Food Processor | The Wannabe Chef

Tag Archive: Food Processor

Black Olive Hummus

Written on April 11, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Get the Altoids ready because this one’s a nightmare on your breath but it’s worth it.

Chickpeas and olives are two of my favorite foods; I think they deserve their own food group. This has a strong flavor of a tapenade but with all the creaminess of a hummus. It’s definitely a winning potluck recipe.

Black Olive Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cups chickpeas
1/2 cup black olives, pitted
2 cloves garlic
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Dumb the chickpeas into a food processor.

Add in the olives, garlic, and salt and begin to process.

As the hummus is blending, slowly pour in the vinegar and olive oil until it takes on a smooth consistency.

Garnish with sliced olives to warn any olive haters.

Somebody pass the [gluten-free] pita because it’s on.

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Apricot Marathon Energy Bites

Written on March 23, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

I can’t believe the marathon is only 4 days away. I’ve had this recipe from Ashley and Steven bookmarked since I signed up way back in October and just got around to making it. Dried apricots lend this a slightly different flavor from the typical dates. Really, any nuts would be good in this but I like the combination of cashews and almond butter for that Amaretto flavor.

Apricot Marathon Energy Bites

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried apricots
1 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup cashews
2 Tablespoons almond butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor.

Blend until a paste begins to form. If your dried fruit was stale to begin with, you might have to add a few teaspoons of water to get it malleable.

Press the dough into a square pan and cut into 10 equal portions.

These couldn’t be easier and pack a flavor punch. I think I liked them even more after a few days of sitting on the counter when they were a little firmer, but you can freeze or refrigerate them to keep them softer. And the ingredients sure beat the hell out of store-bought energy bars.

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Overwhelmed

Written on March 15, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I’m overwhelmed by the number of comments on this post.

I’m overwhelmed by the number of you who have tried this recipe and told me you love it.

And after not having made this recipe for 3+ months, I’m overwhelmed by how delicious it still is.

A lot of people have asked if you have to peel the chickpeas, which can feel overwhelming given how many there are to peel. The answer is no, you don’t have to peel them for this recipe any more than you do for any hummus recipe. But peeling the chickpeas will make any hummus incredibly smooth and is worth the effort in my opinion.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Dessert Hummus(Original post)

Ingredients:

2 cups chickpeas
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Add all the ingredients into the food processor(I used some brown sugar because I was low on maple syrup).

Puree until smooth.

Add the chocolate chips and fold them in.

I’d like to be able to suggest serving this with banana chips, graham crackers, Nilla wafers, or something else fun. But really the only way I can suggest is with a spoon.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to go be overwhelmed by how much hummus I can eat in one sitting.

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Mama Pea’s Cookie Dough Dip

Written on February 18, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Highlights

What’s better than cookie dough? Cookie dough you can eat as a dip. When Jessica first posted her recipe, I think we all swooned. I didn’t dare ever make it with soy-based dairy substitutes, since I’m sure they wouldn’t have done her original recipe justice. Luckily, Mama Pea was inspired by my peanut butter dessert hummus to make a raw version of Jessica’s recipe(are you following?). I knew I had to bring things full circle and try Mama Pea’s creation; she’s never steered me wrong in the past.

I put all of the ingredients in a food processor(using water instead of almond milk) and let ‘er rip.

Once it was smooth, I stirred in chocolate chips and cinnamon(not in the original recipe but I thought it would add a nice touch).

Ya’ll, go and make this right now. It came out so smooth and richly satisfying. I might like the dough part to be a bit sweeter but even so that didn’t stop me from eating half of it.

And then this happened:

And all was right with the world.

