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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.
We always have ham for Christmas and Easter which I used to love. Now when the holidays come around I've been left wondering what I will eat along with my family. I have finally come up with the solution. Seitan Holiday Ham! I haven't had ham now for almost 4 years, but I think this recipe is a great substitute if you are looking for something a little "meaty". The flavor is a lot like those hams you buy with glaze packets, if you have ever tried one of those - kind of sweet. I love to use my meat slicer (I got one for really cheap at Shopko) and slice it really thin to make sandwiches later. This recipe makes a fairly large roast, but you could try halving the recipe. I haven't tried halving it yet, (and probably won't because I love the leftovers, but I'm guessing you would only cook it for 90 minutes rather than 2 hours. Just make sure it seems pretty firm to the touch before you take it out of the oven. If you try halving it, let me know how it turned out! One more thing - don't forget to buy the olives for your fingers - it makes eating even more enjoyable!
Seitan Holiday Ham
Ingredients
2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp liquid smoke
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
n a large bowl, mix together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, chickpea flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and ground cloves.
In a large measuring cup or separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Gently stir into the dry ingredients until totally combined. It should be a ball of dough. Knead it for a couple of minutes until it becomes very elastic, adding a little vital wheat gluten if needed. It should hold it's shape.
Shape the dough into a roast shape and wrap in a large sheet of aluminum foil, twisting the ends to seal. Then wrap in another sheet of foil. Bake for 2 hours. Carefully remove the roast from the aluminum foil and let it cool. Refrigerate it once it's cool. Tastes best the next day!
To make the holiday ham glaze:
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp molasses
1 Tbsp vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) or coconut oil
a few drops of liquid smoke
salt to taste
whole cloves (approx. 20-30)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT for the cloves in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling, then reduce to a simmer. Continue to cook reducing until thickened.
Score the ham in a crisscross pattern, making little diamonds (like in the pictures - if you can see it). They should only be about 1/4 inch deep, 1/2 inch at the most. Put cloves into the ham. Glaze the ham and bake in oven for 20 minutes.
