Roasted Chickpeas & Edamame

July 2, 2016June 29, 2016Leave a comment

We are snackers.

My husband can be found multiple times a day staring into the pantry or the fridge just “looking for something to snack on”. If there are chips, cookies or any junk food in sight it will be devoured first and in a matter of days while the carrot sticks and strawberries go bad. I learned if there aren’t unhealthy snacks at our disposal, we will eat what is there – so always keep healthy snacks on hand!

One of our go-to snacks when we’re craving something salty and crunchy is roasted chickpeas and edamame. Follow the easy, foolproof steps below and you’ll be crunching on these healthy bites in no time!

Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1 -2 cans chickpeas
Oil
Spices (I used salt, pepper and cayenne pepper)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Drain and rinse chickpeas.
Place on paper towel lined cookie sheet and rub to dry. During this process you are also loosening the “shells”. You can also gently pinch the chickpeas between your fingers to remove the shells. You don’t have to get everyone but I just take some time while the oven is preheating to remove as many as possible. I think this creates crunchier chickpeas.
Remove paper towel and drizzle with olive oil – just enough to help the spices stick. Too much and the chickpeas will stay slightly soft.
Sprinkle with spices or any flavor combination you choose. Mix until chickpeas are well coated.
Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Remove and enjoy or let cool completely before transferring to a storage container.

Roasted Edamame

Ingredients:
1 -2 bags frozen edamame (defrosted)
Oil
Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Drain defrosted edamame.
Place on paper towel lined cookie sheet and rub to dry. Remove any extra stems or shells that may have made it into the batch.
Remove paper towel and drizzle with olive oil and salt generously. Mix until well coated.
Roast in the oven for 50 minutes stirring halfway through.
Remove and enjoy or let cool completely before transferring to a storage container.

Comment below some of your favorite healthy snacks – salty and sweet!

Spiced Rum Cupcakes

April 18, 2016Leave a comment

cupcakes1

Leep has a deep love of spiced rum, so for his birthday a few years ago I set out to make some Captain Morgan spiced rum cupcakes. I scoured the internet high and low with not much luck on what I was looking for. So I gathered up a few different recipes and worked some cooking magic to combine them into my own personal mix.

The cake is spicy and moist while the frosting is sweet and boozy. These are one of his favorites and get rave reviews by all who taste them. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Cupcake Ingredients:
1 French Vanilla cake mix
1 1.75oz (4 serving) instant French vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 cup Real butter, melted
1/2 cup spiced rum

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350º. Combine all ingredients and beat for 2 minutes. Pour into lined cupcake pans and bake for 22-24 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack.

Buttercream Icing:
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, at room temperature
¼ cup whipping cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup Spiced Rum
5 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (give or take)
Pinch of salt

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter to lighten. Add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. Turn the mixer to medium and continue to beat until well blended. Add the whipping cream, vanilla and Spiced Rum and beat until smooth. Add the pinch of salt and the remaining sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until the desired consistency is reached. Each time I make this I end up using different amounts of sugar. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to two days. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature and beat lightly before using.

Optional: Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

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Copy Cat: Japanese Pan Noodles

March 14, 2016March 14, 20162 Comments

PanNoodles

Leep and I have recently discovered the wonder that is Noodles & Company. My favorite being the Japanese Pan Noodles with chicken. Leep had the brilliant idea of trying to recreate this with the leftover soba noodles we had from making our spring rolls last week. With Gunnar allotting a maximum of 15 minutes for us to scarf down food before crying, this is a perfect easy, quick fix meal! Now while they didn’t quite compare with Noodles & Company – they’re were still super delish!

*Note to self – take better pictures!

Serves 2-4
Cook Time: 15 mins

2+ sleeves of soba noodles (~6.5 ounces)
1 cup broccoli (cut into florets)
1/2 carrots (julienne, I just bought shredded carrots – shhhh)
1/2 cup green peppers (cut into bit sized chunks)
2 chicken breasts (cubed)
1/2 T fresh ginger (minced)
1/2 T garlic (minced)
1 1/2 T sesame oil
1 T canola oil
1/2 cup sweet soy sauce
Salt, pepper & chili flakes
Cilantro
Black sesame seeds

Cook noodles in boiling water until al dente, drain & cool in cold water.
Once noodles are drained and cooled toss with 1T sesame oil.
In a large saute pan over high heat add canola oil and saute peppers & broccoli until tender and slightly blistered.
Add chicken, carrots, ginger, garlic, remaining sesame oil and soy sauce to the pan. Cook for about 2 mins then add noodles allowing to caramelize and get crispy and golden in some places.
Salt, pepper and add chili flakes or extra soy sauce to your liking. Finish with cilantro leaves and sesame seeds.

Favorite Food This Week

March 4, 2016July 27, 20162 Comments

As stated in my Body After Baby post – eating healthy and exercise have not been in my vocabulary these past 4 months. That all changed this week, Leep and I are back on that healthy wagon. [Still waiting on our damn spin bike though – come on FedEx!] We instituted a “Meatless Monday” and being avid meat lovers – I’ve been on a chicken wing kick lately – I’m not sure how long this will stick. Here are some of my favorite meals and recipes from this week!

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[1] For Meatless Monday we kicked it off with a Roasted Veggie Quesadilla. Roast off some of your favorite veggies with a little oil and lots of seasonings – we used squash, zucchini and red bell pepper. If it weren’t for Leep I would have thrown in onions, mushrooms the whole smorgasbord. But he’s slightly picky. I also made this Avocado Lemon Dressing just kept it thicker. Warm your tortillas, fill with dressing, veggies, feta cheese – fold and flip to crisp both sides. Yum!

[2] In the mornings I have very little time with getting myself and Mr. Gunnario ready to walk out the door on-time [meaning 20 mins late] so I opt for an easy grab and go. My go-to is a green smoothie! I fill it with handfuls of baby spinach, half an apple, pineapple chunks, coconut oil, coconut/almond milk, protein powder and ice. Blend and go!

[3] One of my favorite lunches this week was Avocado & Peanut Noodle Spring Rolls. Mix your prepared soba noodles with the peanut sauce. [1/4 cup peanut butter , 2 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tsp soy sauce , 1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar or lime,  1/2 tsp ginger , 1/2 tsp Sriracha , water as necessary] Wrap all your ingredients in spring roll wrappers. We used spinach, carrots, red bell pepper, avocado, cucumber and noodles.

[4] I picked these up on a whim from Kroger and have loved them! They’re perfect to munch on while sitting at my desk all day. I’m going to attempt to make them myself here soon – stay tuned!

Have some great recipes or favorites food finds this week – please share in the comments below!

Malmy Madness

Where motherhood meets a creative reality

Category: For the Love of Food