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Copycat: Blueberry Muffin Larabar Recipe

Written on February 3, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

When I first heard of Larabar’s new flavor I was excited. Slap the word “muffin” onto anything and you’ll grab my attention. You might even get me to watch C-Span if they named a show “Nancy Pelosi Discusses The Debt With Muffins”. The reviews I’ve read of the flavor have been mixed; I haven’t tried them because I don’t think they’re in stores yet. Rather than waiting, I decided to make my own and I have to admit that these are amazing. They taste better than any Larabar I’ve had; maybe because they’re fresher or maybe they just rock. If you need a muffin and don’t want a muffin top, these are a great, healthy, raw alternative.

Blueberry Muffin “Larabars®”

Ingredients(Makes 6 bars):

1 cup(about 20) pitted dates
1 cup almonds
2 tablespoons shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice(or cinnamon)

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processer. Blend for 2-3 minutes until the mixture starts clumping. If your ingredients are dry, add water one tablespoon at a time until it starts sticking to itself.

Line a pan with parchment paper and press the mixture in firmly towards one side of the pan. Cut out the bars with a knife and gently tear them apart. Alternatively, you could roll these into balls and eat them that way. Keep in the refrigerator for the best freshness.

Like I said, these tasted amazing. They reminded me of blueberry munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts if anybody knows what I’m talking about. At a time when companies are getting condemned(and rightly so) for using artificial blueberry flavoring without any actual blueberries, this has a refreshingly pure flavor to it. These have created high expectations for the real blueberry muffin Larabars in my mind.

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How To Roast A Pumpkin

Written on November 1, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in How To

If you’re looking for the winner of the CSN store giveaway, I announce it at the end of this post.

Have you ever been stuck with something you have no idea what to do with?

This week in our CSA baskets we were gifted with a pumpkin. A pumpkin?! First off, I had no idea whether I was supposed to carve it or eat it. I’m not one for pumpkin carving, so by default I decided to roast and puree the whole thing.

How To Roast A Pumpkin

I cut the pumpkin in 2 halves and removed the innards. You can separate the seeds for roasting them after a good wash.

After that, I preheated an oven to 350 degrees and put the pumpkins cut-side down on a baking try(now would be the time to cut off any profanity you might have written in the pumpkin with permanent marker…).

After 2 1/2 hours, the outside became a dark, almost leathery skin and the inside was nice and soft. You’ll know it’s done if you can scoop out the filling with a spoon and have it stop at the skin.

Making Pumpkin Puree

After the pumpkin’s done roasting and cooled slightly, I scooped out the innards with a large kitchen spoon and put them in a food processor fit with a standard blade. After 1 minute of processing on High, it was smooth.

The pumpkin puree lasts up to a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator or can be frozen to use later. I was tempted to season it with salt, but after considering all this could be used for, it seemed better to hold off on the seasoning until being used in a recipe.

And that’s how easy it was to make pumpkin puree! Eat your heart out, Libby.

Now, for the winner of the giveaway…

Congratulations, Kathi, I’ll email you to have your gift certificate code sent to you.

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How To Make Almond Flour

Written on October 20, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in How To

Before I start, I’ll answer the obvious question: Yes, it’s this simple. Almond flour is a great, gluten-free substitute you can use for baking. Either use it in special recipes or just substitute a quarter of the wheat flour in a recipe for a rich, almond flavor. Making your own is a great way to save money and ensure a fresher flavor, too.

How To Make Almond Flour

Ingredients:

12 oz skin-on almonds, raw or roasted

Wash and dry the almonds if they’re from a bulk bin or might otherwise be dirty. For a richer flavor, used roasted almonds. Always keep the peels on as this will not only make the flour more nutritious but help ensure it stays a dry, course meal and not turn into almond butter.

Add the almonds to a food processor and process for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until all of the chunks have been pulverized into a smooth meal. Store in a seal-tight bag in the refrigerator until using.

Did I say “simple”? If you’re still wondering what to do with almond flour, I wouldn’t be opposed to making chocolate hazelnut shortbread with almond flour in place of the hazelnut flour or substitute some almond flour for whole wheat flour in banana bread, not opposed at all.

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