Sesame, Wasabi & Nori Mixed Nuts

Do you ever stand in that aisle in Trader Joe's that has all the mixed nuts and have serious decision making problems? I mean, they have every combination that ever could exist. And it's also an extremely slippery slope because while nuts have great nutritional benefits, they are little calorie bombs.  And who eats just ONE handful of trail mix? Nobody.

So I just stand in that aisle, drool, and move on. Self control. My weakness is the Thai spiced mixed nuts. If you haven't had them, don't. You won't be able to stop yourself.

So when faced with a surplus of asian ingredients and a freezer full of nuts, I did this:

Sesame, Wasabi  & Nori Mixed Nuts

makes 1 cup

2 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp prepared wasabi paste

1/2 c. almonds

1/2 c. cashews

1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 tbsp rice seasoning (which is sesame seeds, nori, salt, sugar)

In a small bowl, combine coconut oil and wasabi. 

Toast nuts over medium heat for 2-4 minutes. 

When they start to toast, add coconut oil/wasabi mixture and toss to coat. Let them toast for another 30 seconds or so.

Drizzle over the tamari and toss the nuts.

Sprinkle over the rice seasoning and toss to coat.

Transfer to a foil lined sheet pan, spread out so they do not touch, and let them sit out at room temp for about 1 hour. Then you can jar them up and snack for days!

If you giggled every time I wrote "nuts", we must be friends.

Nacho Usual Nachos

Mark Bittman is a food writer for NY Times Food & Dining section and cookbook author. I'm a fan.

Especially when he makes greek nachos.

Can't go wrong there.

excuse the crappy droid photo

Don't let the crappy photo discourage you.

Maybe look at Not Without Salt's depiction of Bittman's recipe.

Muccchhhh better.

Here's my lightened up version of Bittman's recipe. He used lamb, full fat yogurt and cheese, and EVOO to thin out the yogurt sauce. I used lean meat, nonfat cheese, and water in the place of oil. All the flavor, none of the fat!

Greek Nachos


Ingredients

• 6 large whole wheat pitas, cut into 1/8's
• Yogurt Sauce
• 1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 c. fat free feta crumbles
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped mint
• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp really fruity EVOO
• 1/4 c. water
• pinch of sea salt
• Beef
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• Toppings
• 2 roma tomatos, diced
• 1 medium cucumber, diced
• 1/4 c. fresh mint, chopped
• 1/4 c. greek olives, drained, chopped

Instructions

• Arrange pita pieces on a baking sheet
• Place in a 375F oven for 20 minutes, flip pieces, then bake for another 20 minutes or until chip-y
• In a frying pan, brown beef with red onion and seasonings
• In a bowl, combine all yogurt sauce ingredients
• Think of this as your nacho cheese sauce... Aim for that consistency
• You could puree the feta and yogurt first if you want a smooth cheesey sauce, but I like this like tzatziki, so I preferred the chunks
• Don't skip the mint. It MAKES the recipe.
• On a platter or individual plate, arrange pita chips
• Sprinkle over meat
• Drizzle with yogurt sauce
• Top with toppings of your choice
• Never eat nasty yellow cheese nachos again!

Can't wait to have these again! They are also super super lean, so a nearly guilt free meal. 

Pantry Sweep

In an effort to utilize overlooked pantry goods, I decided I would make something creative and delicious WITHOUT making a special trip to the grocery store. Too often I find myself making a special trip to the store for some random ingredient like cilantro or limes. Which is stupid because we should just grow those and cut out the middle man... Anyway.

So if you read food blogs, you've probably seen recipes for roasted chickpeas over the last year or so. Very popular. Oh hey look! I have a can of garbanzos in the pantry!

Well guess what?

I don't like roasted chickpeas.

I threw these away.

Next up. Cans and cans and cans of peaches in their own juices. HMMMMMM. I can work with that.

Inspired by Mama Pea's Blueberry Crisp...

Fruit Crisp
6 heaping portions
4 WWP+ each!


Ingredients

• Fruit Mixture
• 3 cans of peaches
• 2 c. fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Crisp
• 1/3 c. sliced almonds 
• 3/4 c. multi grain hot cereal, uncooked (rye, barley, oat, wheat blend)
• 3 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp brown sugar 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp. earth balance
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a food processor, combine cereal and nuts

• Pulse 4 or 5 times, or until nuts and oats are about the same size
• Add remaining ingredients

• Pulse until combined - no more, or you will get dough, not crumble. 

•  Rinse and drain canned peaches. Rinse well. You don't want that can flavor, or any added sugar juices.
• Rinse and drain blueberries as well.

• Toss fruit with flour and cinnamon delicately. This will help any extra juices get nice and thick and cobblery.
• Place in a medium sized casserole dish that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

•  Sprinkle crisp mixture over top, until it looks like a desert of deliciousness.

•  Bake in a 350F oven for 40 minutes.

Try not to eat it all at once.

Hey guess what? This recipe is VEGAN! And super low in WW points. If you care. And though it is not sugar-free, it is super low in sugar. You could also use agave or maple syrup instead of sugar, or a sugar substitute like stevia if that's how you roll. Fruit is already so sweet... why screw up nature? This recipe would be great with any sort of stone fruit, berries, apples, pears, etc. You know me, I like combos. I would do this again with apples and cherries or something like that.

Have a nice weekend!