stir oranges and remaining liquid into yogurt mixture.
- Carefully spoon into popsicle molds. Freeze 2 hours or until firm.
Notes
A Love Letter to Food Original Recipe.
Strawberry Applesauce
Aww, I totally missed it. May was National Strawberry Month, and I really meant to squeeze this recipe in before May ended three days ago. Then again, I’m not actually in the country, so I think I kind of get a pass on being up to speed on the whole “National (insert item here) Month” idea (though June is National Dairy Month, which I can totally get behind–and also, weirdly, National Potty Training Awareness Month? I’m as aware as I want to be on that subject…)
Plus, it seems to me like the entire summer should be called National Strawberry Season. Strawberries are one of those foods that just scream summer. When I think of strawberries and summer, I think of a refreshing poolside snack, sweet strawberry ice cream, and the edible red stripes on the American flag of a Fourth of July dessert. And now, after this recipe, I think…applesauce! Incorporating strawberries into applesauce is a great way to use up those last loner berries you got on mega summer sale that have faded from their grocery store beauty contest-best and are a wee bit too mushy to be featured in your attractive strawberry dessert. After all, in applesauce, everything is supposed to be mushy and mixed! It’s like the meatloaf of snacks.
So if you’d love a new spin on a healthy, whole foods classic or your kids are home for the summer and you need something a little different than the granola bars on repeat at snack time, give this easy strawberry applesauce a try! (And don’t think too hard about that whole “meatloaf of snacks” comment…I promise, it’s really tasty. 😉)
P.S. For more strawberry fun, read my 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Strawberries post!
Strawberry Applesauce
An easy, refreshing spin on the snack classic!
Servings: 3 cups
Ingredients
- 10 apples (Granny Smith are always good for applesauce), peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 c. water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 c. strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 1/3-1/2 c. sugar (white or brown)
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring apples, water, and cinnamon stick to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until apples are tender, about 15 minutes. Mash until chunky.
- Add strawberries and cook another 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick. Using an immersion blender, puree until the mixture reaches a consistency you like. Remove from heat and stir in sugar to taste.
- Serve warm or chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Adapted from Food Network.
3-Ingredient Mango Frozen Yogurt
I’m gonna come right out and say that Disneyland is missing a major opportunity.
Anyone who has been to Adventureland knows that you absolutely cannot have a complete Disney experience there without enjoying some Dole Pineapple Whip. You know, from the thatched-roof stand next to the Tiki Room where the line always stretches back to the I-10 (or at least to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle). I enjoy Dole Whip, with its cool, creamy texture and tropical sweetness, but I’m not quite as fanatical about it as some people I know. People go NUTS for this stuff.
So when I say Disneyland is missing an opportunity, here’s what I mean: there are other tropical fruits they haven’t experimented with that can be made into whips. Like mango! In this foodie’s humble opinion, this mango frozen yogurt (aka Mango Whip) is at least as tasty as the pineapple version served in Adventureland. It’s a zippy fresh fruit treat that, with only three ingredients, is ridiculously easy to make and surprisingly low in added sugar. If Disneyland tapped into this, the tiki stand could have lines that stretch all the way to the Pacific! Wouldn’t THAT be fun?
Or, instead, you could just make it at home.
Frozen mango + yogurt + powdered sugar + a blender, and in 5 minutes you’ve got the definition of refreshment in a bowl. So who needs Disneyland? (Ok, I do. I need Disneyland. When can we go back again???)
3-Ingredient Mango Frozen Yogurt
A refreshing mango frozen yogurt with minimal added sugar.
Servings: 4 (generously)
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 c. frozen mango
- 1 1/2 c. plain yogurt (I used Greek)
- 1/3 c. powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender or the bowl of a food processor and blend/process until smooth. Serve immediately.
Notes
Adapted from Eating Well.
White Bean Hummus
We need to talk about beans. If I’ve never mentioned it before, allow me to say right now, standing tall with my hand over my heart, that I believe beans may be the perfect food. I say this not only because it will earn me points with other nutrition professionals (though they are pretty unanimously also in love with beans, as far as I’ve seen), but because beans are…
– High in fiber
– Low in fat
– Plant-based protein
– High in iron
– Gluten-free (for those who need it)
– Super versatile
And, if you ask me, they taste pretty darn good, too. So I generally try to include them in my diet on a frequent basis. Casseroles, soups, tacos, salads, and even certain pasta dishes are great food items to drop some beans into. And I do mean that literally, not euphemistically.
Lately I’ve been on a homemade hummus kick, but since I balk at buying any actual tahini (have you ever bought tahini? You have to buy like gallon at a time and it’s hella expensive!) I’ve been experimenting with recipes that don’t call for it, like this garlicky version with plenty of my dear wonderfood, beans! With two full cans of cannellini or Great Northern beans, this recipe makes a big batch, perfect for sneaking off into a closet with the bowl clutched to your bosom so no one else can eat it. I mean, for parties. PARTIES is what I meant to say.
Seriously, though, this white bean hummus is my new favorite snack/appetizer/side. Even though I’ve scoffed in the past about how hummus and pita chips is everyone’s go-to, last-minute, classier-than-chips potluck contribution, the deliciousness of this version kicks it up into “bring this any time” territory. Mild white beans mixed with punchy garlic, lemon juice, cumin, pepper, and parsley creates the perfect edible yin and yang.
And finally, because beans didn’t have their own theme song, here is Brak from the ’90s Cartoon Network show Space Ghost to sing you a very special tune about them:
White Bean Hummus
Mild white beans mixed with punchy garlic, lemon juice, cumin, pepper, and parsley make for a uniquely delicious hummus!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time5 mins
Total Time15 mins
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 2 15-oz. cans Great Northern or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp. dried)
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. white or black pepper
- pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, cook garlic in olive oil over medium heat until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat. With a slotted spoon, scoop garlic into the bowl of a food processor.
- To the food processor bowl, add drained beans, lemon juice, cumin, parsley, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Process until smooth.
- Carefully pour in reserved olive oil while the machine is running and process until well incorporated.
- Serve immediately or store refrigerated in an airtight container. Enjoy with pita chips or fresh veggies!
Notes
Adapted from Bush's Beans.