seriously crunchy
March 23, 2010 Why I love peanut butter more than any other nut butter: The melt factor. I have yet to meet another nut-butter that melts with such ease + creamy deliciousness. To the right we have a little Artisana cacao bliss and to the left you’re find some of my homemade gluten free quinoa crunchy crunch cereal.
Faaaaantastic. I made a bowl of rolled oats with chia, cinnamon, vanilla and about 1/4c applesauce. I made the huz a green monster [he loves them] before work and I guzzled down a bit of it myself, so I made a tad smaller bowl of oats than the usual. I probably had 6oz of the GM and could not even finish this bowl! I was stuffed…and then of course, hungry 2hrs later.
Lunch time: Quinoa CRunch + real deal whole milk - I don’t buy cow’s milk anymore unless it’s for a recipe. No reason really..I’ve just been exploring all of the nut/seed based milks. I know a lot of people can’t tolerate dairy well, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem. I say I don’t think because who really knows what’s going on inside?? The milk is from a local farm and is sold at Whole Foods. Rich, flavorful, delicious.
The quinoa cereal is interesting. Many might find the recipe somewhat bland, because I kept as much sugar out of it as possible. I wanted to flavor it with the coconut milk + cinnamon. It has a very unique crunchy texture that is really growing on me.
The rest of lunch:
three farm fresh eggs – pour, poke, spread method - SO gooood
1/2 hemp bagel – topped with ~1T pnut butter + Heather’s jam
It was my first time trying these bagels that I bought a week or so ago and told you guys about. I needed some serious fuel before hitting the pool. All together this lunch was pretty calorie/protein/fiber dense and boy was it delicious.
1 bagel = 280cals – 8g fat – 19g protein – 13g fiber – 3g sugar [pretty crazy, no?] They have an awesome ingredient list as well. All REAL food! So last I told you I made Chris try them out first, hehehe. I toasted it and slathered it with pnut butter for him. When I asked him how it was he said “it was okay…sort of dry” Well almost any bagel with just pnut butter would probably be a little on the dry side.
Before I get into what I thought, does anyone think it’s weird to put pnut butter on a bagel? I have met MANY people that think it is the strangest thing ever, yet putting pnut butter on bread doesn’t phase them. It makes no sense to me because a bagel is bread, right? Bread or a bagel toasted with pnut butter is probably one of my favorite things ever. That whole melt thing..mmmm So….am I missing something? I’ve always eaten PB on bagels!!
I stuck the half in the micro for 20sec [because it was frozen] and then toasted it. I didn’t think it was noticeably dry. I liked the outer crust with all of the seeds and the inside was moist enough for my liking. I liked the texture but the flavor took me a few bites to figure out what was going on. It was just not your typical white/wheat bagel flavor. It had a stronger flavor that was kind of nutty. It grew on me more and more with each bite. All things considered, I give this product an 8.5/10. It’s not your typical bagel, but it was really tasty. It also really kept me full! I will be buying these again.
I swam for a solid 45min today. Wow was that intense. My arms/shoulders/back were pretty sore from bouldering on Sunday but it felt good to stretch everything out in the pool. Swim workouts go so fast for some reason?? The rec center I normally go to, right at Wash Park, is closed this week for maintenance. Luckily, when you belong to the Denver Rec Centers you can go to ANY of them which is fabulous. I tried out a new rec center today that I fell in love with. The pool area is so much nicer + cleaner and the workout area had a LOT more weight + cardio machines. Wash Park is nice because I can walk there but this facility is just definitely more to my liking. It’s about a 4m drive..not too bad but walking to the gym is more fun. I’ll probably switch back + forth now.
Ooooh…I’m chatty today..;)
I was SO excited to try this new product. I bought it at Natural Grocers but haven’t found them anywhere else. I knew I would be famished when I got out of the pool. I ripppped it open as soon as I got into the car. I am ALL about the hemp products later. I want to do a post more in depth about hemp + protein in the near future…
In the short: This bar had great nutrition info and only about 5-6 ingredients, and soy FREE, weeeeeeee :) I loved the CRUNCH of this. All of the seeds made me have to chew a lot more, which made me eat slower, which is always a good thing. It was the perfect sweetness. The chocolate flavor was there, but not too intense. Loved it 9/10. I need to find these babies online!
On to dinner. It came straight from this website that Lauren passed along to me after the blogger meet up in February. I haven’t explored the site more but Lauren said they have a slew of awesome recipes.
New York Times – Recipes for Health [anyone check this out ever??]
Dinner Recipe – Eggplant, Tomato, + Chickpea Casserole [this is SO weird…the link isn’t working for me now..it’s making me log in but earlier it didn’t do that..hmmm]
Onions – They ended up having such a nice mellow flavor in the casserole. Loved them…not overwhelming in any way.
