Longevity Girl

Snacky Salt and Pepper Crackers

I love making my own crackers at home. First of all, it's super easy. It's also much cheaper than buying them at the store, and they don't come full of junk like palm oil. My crackers are completely whole grain with no added sugar. I find that adding some olive oil really makes them taste great, but you could probably substitute at least a tablespoon of the olive oil with plain old water.

These crackers are totally addictive. They are great in soup or dipped in hummus. I hope you enjoy them!

Snacky Salt and Pepper Crackers

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup water (possibly a little more or less)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt plus extra for sprinkling

pinch cayenne pepper

pinch black pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 F

Mix the whole wheat, chickpea flour, and cornmeal together. Mix in the spices, salt, and pepper. 

Mix in the olive oil and slowly add the water a tablespoon at a time as you continue mixing. Once the flour forms a ball, stop adding water. You don't want the dough to be sticky.

Roll out the dough straight onto a cookie sheet with a rolling pan. Make the dough as thin as you possibly can (1/8 to 1/4 inch). Score the dough if you want to, but I usually just break up the cookies instead. Sprinkle with a bit more salt and put the dough in the oven.

Cook your crackers for 10-15 minutes until they are firm but not too brown. The cooking time will depend on how thick or thin the dough is. Let cool - inside the oven in possible. Cut the crackers along the scored line or break them up into small pieces.

Enjoy!

Smoky Barbecued Beans

I love barbecue, but not for the meat. I love the sauce, so I'm happy with it on anything. This is a simple recipe I created for beans, and it's awesome. The cumin and liquid smoke make it smoky - and the mushrooms make it meaty and hearty.

Serve this with corn on the cob, a green salad, and bread for a full meal.

Smoky Barbecued Beans

3 cups beans (any kind - I used red beans)

1 cup water

1 cup ketchup (I used my homemade ketchup - recipe linked)

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon spicy mustard

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

salt and pepper

Put all of the ingredients on a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.

Crunchy Banana Bread Muffins

I love to make muffins for breakfast a couple times a week. Whenever I know I'm going to be busy or tired the next morning, it's nice to make muffins the night before.

These muffins are pretty healthy and hearty. They are made with 100% whole wheat, olive oil, and have plenty of walnuts.

Crunchy Banana Bread

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup non dairy milk

3 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for oiling a tin

One egg or egg substitute

1/2 cup walnut pieces

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 

Muffin topping

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped well

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 400F.

Lightly oil a muffin tin.

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices together. Set aside.

Mix the muffin topping ingredients together. Set aside.

Mix the remaining wet muffin ingredients together, including the walnut pieces. Gently combine the wet mixture with the dry mixture. Pour into your muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Spicy Rice Cooker Chickpeas and Rice

Here's a recipe I invented on my birthday. I wanted to cook dinner for myself, but I didn't want it to take a lot of time. Chickpeas and rice is one of my favorite meals, and inspired by How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, I added an Indian flair.

Since this was a celebration meal, I used white rice instead of brown rice. Brown rice would be easy enough to use - just soak it for a few hours before hand. This meal also includes coconut milk, which is high in calories and saturated fat. I used light coconut milk, but you could also use an equal amount of vegetable broth instead.

Spicy Rice Cooker Chickpeas and Rice

1 1/2 cups dried long grain rice

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

1 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 14 ounce can coconut milk

1 cup water

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, grated

1 small chili pepper, diced, seeds included

1-2 tablespoons curry powder or curry paste

pinch salt

pinch pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pour olive oil into your rice cooker, and set it on the cook setting. Saute the onions and peppers for a few minutes. Sprinkle curry powder, salt, and pepper over the peppers and onions. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Saute for another minute.

Add in remaining ingredients and close the lid of your rice cooker. Cook for until the rice cooker tells you its done. Let sit warm for 15-30 minutes, and then serve hot.

4 Ingredient Sloppy Lentils

Today is one of those days where I wanted a very simple and fairly quick meal. When I was a kid, this meant sloppy joes, and as an adult, I've updated it to mean sloppy lentils. This recipe is so easy that I feel a bit silly for even posting it, but maybe some other people will appreciate its simplicity.

I like to eat this as an open faced sandwich on crusty bread.

4 Ingredient Sloppy Lentils (serves one, but easy to multiply)

1/2 cup dried red lentils

1 cup water (this doesn't count as an ingredient, right?)

1/3 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons mustard

2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses 

Bring the lentils and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils are soft. Stir in the remaining ingredients for a couple minutes. Serve immediately. Top with salt and pepper or hot sauce (my favorite!).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

This granola is a little bit more decadent than the granola I usually make, but it's really quite a treat. And all things considering, it's not that bad for you. The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is a clear winner, though I am dying to try it with hazelnut or almond butter next time. This granola is great with any milk - dairy or non dairy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon cocoa

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Spread the oats out in a baking pan. Mix together the peanut butter, maple syrup, and cocoa. If the peanut butter isn't blending, microwave the mixture for a minute. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the oats, and stir well to coat.

