Crispy Garlic Chickpeas

I have come across many foodie blogs about roasted chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) with different ways of seasoning the beans for quite sometimes now and I just want to give it a try since I always keep cans of garbanzo beans in my pantry,…and… because I ran out of my healthy snack roasted almonds.

 

I've never gave this a try before when I usually eat them by adding in salad or soup and now I've learned how easy that was to make this healthy, tasty crispy snack at home whenever I wanted.

Oh mine……new addiction has begun!

There are many ways to experiment with flavors and however you like to suit your mood, spicy, sweet, soy, sesame, garlic, Parmesan, just give it a try using your imagination. You never know you might find the new way of loving the chickpeas to be your next best thing of flavor snack like I do. Be careful though when you start eating them, you just can’t stop until they’re all gone! So, make lots of them just in case a friend might drop by.

 

What you only need: 

1 can chickpeas (Garbanzo beans) 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/2 tsp paprika 

1/2 dried parsley 

Preheat the oven to 400’F degree

- Rinse the beans with cold water and pat dry with paper towel and discard excess skins

- Season with olive oil, salt, garlic powder, paprika, dried parsley and toss well

 

- Place the seasoning beans on a baking sheet with a single layer and bake at for 40-50 minutes or until they turn golden brown and crispy, shake them once after 25 minutes just to rotate the beans.

Enjoy!

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Cranberry-Honey Jam, Satsuma Orange Gelee, & Honey Yogurt Verrines

I promised you that I would make something with the cranberry that I've left from my smoothie and I have come up with two…ahhh...bonus! Who doesn't like bonus?

After debating between cranberry-orange muffins and cranberry-apple cake, I ended up making this quick cranberry jam and verrines – dessert in tiny glasses.

 

Verrines and parfaits are quite the same which they all resemble multiple layers of ingredients and artfully serve in clear glasses. The differences are that verrines are served in small glasses with a few bites and you’re done with it, while parfaits are usually double or triple the size of verrines and served in tall glasses.

The truth is I love them both!  ^_^

To allow the tangy tart in cranberry to shine through the sweetness of the orange juice and honey, I only cooked the jam in a short period of times, only 10 minutes or so. The jam has a very tangy-sweet with a soft touch of honey. It tastes great on toasted breads or pancakes with a hot cup of coffee in the morning……oh soooo….perfect!

 


Since the last time trip to the market, I bought a 5 lb bag of sweet Satsuma orange and have been eating them for quick healthy snacks which only half of them left sitting pretty on the counter. I decided to use a couple of them to make these simple verrines because I thought it would look so amazing with the ruby red color from the cranberry and the yogurt.

 

See, it looks sooooo gorgeous….  Don’t you think?

  S-i-m-p-l-y-L-i-c-i-o-u-S! 

Simplest Cranberry Honey Jam:

2 cups fresh cranberry
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp honey
1 medium orange juice + zest
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add everything in a small pan over medium-high heat and let it cook while smashing to break down the cranberry with the back of spoon for 7-10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it cool down before refrigerate it.

Satsuma orange gelee:

1/4 c. fresh squeeze Satsuma orange juice + 1 tsp zest
1 tsp gelatin powder
1 tbsp water
*1 tsp honey – this is optional to add to the orange juice if you think you need it. I didn’t put in mine since the orange juice was already sweet.

Mix water and the gelatin powder, set aside.
Warm the orange juice + zest in the microwave for 20 seconds, and then stir in the gelatin (and honey if used) and mix well.
Strain the orange mixture through the fine strainer and divide them among 4 shot glasses for the 1st layer, chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until it set.


Honey Yogurt

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp gelatin powder
1 tbsp water

Mix together water and gelatin and set aside.
Separately microwave 1/4 cup of the Greek yogurt for 20 seconds, the gelatin mixture for 7 seconds, and quickly whisk them together, stir in the rest of the Greek yogurt and honey.
Divide the yogurt over the orange glee for the 2nd layer and chill another at least 2 hours.
When the yogurt firm and set, spoon 1 or 2 teaspoons of cranberry jam on the top layer and garnish with a wedge of Satsuma orange if you like. Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

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Cranberry-Pineapple-Yogurt Smoothie

I love this time of the year when I can find a bag of fresh cranberry in stores.   So I got a bag another day and all I think about is making myself a smoothie.   I just love the tangy flavor in cranberry, especially when paring with pineapple or orange juice that provides its natural sweetness to a smoothie and the honey and yogurt that make this smoothie just creamy and perfect. 

So, I got my cranberry with pineapple, and yogurt smoothie fixed for breakfast to start my day today in order to keep the balance and try to stay as healthy as I could after I've been eating “whatever I feel like” for the last few weeks.

I still have some of cranberry left and I've already planned of making something for my next post.  See you then.  J

What you need:

1/4 cup or a handful of fresh cranberry

1/2 cup fresh or frozen pineapple chunks

1/4 cup pine apple juice

1/2 cup/4 oz. nonfat plain yogurt

 1/2 cup crushed ice

1 tbsp honey

: Blend everything in the blender until smooth and frothy.  Serve 1 or 2 if you want to share... J

Enjoy!

^__^