Oven Roasted Vegetables & Chickpeas

Garlicky Oven Roasted Vegetables & Chickpeas 

2 artichokes
170g (6 ounces) cooked chickpeas 
200g (7 ounces) cooked cauliflower, chopped into chunks
~50g arugula, washed and drained
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
White vinegar or lemon juice, to soak artichokes

Seasoning for the artichokes and onions:
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt

Seasoning for the chickpeas and cauliflower:
1 tsp dried garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chili paprika
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

1) First, prepare the artichokes. Fill a medium pot with water and add a generous splash of vinegar (or lemon juice). Wash the artichokes, cut of the ends of the stems (the stem is edible so you should cut off just the end of it), remove hard leaves close to the stems and trim the tops of the leaves with your kitchen scissors. Cut about 2 cm / 1 inch from the top of the artichokes, Cut artichokes in half and place in the water with vinegar. Try to prepare them quickly because they tend to brown very fast. If they start browning  too fast, you can dip them in water/vinegar mixture for a second and continue preparing them.

2) Bring a medium pot to boil. Add some salt and a splash of vinegar to it. Once it boils, add artichokes and cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes. Remove from water and let cool a little. Once cool enough so you can touch them, cut the halves of the artichokes in half so you have 8 pieces in total. Set aside.

3) Preheat the oven to 225C / 435F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

4) In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, basil and salt. Dip each artichoke quarter into this mixture and try to coat all the sides. Place them on the baking tray and top with remaining minced garlic/basil/oregano mixture (it won't stick to the artichokes so you will have to arrange them on top of them). Dip the onions in this mixture and place on the baking tray.

5) Add chickpeas and cauliflower into a medium bowl and add a teaspoon of olive oil. Shake to coat them. Add garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chili paprika and salt. Mix until coated evenly. Place chickpeas and cauliflower on the baking tray. Try to spread them in one layer so they roast evenly.

6) Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve with arugula leaves tossed with some lemon juice.  

Serves 2.

Recipe by collecting memories

Cranberry Muffins

Cranberry Muffins 

312g (2 1/2 cup) flour
2 tsp baking powder
226g (1 cup) white sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
76g (2/3 stick) butter, melted and cooled
230g (1 cup) sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g cranberries, frozen
1 tbsp flour
Sugar, to sprinkle (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 200C / 400F. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, combine together flour, baking powder and sugar. Set aside.

3) In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, sour cream and vanilla extract. Mix the wet ingredients to the dry ones. Stir just until combined.

4) In a small bowl, mix together cranberries and 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix them into the batter. 

5) Divide the batter among muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with some granulated sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes or until nicely puffed and golden brown on top.

6) Cool before serving. I also made a simple icing sugar glaze: mix a cup of icing sugar with a few tablespoons of water and drizzle onto the cooled muffins.

Recipe by collecting memories

Homemade 3 Musketeers Candy Bars

Homemade 3 Musketeers Candy Bars

Base and Topping:

120g milk chocolate, chopped

28g (2 tbsp) butter

Filling:

120ml (1/2 cup) water

164g (4 fl. oz./1/2 cup) light corn syrup

400g (2 cups) white sugar

1/4 tsp slt

2 egg whites, room temperature

100g (3.5 oz) bittersweet chocolate (I used 50%), grated*

*You can use chopped chocolate, but grated chocolate melts quicker and here you need it to melt quickly. Trust me.

1) First, in a small saucepan, melt together half of the milk chocolate and half of the butter for the base. Simply melt the butter and add chocolate. Cover and let sit for 2 minutes. Once the chocolate melts, stir and pour it in a 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8 inch dish lined with parchment paper. Place in a refrigerator.

2) In a large pot, combine together water, corn syrup and sugar. Cover the lid and bring to boil. Cook for about 8-9 minutes over medium heat. While it cooks, follow the step number 2.

3) In a clean bowl, add egg whites and salt. Beat on high speed until stiff. Once the whites start holding their shape, stop beating. You don' want to overbeat it. Set aside. 

4) After 8-9 minutes the syrup should be reduced and have a nice golden color. Uncover the lid and attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot. Once it reaches 260 F / 127 C, turn off the heat and slowly start pouring the syrup into the egg whites, with the mixer running on low speed. Continue beating until all the syrup is incorporated and the mixture has cooled. It will take around 10 minutes. I had a problem here: the sugar syrup became so stiff that I couldn't use it all. It probably cooled too quickly and stuck to the bottom of a pot. If this happens to you - don't worry. Just leave the syrup, you will still get those candies! The problem is that I do not have a kitchen aid and used a hand mixer. Holding a pot in my left hand and trying to pour the syrup gradually, and beating the whites with my right hand was really difficult. So if you have a kitchen aid, you're lucky.

5) Add your chocolate to the mixture and continue beating until incorporated. Pour the mixture onto the chocolate base. Place in the fridge.

6) For the topping, melt the remaining butter and chocolate and pour onto the cooled candy. Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably overnight. I find it best to keep those in the freezer. It's much easier to cut them into squares when they are frozen because after sitting in the fridge they were still sticky. However, you might get them firmer as it depends on many factors like how slowly you add the syrup to the whites, what is the temperature at the beginning/end of the beating process, etc. 

Recipe adapted from here.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (No-Bake, Healthy)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (No-Bake, Healthy)

180g (2 cups) quick-cooking oats

75g (1 cup) unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tbsp ground flax seeds

250g (1 cup) salted peanut butter

100g dark (50%) chocolate

100g (1/2 cup) unrefined coconut oil

170g (1/2 cup) honey

1) Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or prepare a silicone loaf pan. 

2) In a large bowl, mix together oats, coconut flakes, and flax seed meal.

3) In a small saucepan, combine together coconut oil, honey and peanut butter. Cook just until melted. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate, cover and let sit for 2 minutes until the chocolate is melted. Stir until smooth.

4) Add the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir to combine. Place in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours or until firm. Store in the fridge.

Recipe by collecting memories

Hummus with Green Olives

Green Olive Hummus 

250g cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Tahini paste*
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
70g green olives
Salt, to taste
Smoked paprika/cumin/olive oil, for topping (optional)

*To make Tahini paste at home, roast a small handful of sesame seeds in a skillet stirring constantly until lightly browned. Don't brown them too much or they will become bitter. Remove from heat and add to your food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, adding a splash of olive oil, if needed.

1) Add all the ingredients into your food processor and process until smooth. Scrape down the sides. You may want to add more lemon juice/water to achieve the desired consistency.

2) Serve on a slice of your favorite bread. Store in refrigerator for up to one week.

Recipe by collecting memories