Category: Snacks

Crunchy Shriveled Green Beans

I first tried the South Beach Diet a couple of years ago while working for an ecommerce company. My colleague, Chumie, watched as I struggled to get through the first Phase of the diet. After completing it successfully and losing ample weight, Chumie decided to try out the diet for herself. So there we were, eating hard boiled eggs and avocados, and it wasn’t Pesach :)

One day, Chumie shared this easy recipe for shriveled up green beans. I couldnt imagine why anyone would want to shrivel up perfectly fresh, crunchy beans, but I decided to give it a try and boy am I glad I did. The green beans turned out chewy and crunchy, with a few prized crispy ones around the edges of the pan.

Recently, I joined my husband for lunch at a cafe near his office. With my diet in mind, I ordered grilled salmon with a side of green beans. I was super excited to see that the green beans were shriveled, but my excitement soon turned to dissapointment when I tasted the soggy mess. The key to crispy shriveled green beans is baking them uncovered for a long period of time. Covering them builds up steam causing them to become soft.

When I got home, I couldn’t wait to revisit this quick and easy recipe. They were even better than I remembered. So, when the hard boiled eggs and avocado get the best of you, go ahead and give them a try!

Crunchy Shriveled Green Beans

2 lbs. green beans
olive oil
garlic powder
salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse green beans and drain on paper towels. Trim the edges with a paring knife. Add beans to a pan and drizzle liberally with oil. Sprinkle generously with garlic powder and add salt, to taste. Bake for 45 minutes-1 hour until shriveled and browned at the edges.

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Roasted Chickpeas

After an extended weekend of nonstop meals, I’m sure we can all use some healthy recipes, expecially with the fast coming up.

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are inexpensive and easy to find. They are full of fiber, and a good source of folic acid, iron, copper, magnesium and zinc. Chickpeas can be bought canned or dried and are extremely versatile. They are famously used to make hummus, but are also a great addition to salads, stews, soups and pastas. With a high protein content, and low glycemic count, chickpeas are great for low carb dieting. You can even purchase chickpea flour to use in cakes and cookies.

Roasted chickpeas are an especially fun and tasty treat. The beans get all toasted and crispy and take on whatever flavor you choose. The beans can be dry roasted or coated in oil (see methods below), either way, you’ll love this addictive snack. Just be careful, it’s easy to overindulge!

See below for my classic recipe, or, try these other flavor combos that I’ve found online!

Savory:

• coriander, cumin, chili powder, sweet paprika, cinnamon, allspice, ginger
• cinnamon, cumin, chipotle powder, smokey sea salt, smoked paprika
• red wine vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, kosher salt
• tarragon, fennel, roasted garlic, honey, lemon juice
• brown sugar, rosemary, cayenne pepper
• lime juice, chili powder, pepper, cilantro
• apricot jam, wasabi paste, horseradish
• tamari, rosemary, lemon juice, agave
• soy sauce, sesame oil, chili powder
• tomato juice, curry powder
• garlic, pepper, rosemary
• smoked paprika, sea salt
• curry power, sea salt
• garam masala, sea salt
• sage, roasted garlic
• peanut flour, salt

Sweet: 

• maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon
• honey, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
• agave, basil, white pepper, cinnamon
• cinnamon, brown sugar, sea salt
• maple syrup, ginger
• honey, cinnamon
• honey, sea salt

Other ideas: basil, oregano, parsley, cloves, herbs de provence, chinese 5 spice, roasted garlic

Roasted Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas
olive oil
smoked paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
black pepper
salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375. In a strainer, rinse the chickpeas well. Pour onto a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and blot gently until completely dried. Drizzle with olive oil and spices and mix to coat. Bake for 30-45 minutes, shaking them around every 10 minutes or so, until browned and crispy (they should make a rattling sound when you shake the baking sheet). Watch them carefully towards the end so they don’t burn. Leave to cool. Chickpeas will crisp-up more after cooling.

To dry-roast (roasting without oil), bake the chickpeas for 30-45 minutes, shaking them around every 10 minutes or so, until browned and crispy (they should make a rattling sound when you shake the baking sheet). In the meantime, toast the spices in a pan and add oil to the spices to infuse the oil with flavor. Remove chickpeas from the oven and toss immediately with the infused oil. The heat from the chickpeas bakes the flavors just right.

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Candy Sushi

The days between camp and school seem to stretch on forever, especially with Hurricane Irene keeping us trapped indoors. We colored, painted, modeled stuff out of play-dough, built lego, surfed on the ipad, and played candyland. When a tantrum threatened to rear its’ ugly head, I knew it was time for some candy. But instead of handing out lolly pops, I decided to turn our nosh into a fun craft. Candy sushi is fun to make and even more fun to eat. Set out some chopsticks so your kids can practice using them.

