Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus

I am a lover of peanut butter, especially with chocolate.  So, the other day when I was in the mood for a healthy snack that would satisfy my sweet tooth - I came up with this dip for my sliced apples.  This tastes especially good with graham crackers also.  I am thinking I might try celery next!  Garbanzo beans/chickpeas are a good source of fiber, folate, protein and iron, among other things.  And as I have discovered in the last couple of years, they don't have to be used in just savory dishes.  They are delicious when used in a sweet (or desert) dish.  If you have kids - this is a great way to put something healthy into a fun and sweet snack. 

P.S.  You don't have to be a kid to enjoy this!  In fact you might want to ditch the apple slices and just eat this with a spoon!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus
Prep Time:  10 minutes
Makes: 1 1/2 - 2 cups

Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp agave syrup or maple syrup
1/2 cup vegan miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
a pinch of salt

Directions:
Place the chickpeas, peanut butter, agave syrup and salt in a food processor;  blend until creamy and smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in chocolate chips.  Serve with apple slices, crackers, cookies, etc.

Peppermint Stick with Chocolate Chunks Ice Cream

It is spring but we are already hitting the hot temperatures. And there is nothing better to beat the heat than a cold bowl of ice cream. I had some candy canes left over from Christmas and thought a peppermint ice cream would be very refreshing. I used to love it as a kid when my parents would by Peppermint Stick ice cream at Christmas time. We were very big ice cream eaters back in the day! Anyway, this is what I came up with and it turned out just as delicious as I remembered the dairy version to be. I hope you like it too!

Peppermint Stick with Chocolate Chunks Ice Cream

Ingredients
1 13.5 ounce can organic coconut milk
1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk
1/2 cup organic pure cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
8 candy canes or 25 round peppermint hard candies, divided
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ tsp olive oil

Directions
In a large bowl, combine coconut milk, non-dairy milk, cane sugar, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, whisk together well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

While you are waiting, unwrap candy canes and throw in to a food processor or blender.  Pulse repeatedly until the candies become course pieces.  Set aside.

Once ice cream base is chilled, make according to your ice cream maker‘s instructions.  While it is churning, melt the chocolate chips and oil in a small sauce pan on low heat.  Stir often, until completely melted and smooth; take off heat and set aside.  Add in ½ the candy cane pieces during the last five minutes of churning to incorporate thoroughly.

Transfer spoonfuls of the ice cream into an airtight container and drizzle each addition with a very fine ribbon of the liquid chocolate.  The chocolate will set up almost immediately upon contact.  Also sprinkle each addition with the remaining candy cane pieces.  Once all of the ice cream and chocolate is in the container, give the whole mixture a good stir with the end of a wooden spoon to break up the chocolate ribbon into pieces. 

Stash in your freezer for at least three hours to firm up before serving.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I haven't put a recipe on here for a while but I've been trying!!  I have been having the hardest time getting good pictures at night.  I can't seem to get very good lighting now that the sun goes down SO early!  I guess I need a better camera...a girl can wish! 

Anyway, my girls heard this morning the magical words they have been longing to hear for a while.  SNOW DAY!  NO SCHOOL!  My youngest daughter really wanted to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, I wanted to make peanut butter oatmeal cookies.  So we made the only logical decision...we made both!!  And we made them while the sun was out which equals decent pictures!  YAY!

These are vegan of course, which to some of you might sound a little iffy, but the cool thing is they taste just like any other cookie, possible better!  And if you ever want to make cookies and you have no eggs in the fridge (and you are snowed in like we are today), now you know how!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about 4 dozen cookies

2 Tbsp ground flax seeds
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp water
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the flax seeds and water with a wire whisk in a small bowl and set aside.  (As is sits it will become thick like and egg.)

In a large bowl combine the shortening, butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar and mix well.  Whisk the flax and eggs again real quick to mix in any water that may be sitting on the top and pour into the peanut butter mixture.  Blend well.  

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir into the peanut butter mixture.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop dough in 1 1/2" balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then place them on a wire rack to cool.

TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES:

Use the same recipe but leave out the chocolate chips and only use 1 1/2 cups of flour and add 2 cups of oatmeal (I used quick oats).  Stir in the oatmeal last to keep it from breaking up too much.

Apple Nachos

It is apple season time and my family loves apples.  This year I spotted a recipe for some apple nachos and just had to try them!  My family kept having me repeat that I was going to make them "apple" nachos.  They thought they must be hearing me wrong.  Anyway it was a big hit!  You really can't go wrong making these - and the fun thing is you can really get creative with what you put on these.  You definitely want crispy apples and the slightly tart goes really well with all the sweet things you put on them - so keep that in mind.  This is what I did with my nachos - but feel free to be creative and put your favorite things on it.

Apple Nachos

3 crispy and slightly tart apples
3 tbsp creamy natural peanut butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 chopped pecans
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Slice the apples thin enough so it would be easy to eat the slice in one or two bites.
Then melt the peanut butter, until it is runny, and drizzle it all over the apples. Next, top the apples and peanut butter with sliced almonds, chopped pecans, coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Then go nuts!