I don't know if you're anything like me or not, but if you are, you like to snack. I think I'd rather graze on food all day long than sit down to a big meal (unless I'm with friends, in which case I love to go out to dinner and sit for hours drinking and sharing food and whatnot). But for the most part, I like a little something here and there. A pear in the morning, half a peanut butter sandwich mid-morning, celery sticks at lunchtime, a granola bar in the afternoon, a handful of almonds a little later, you get the idea. So I've been working on testing out some snack recipes I've found as well as creating a few of my own and I'd like to share them with you.
I should probably buy this t-shirt. It's pretty lame but it's probably the first question I'm asking when I get to your house.
I'm starting out with the two popcorn recipes I really love. Popcorn can actually be a pretty healthy snack (without all that butter and salt). I buy the old fashioned kind in a bag you have to cook on the stove and I use a little olive oil or safflower oil instead of vegetable oil to do it. You can use microwaveable popcorn for both of these recipes, too, as long as it's plain, unbuttered, unsalted popcorn.
CAJUN POPCORN
Ingredients
1 cup raw popcorn kernels
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (can be found at your grocery store)
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning (I'll give you that recipe, too)
Pop your corn kernels as you normally would and put in a large bowl. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the rest of the ingredients (oil, water, yeast, seasoning) and cook about two minutes. Drizzle over the popcorn and toss well to evenly coat. Serve warm. If you're feeling really sassy, you could add some nuts and pretzels to the mix (just double the Creole oil stuff) and make a nice little party mix.
CREOLE SEASONING
Ingredients
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white pepper (my secret ingredient in a lot of recipes)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dry mustard
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Store in an airtight container. And if you're a lazy ass and don't feel like making your own Creole seasoning or you're just a cheap ass who doesn't already have all the ingredients to make it and can't afford them (they're expensive, I know), I'm willing to bet you can find some relatively decent bottles of it at the grocery store. I'd say Emeril makes a decent one that's just a couple of dollars. If you like anything remotely spicy, Creole seasoning is so versatile and can be used for so much stuff: on top of salads, sprinkled on roasted potatoes, on grilled corn, used in sauces to make a Cajun pasta, all kinds of stuff. Be creative, I know you're not all a bunch of dummies (or at least I have my fingers crossed that you aren't, but I've been wrong before).
The next recipe is for a sweet way to eat popcorn: drizzled with white chocolate. As you know, I have a big sweet tooth, and this is a really satisfying snack for me. I came across this recipe probably ten years ago and it's so easy and so yummy. You can add all kinds of stuff to it to make a snack mix (like different nuts, pretzels, dried cranberries) or you can color the chocolate for special events because what little girl wouldn't love pink popcorn? You can do this with semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate too, whatever your little heart desires.
WHITE CHOCOLATE POPCORN
Ingredients
1 12oz bag white chocolate
1 cup raw popcorn kernels
Directions
Pop the popcorn. Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler over medium-high heat. Once it's melted, pour over popcorn in a large container, mixing it as you go. You want the popcorn to be evenly coated because if too much is on it, then the popcorn will get soggy and gross. Refrigerate so the chocolate sets up and you have to break apart the popcorn. For some reason, it just tastes better cold. If you're adding other ingredients to the mix, you may need more chocolate; add how much you use accordingly.
You can order the cute old-fashioned popcorn bags from Oriental Trading for only $3.49/dozen. That would be perfect for a sleepover or movie night so everyone has their own little bag and they don't have to share a bowl (which is good because I'm sure as hell not sharing mine with anyone).
I like brownies. And that's probably a big understatement because I'm that person that picks a piece off a brownie every single time I walk through the kitchen. I tell myself it's okay because I'm not eating the whole brownie at once, but then I realize when the day is over that I've managed to eat four brownies over the course of the day. I'm addicted to brownies. And I feared that in becoming vegan, I would have to give up brownies. But alas, I've found a pretty interesting recipe for some brownie bites that I've tried and I absolutely love. I don't tell people what's in them because if I did, they'd probably look at me like I'm a psychopath, but the secret ingredient makes all the difference in the world and everyone who's tried them absolutely loves them.
Ingredients
7 pitted prunes (secret ingredient - like I said, sounds kind of crazy and/or totally gross)
1/4 cup hot water
1 1/3 cups unbleached cane sugar (can be found at specialty stores, or you can use regular sugar if you must)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk of choice (I prefer either almond or rice milk for baking, they're sweeter)
2 teaspoons vanilla (I've told you before to buy the good shit and I mean it. Splurge and buy it)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (if you're still using iodized salt, you're stupid, just saying)
1 cup vegan chocolate chips (most semi-sweet morsels are vegan - milk chocolate obviously is not)
1/2 cup walnuts roughly chopped (optional)
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside (please note that parchment paper and wax paper are definitely NOT the same thing - I made this mistake once and nearly burned down our apartment building). In a small bowl, pour the hot water over the prunes to rehydrate them for 15 minutes, then puree in your Ninja 1-2 minutes until they're smooth. Add sugar, non-dairy milk, vanilla, and almond and puree for an additional minute. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to this and stir well to combine. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and nuts if you're using them. Working in batches using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon, portion tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, placing them 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 until set but still soft to the touch. Allow the brownie bites to cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks. Yields approximately 3 dozen bites. You could also line mini cupcake pans with paper wrappers and bake them that way if you prefer.