I made these using store-bought rice krispies treats, but you can definitely make your own. Just follow the directions on the box and prepare thin sheets of treats on wax paper that are about 4″H x 6″W (or just spread out on a cookie sheet and cut to size with a knife).

Candy sushi is a great craft to make at a birthday party. Package each roll in a sushi container for an adorable take-home treat. You can also prepare these for a cute kids shalach manos!

Candy Sushi

2-3 rice crispy treat squares (such as Snack Delite brand) or 1 home-made 4″x6″ sheet
1 green fruit roll up (I like joray sour apple fruit roll)
a few sour sticks, twizzlers, or other long strips of candy

Method:

Place rice krispies treat squares on wax paper and roll out with a rolling pin (I used one from my kids playdough set) until it measures about 4″x6″, or prepare home-made sheets. Place sour sticks along the length of the treats, near either end. Roll the edge over the sour sticks, pressing down to make sure it is tight (I use wax paper to help me do this, just like you would use a bamboo mat to make real sushi). Continue rolling around until your have a log. Place the log on top of the fruit roll up and wrap around tightly. Cut into slices (you can save the ends for noshing) and serve!

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Watermelon Ice Cubes


The weather here in New York last week was truly unbearable, with temperatures over 100 degrees. I am the kind of person that just cannot stand the heat. Anything over 75 degrees is too hot for me. But of course, I cannot control the weather, so I need to come up with ways to deal with it. If there’s a heat wave going on, I usually don’t leave the house. Otherwise, on hot days, I tend to go from my house, to the car, to any indoor place with air conditioning. If I have to be in the sun, I make sure to have cold water with me, and if there is a sprinkler around, I’m more than likely to drench myself!

It was one such day that I was dreaming up some ideas for an ice cold drink to cool off with. I decided to make some lemonade, but instead of traditional ice cubes that tend to water down beverages, I opted to make some cranberry-juice ones to turn it into pink lemonade. I was about to head out for some lemons when the amazing food guru Alton Brown tweeted about watermelon iced cubes. Brilliant! I knew I had to make them!

Ice cubes are a great way to cool down on a hot summer’s day. Here are some other fun ice cube ideas:

– For iced tea or coffee, make a tray of tea or coffee ice cubes to keep your beverage cold without watering it down.
– Citrus ice cubes are great for tea or cocktails. Juice lemons, limes or oranges and put a quarter slice of citrus in each cube.
– Decorate your ice cubes with sprigs of mint, maraschino cherries, or edible flowers.
– Coke and ginger ale ice cubes are a great addition to any cocktail.
– Punch ice cubes work well in a punch bowl for your next party.

Watermelon Ice Cubes

watermelon
food processor, blender or juicer
bowl or pitcher
mesh sieve, strainer or cheesecloth
ice cube trays

Method:

Cut up watermelon into pieces (they don’t have to be perfect, you’ll be blending them anyway). With a spoon, scrape away any leftover bits of watermelon off the rind. Blend the watermelon in a grinder until pureed. Over a bowl or pitcher, pour the mixture through a strainer and press pulp to remove all the juice. Pour watermelon juice into ice cube trays and freeze. If you have leftover juice, just remove the ice cubes from the tray, store in a ziploc bag and refreeze. You can make more cubes, or, add the juice to lemonade, or use it to make popsicles.

Yield: 1 quarter watermelon equals approximately 2 trays of ice cubes.

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{Guest Post} Apple Turnovers

Hey guys,

Since Chanie’s computer is out of commission, I’m filling in for a day with one of my favorite quick and easy recipes. I love to bake but I don’t always have the time. This recipe uses frozen puff pastry (I love Pepperidge Farm’s), which allows me to cut down on prep, but not taste! I really enjoy these, and I hope you do too!

PS Dont tell Chanie I told you, but she likes to use these ready-to-make frozen apple turnovers. If she ever serves them to you for dessert, just make believe it’s my recipe ;)

Apple Turnovers
from the Balabuste’s Choice

1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk

Filling
4 cortland apples (grated)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Glaze
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp boiling water
touch of vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat ovent to 350 degrees. Roll out dough and cut into 3×3 inch squares. Combine filling in a saucepan and stir over flame for 20-25 minutes. Cool filling. Place a tbsp of filling into each square. Fold the sides to make a triangle. Brush with egg. Poke edges closed with a fork to prevent sides from opening.  Place on lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 min or until golden brown.

Glaze when cooled.

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