Eggplant – I am not a fan. However, I have discovered that ROASTED eggplant is delicious. It gets rid of that nasty rubber texture I don’t like. mmmm I ate a few of these after they came out of the oven :)
Layered up before baking in the oven. I can’t express how delicious this meal was. The flavors are perfection and it’s such a simple dish. My tummy was thankful that I soaked the chickpeas + boiled it with Kombu. No bloat action ;)
I ate this with whole wheat Naan that I picked up at WF. I completely forgot to buy greens [insane!] but a salad would have been a nice compliment. I’m not sure how many it serves but I ate about 1/3 of it :) The whole recipe only uses 1 eggplant and ~1.75c of garbanzo beans. No canned beans here!
While I was making dinner, I was also making THIS gluten free snack mix per Darryn’s request! Oh man did it turn out delicious!! Recipe for that tomorrow :)
A reader asked if I could explain my method for cooking the raw chickpeas.
How To Cook Raw Garbanzo beans:
- Rinse beans + check for debri.
- In a medium/large pot cover desired amount of chickpeas with water.
- Cover + bring to a boil for 3min.
- Turn heat off and keep covered fro 2-4hrs.
- Drain + rinse.
- Add 3c of water for every 1c of dried beans.
- Place a [washed] 4” strip of Kombu into the pot as well.
- Bring to a boil [covered] and then simmer for 3hrs.
- Take off heat, discard kombu and rise well with cold water.
- Store in the fridge.
I have read that you can also soak them fro 8hrs and then boil them, as specified in 7-10 above. The directions I used were printed on the bag of them I bought at Natural Grocers. Here is a link that will give you a TON of info on garbanzo beans and will inform you of a similar cooking method.
Also while dinner was cooking, I made a delicious + simple hummus that another reader challenged me to make starting with raw garbanzos. I used the recipe on pg. 40 of the Clean Food cookbook.
It was creamy and delicious with a slight hint of lemon, garlic and pepper. I loved the texture compared to store bought. It was fluffier and not quite as thick. I feel like most store bought hummus is always kind of pasty tasting. Honestly this was probably the best “original” flavor hummus I have had. Really tasty with the crackers I made yesterday too!
Will you kill me if I don’t give you the recipes for the crackers + snack mix + quinoa cereal right now?? I’m just going to have to take that risk because 1] I am EXhausted 2] This post is LONG enough already, don’t ya think? I’ll do an afternoon post with just the recipes..how bout that ;) I had a ton going on today..up at 7:15am and it is now 1:20am. Totally non-stop all day long!
sleepy eyes + muscles ashley is going to bed…niiiight <3
Reader Comments (33)
I love adding PB to my bagels! Especially with a mashed banana and honey. I also love putting it in English muffins, and toast and just about any bread product. How could you not? :)
Love all these great recipes! The casserole sounds out of this world.
Hope you enjoy your day Ashley!
Your hummus picture is beautiful! I am glad you listed how to cook the beans - I have tried before and it has just been a massive mess.
Thank you so much for the bean-cooking method! I'm definitely going to try it. No more cans.
I've always been a fan of the NYT's recipes for health. Great stuff. Haven't tried that eggplant dish--maybe I'll make it without the onions. Be sure to check out the NYT every Wednesday because that's when they publish their food section. Mark Bittman always has a great column and recipe, and sometimes there is a
fun food science article by Harold McGee.
Not sure if this was suggested for homemade week, but maybe an idea for the future--homemade salsas. I find the store-bought ones to be too onion-y and fake tasting. And the fresher ones at Whole Foods cost a ton. Just seems like another food that seems silly to buy at the store.
Thanks for sharing another great post!!
Delicious looking eats and beautiful pictures as always!!!
Those eggs look incredible!
I'm hoping you tried out the Montclair Rec Center in Lowry...they have an AWESOME pool. And if not, it's another one to add to your list!
Hemp chocolate? Wow. Speaking of PB on bagels, Cleveland's Jewish bakery, Bialy's, makes the most delicious pretzel bagel (with way too much salt) ever and lightly toasted with PB & J is an ahhhmaaazing treat.
I <3 pb&j on bagels. Why on earth would that be weird?
That eggplant looks great, I hope it didn't stick to that pan though!
And also, from experience, when I soak my garbanzo beans, I do it overnight so it's about 10-12 hours and I don't drain the water. It only takes about 45-60 minutes of boiling if you soak them (though they may still be a little hard but I usually use them for hummus anyways), so maybe 1.5-2 hours max if you soak instead of quick cooking.
And those crackers you had in the previous post looked amazing! I finally have a use for the quinoa flour that I bought, I can't wait to give it a try. :D
what's weird about putting peanut butter on anything? it's just that good :) i would think that putting it on oatmeal is weirder than a bagel, even though it's still amazing!
PB on a bagel isn't weird to me! I have a way of eating bagels. I only like cream cheese on an untoasted bagel and butter on a toasted bagel. No other way! Now toasted or untoasted I can put PB on it no problem. LOL
I like hemp in products I buy that have it in there but for some reason I ventured out to buy hemp protein for post workout shakes and YUCK! It was great gritty and not tasty at all. All the fruit and sugar couldn't hide the flavor. I don't even like hemp milk, the taste is just foul. But if it is hemp granola of added in my almond butter you don't taste it at all!