Another mix I like is Napa Snack Mix, which is fruity, nutty, and yummy. I used to make this a lot when I lived in Chicago and I'd take bags of it to class and photo shoots to keep up my energy throughout the day. Some of the ingredients are a little bit difficult to find back home in WV and might have to be ordered, but they're totally worth it. The best dried fruits I've ever ordered came from Bella Viva and they're actually pretty reasonably priced.
Ingredients
1/4 cup dried pears, cut lengthwise in halves or thirds (this is one of the harder-to-find ingredients)
1/4 cup dried nectarines, cut into quarters
1/4 cup dried figs, cut into halves (another hard-to-find)
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and peeled
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/4 cup almonds, toasted
1/2 cup sesame sticks (Target usually has these)
Blend all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
Dips are good for snacking, too, and they're especially good at parties and get-togethers. I'm a big fan of hummus because you can make it a million different ways and use it with a ton of stuff (veggies, crackers, chips, as a spread on sandwiches, etc). This recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Hummus makes me drool and if you like hummus, it'll make you drool, too.
Ingredients
1 (14-18oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, skin removed
1 1/2 cups prepared plain hummus spread
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves for garnish
Directions
Coarsely chop red peppers and place in your Ninja with lemon juice and garlic. Pulse grind the peppers to get them going, gradually scraping in the prepared hummus and process until the dip is smooth and evenly reddish-pink in color. Transfer to dip bowl and garnish with parsley and crushed red pepper flakes. Serve with pita or tortilla chips warmed in the oven or cut up vegetables, such as carrots, zucchini sticks, strips of red, green, yellow, and orange peppers, broccoli, blanched haricots verts, cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, and/or whatever other vegetables you like.
If you've got a little Martha Stewart in you like I do, presentation is a big deal to you. Who wants a boring old bowl with dip and another boring bowl with chips in it? I found these two amazing servers from Nambe (which can be purchased at Macy's) that I would (and still might) give my right hand for. I don't really need my right hand that much anyway, I'm ambidextrous.
Or if you're feeling beachy, this Wilton Armetale serving platter (also from Macy's) is a good choice that's marginally cheaper than the Nambe serveware. I never thought I'd see the day that I enjoy some Wilton Armetale, but damnit I do. I got a ton of it at my bridal shower and as wedding gifts and I use every piece of it all the time. I have the giant slightly squared salad bowl sitting on my coffee table filled with pears and it looks modern and chic despite the fact that it comes from a company that's been around since my great-great grandmother got married. Don't get me wrong, they make some tacky-ass shit (ever see the Reggae collection?) but the stuff I have is going to be stylish forever, thank goodness or else I would have exchanged that stuff.
If you're just plain boring as hell, this one from The Cellar (sold at Macy's exclusively) is A) cheap, and B) just plain boring as hell. But it does the job, I guess.
Or, if you're tacky and like the same shit your grandma likes, then this ugly-as-my-dog's-shit-this-morning Lenox chip & dip server would be great for you. It's better suited for my box of ugly shit that goes to Goodwill, but I guess one person's vomit is another person's serveware.
I also took the time to find some better storage for your snack mixes than some lame-ass Ziploc baggies. I'm a big, big fan of The Container Store, given that I'm exceptionally OCD and I like my things to be perfectly organized and whatnot. The hermetic storage jars are great because you can see what's in them and they keep out air and moisture so your food stays fresh. I like that they're simple and old-fashioned looking and they're cheap as hell, too. Their decorative glass jars, below the hermetic ones, are nice, too.
Mini takeout boxes from Oriental Trading Company are an inexpensive, cute way to give kids individual servings of snack mixes at sleepovers or to have sitting out for guests.
Well, as far as snacks and the various ways you can serve and contain them go, I think I've pretty much gotten the point across that I like snacks of different varieties and I really, really like stainless steel serveware in addition to glass containers.
A humorous little addition is this old as dirt video from In Living Color (no, I'm not kidding) and it's Trail Mix-A-Lot (played by Jamie Foxx) performing his rap song, "Baby Got Snacks." It's more in honor of the fat chick that eats all her meals PLUS the 7204820842 snacks a day, but it's still funny, nonetheless.