Cook for 35-45 minutes, stirring every five minutes, until the granola is dry and crunchy. Watch the granola carefully, because it can burn easily.

Variations: As I mentioned above, any other nut butter would work well as a substitution. Let me know if you play around with this one a bit!

Indian Pumpkin, Cauliflower, and Red Bean Soup

I've been holding on to my frozen Halloween pumpkin for ages (since Halloween), and I decided it was finally time to cook some of it up. I love pumpkin soup, because I feel like the pumpkin does well with a good deal of spice. I threw in some cauliflower, because I love to have it spicy. I also added some red beans to give it some body. Overall, I really like this soup. It's great with a salad, or as a meal topped with pumpkin seeds or avocado.

Indian Pumpkin, Cauliflower, and Red Bean Soup

1 onion, diced

1 inch ginger, grated

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 head cauliflower, diced into bite sized pieces

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 cups pumpkin puree

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups red beans

salt to taste

Saute the onion and ginger in olive oil over medium high heat for five or six minutes, until the onion becomes translucent. Add in the cauliflower, and saute for five or six minutes more, until the cauliflower starts to brown. Add more oil if you need it. Stir in the garam masala, and cook for a minute until it becomes fragrant.

Add in the pumpkin puree and vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in the red beans and simmer for another 15 minutes. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Variations: If you want a smoother texture, puree the soup partially or totally before you add in the red beans. Any spicy spice blend like curry powder or chili powder can be substituted for garam masala.

10 Spice Homemade Ketchup

When I made my garlic fries the other day, I was totally bummed that I was out of ketchup. Luckily the fries were good as is, but I decided then and there that it would be fun to challenge myself to make homemade, relatively healthy ketchup.

Generally I buy organic ketchup, because there's no way I will eat high fructose corn syrup in my ketchup. However, organic ketchup is expensive - and it's still a little sweet and high in calories for my taste.

I pulled out my spice rack and devised my own recipe for ketchup. I think it's quite good, and I love that it uses a whole real onion! You could certainly play with this one a bit - no spice is strictly required, and I'm curious to know what you come up with.

10 Spice Homemade Ketchup (makes about 1 1/2 cups)

2 14 ounce cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar (or any sweetener you choose)

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon caraway seed

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground yellow mustard seed

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute the chopped onion over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes until it becomes translucent. Add in the garlic, spices, and salt and cook for a couple minutes until the spices are fragrant but not burnt. Immediately add in the remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil and then simmer uncooked on low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The ketchup should be ketchup like in consistency, and it may be a bit darker red than you're used to. Puree the ketchup until it is smooth using a food processor, stand alone blender, or handheld blender. Let cool.

Variations: Mix up the spices how ever you'd like. I think some cayenne pepper would be a nice addition.

Baked Garlic Steak Fries

I think I've finally figured out the secret to making my favorite fries in the whole world - Red Robin fries! These fries may not taste exactly like Red Robin's, but they're awfully close. Plus they are baked with olive oil and seasoned with fresh garlic, which makes them a healthier option than Red Robin fries fried in who knows what kind of oil.

Baked Garlic Steak Fries (serves 2-3)

2 russet potatoes cut into steak fries (I cut mine once in half and then four times length wise on each half)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced in half

salt and dried parsley to taste

Preheat your oven to 425F

Brush each potato slice side with olive oil and place on a cookie sheet or pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning over the slices once halfway through.

Remove the fries from the oven when they are golden brown. Place them on a couple paper towels or a paper bag to soak up some of the oil.

Rub each side of each fry with garlic. Sprinkle with salt and parsley. Serve immediately.

Variations: Try this recipe with sweet potatoes. Play around with different spices like cayenne pepper and black pepper.

Afghani Red Lentil Stuffed Bell Peppers

 

I decided many years ago that it would be really fun to cook a healthy recipe from every country in the world, and I've finally started doing it.

According to Wikipedia, Afghanistan is the first country in alphabetical order, and after doing a lot of research, I decided to try my hand at stuffed bell peppers - Afghani style.

I'm generally not a fan of stuffed bell peppers, but this recipe is truly an exception. The stuffing is very nicely spiced red lentils, and the peppers are baked just until they're tender. These peppers go well with any grain and / or a green salad.

Afghani Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 cup red lentils

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 onion, diced

2 jalapenos, diced, seeds and stems included (unless you're a wimp!)

1 inch ginger, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

4 bell peppers (any color)

Preheat the oven to 350F

Soak the red lentils for a half hour. Drain and set aside.

Place the cumin, coriander seeds, and olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the seeds start to pop.

Stir in the onion, jalapeno, garlic, and ginger. Turn the heat down to medium-low and saute for a few minutes.

Add in the lentils and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes, until the liquid has mostly evaporated. The lentils should be around the consistency of a thick stew.

Cut the tops off the bell peppers, and stuff them with the lentil mixture. Put the tops on the peppers, and put them in a baking dish. (I actually like to put them in muffin tins if they fit.)

Cook for 25 minutes at 350F. Serve immediately.