The fact that the quinoa cereal is not very sweet just makes me want it more! But don't worry, I can sit tight until you have time to post the recipe :)
I use the cold soak method for chickpeas, letting them go for just over 8 hours either while I'm at working or overnight. When I cook them it only takes 30-45 minutes (probably more like 45 minutes for a smooth hummus, but sticking to 30 minutes if I'm going to pan fry, roast, or just serve them over a salad).
I am listing again today ;)
1. Dude. Bagels are are bread. Peanut butter BELONGS on bagels! Complete agreement!
2. I read your post yesterday and I am PUMPED on the quinoa crunch cereal! I have been wanting to add some diet-friendly crunch to my oats in the morning and this could be the ticket.
3. I am SO excited for the soy/dairy/gluten free snack mix! It looks AH-MAZING. Like a real energy booster...can't wait! :) (You know I'll have to make it and then give you a shining review right?)
Pretty sure peanut butter is good on most anything. :)
I made that eggplant casserole recently, too! I am glad that someone else shares my general dislike for eggplant--grilled or roasted is really the only way I'll eat it, and even then, I don't love it.
Mmm that casserole looks so good, I want to try it. Might add some goat cheese... yum how am I craving this at 8:30 AM?
I always put PB on my bagels! I don't thikn it's weird at all. In fact, I would put peanut butter on most things :)
you're SOOOOO right about the
melt-factor of peanut butter.
for some reason it's the best melter:
neither almond nor cashew nor pumpkin
nor hazelnut seems to have the same
decadent richness in texture when heated.
i wonder why that is?
peanuts are a different sort of plant for sure,
so maybe that accounts for the different properties?
coconut butter seems to melt well too,
but i find when i'm really craving nuttiness,
i'll take the peanut butter first.
best ever:
dark chocolate peanut butter.
like melted reeses pieces but
SO MUCH BETTER. :)
Oh my gosh your entire day looks delicious. I want to come live with you! :)
I am making hummus tonight. I finally got the chickpeas. I just tried this over the week with my grandmother's recipe and wanted to try my own. I'm glad it's fluffier because store bought is kinda like dried glue paste.
Yes, exactly!! glue paste!
Whatever it is..it's delicious ;)
I love your lists! hehe
I just got a new hemp protein powder that I'll try out + review. What kind did you use?
They didn't stick! I sprayed the foil with spectrum canola oil!!
hahaha, I knew you'd like that one Dad...hemp food!!! mmmm I am familiar with Bialy's and have distinct memories of going there with Grandpa early mornings and chowing down on those bagels...salt bagels + pnut butter are just amazing especially from Bialy's!!
No I went to the Rude Rec Center...sooo awesome! I"ll have to look into Montclair too!
Welcome!! There are other tips from commenters too about soaking overnight..sooo many recipe sites to check out and not enough time!! hehe Salsa is definitely a good idea..I can't find store bought salsa I like...just like I can't find store bought dressings that are good either
Thanks girlie..hope the cooking method works for you! hehe
OH yummmmm PB + honey + banana is heavenly!!!
That casserole looks GORGEOUS! :)
Giiirl, my crackers were GOOD! Although the recipe I made was lacking some of the yumminess you added to yours and they turned out thicker too. Oh and FYI Quinoa and I are breaking up for a bit. Turns out after all the rinsing and the drying I find out that my Ma's food processor WILL NOT turn this stuff into 'flour'. So guess who got out the mortar and grinded herself some darned quinoa flour herself? ME! That's who. 2.5 hours I spent trying mash that stuff! hahaha My Dad is too funny - I said (grumbled, really) "there has to be a better way of going about this!!!" his reply? "Well, the real women in Uganda can do it so..." LOL What!?!? Anyway, that ruffled my feathers a bit... I figured if women in Uganda can do it well then so can I!! hehe Now I have a blistered hand and a sore arm. Tsk tsk. Turns out I may not be a real women after all. Oh the shame!! :P
Point of my story - the crackers didn't turn out like yours but they were still pretty good. I can't find my digital camera among my boxed belongings - only got a cell phone pic and that wasn't too great :/ Do you mention what sort of camera you use? I'll have to check!!
Maranatha Almond Butter is the KING of the melted nut butter oatmeal puddle!!
Those eggs looks SO good--can you explain the pour/poke/spread method?
Surely. I heat the pan to medium and spray with a little olive oil. Then I crack however many eggs into a bowl. From there I pour them into the heated pan and I poke the yolk with a fork or knife and kind of spread it around the pan. Then I cover the pan with foil and maybe turn the pan a few times to get the liquid spread evenly. The foil helps the top of the eggs cook without having to scramble them up. You can cook til they are completely done all the way through or until just undercooked, so the yolk part is still a tad runny. Whatever your preference :)