Hummus, Sweet Hummus

I go through hummus phases.  I love it, I’m sick of it, I only like it with fancy flavors or add/ins, only without tahini…our relationship is ever changing.  But I’ve never had “dessert” hummus – till today.  Oh my goodness, this stuff is amazing!  It is based off a recipe by mama pea, and I recommend you go make it right now.  Seriously. Yum.

Cinnamon Raisin Hummus

1 cup chickpeas

2 T natural peanut butter

2 T raisins

4 dates

1 t cinnamon

1/2 T honey

1 T ground flaxseeds (optional)

pinch sea salt

splash of water

Throw it all in your food processor, adding enough water to get desired consistency.

Austin loved this stuff – he loves to “dip,” and it was incentive enough for him to eat all his carrots.  and pears.  and apples. This hummus is magic – it works with veggies – and fruit – and on sandwiches…

This stuff was probably the highlight of my day yesterday.  Austin is in this phase (please god be a phase) – I think some refer to it as the “terrible two’s” (a few months early?)- where he is throwing tantrums constantly. The past few days have been filled with screaming, whining, tears, and impressive body flailing.  I think perhaps he still doesn’t feel 100% after last week’s strep throat incident, and we had a really busy day on Saturday that probably wore the little guy out.  Sunday and Monday were miserable for us all, but the hummus provided a smiley face in our afternoon.

A Successful Fail

I love to eat things in “bar” form. Growing up, eating “individually packaged” items was always a treat – something you definitely didn’t do at home (because, duh, individually packaged things are more expensive than those purchased in bulk and thus are for when you are traveling) and purchased only very occasionally. Thus, opening the silver wrapping of a granola bar always seemed special and indulgent.

Now that I purchase the groceries, I understand this mentality – bars are pricey!  Granola bars are really only rolled oats bound by a sugar of sorts, and the protein bars are CRAZY expensive…so why not make my own?

I’ve experimented with homemade bars with some success, but they were always a little too soft and chewy for my liking, and fell apart easily.  So I decided to try baking the bars – just a little bit – with hopes of a crunchier texture and a bit more “connectivity,” so to speak.

Austin wanted to help – he is a huge help in the kitchen.  (?)  His “help” only cost me about 7 spoons and a good scrubbing of sticky oats from the floor, not to mention a wasted lunch because he was full from “sampling”…but I’m sure his touch of love helped the process:

Wes was excited by our efforts:

(pumped for granola…)

Unfortunately, what I was hoping would be the perfect granola bar tuned into, at best, granola crumbles.  They pieces crumbled if you looked at them sideways, and there was not a prayer of being cut into anything recognizable as a bar.  But…they tasted fantastic!  Kind of crunchy and airy at the same time, these almost reminded me of a marshmellow, in a weird (but excellent!) way.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Crackles

You can modify the flavors and add-ins to your liking – use almond (or anyother nut) butter, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds of your choice.  But I found this combo excellent.  I could taste the peanut butter without it being overwhelming, and the choc chips took on that slightly melty taste you get when they have been baked.  I sprinkled this on yogurt, had a smal bowl as cereal, and ate it plain – like it was my job.  Mmm!

1 3/4 cup rolled oats

1 cup brown rice cereal

1/4 cup flax

2 T water

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup flaked, unsweetened coconut (you could used sweetened, and then probably omit the stevia)

1 T coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 t vanilla

sprinkle stevia (optional)

Preheat oven to 325.  In a small bowl, mix the flax and water, let sit.

Combine oats, rice cereal, choc chips, raisins, and coconut in a large bowl.  In a small saucepan over low heat, melt coconut oil, then mix in honey, peanut butter, and vanilla till smooth.  Mix PB/honey and flax mixtures in to dry ingredients till combined.  Spread onto a cookie sheet (sprayed with nonstick spray, or covered in a silicon baking mat) and bake, checking often, for 10-12 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned.  Let cool, then break into chunks and enjoy!

Peanut butter on what?

Ever stumble across the “perfect” food – a nibble so satisfying that nothing else could have ever been better for that one moment…you get the point.  This puppy makes me oh-so-happy, and it can even qualify as a “healthy” desert – certainly not low-calorie, but energy and nutrient dense, and oh-so-darn-good!

Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates

‘nuf said.

(as an aside, I totally can’t think of this snack without bursting into giggles…”date” refers to your bum hole in Aussie slang, and the idea of a peanut butter stuffed “date” reverts me to laughing fits like a 12-year-old girl)