roasted

Maple Roasted Almond Butter

By in Breakfast, Condiments 9 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Max is my good little eater. He”ll eat basically anything and everything under the sun. But for some strange reason he doesn”t like peanut butter. He always loves helping me make scrambled eggs and toast in the morning but he”s always adamant that his toast have only “just honey”, nothing else to adulterate it.

But, to my excitement he loved this almond butter. We were eating it by the spoonful right after I churned it up in the food processor. I”ve never been a big fan of almond butter myself, but this stuff has turned me into a convert. Not to the store-bought stuff though, because it simply can”t compare to homemade.

The biggest plus for me in making it homemade, besides that it”s far more flavourful, is that it”s sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar. I feel far better about eating hoards of it knowing that it”s so much better for you. I used canola oil  in this recipe because it”s what I had on hand, but I”m planning to buy the walnut oil called for because I”m sure it adds that much more of a nutty flavour. But, if you don”t have it on hand then canola oil is a fine substitute.

Maple Roasted Almond Butter

  • 2 cups raw almonds

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons walnut oil (or canola oil)

Place almonds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with maple syrup; toss to coat. Bake at 325ºF for 20 minutes, until nuts are browned and syrup has darkened, stirring once halfway through. Allow to cool 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle.

Place almonds in a food processor making sure to include any bits of roasted maple syrup. Pulse to break up the nuts. Add salt and a little drizzle of oil. Process for 30-45 seconds, scrape down, add another drizzle of oil. Repeat the process until the almonds take on a buttery consistency (you may not need all of the oil). Scrape into a jar and store in the fridge for up to one month.

Makes approximately: 1.5 cups

Adapted from Food in Jars.

Fudge Brownies with Salt Roasted Pecans

By in Chocolate, Cookies & Bars, Sweets 8 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Fudge Brownies with Salt Roasted Pecans

Hi friends! I hope you didn”t think I”d forgotten about you!

After what feels like forever, we”re finally settled in our new place. We didn”t have any internet for most of last week, which is why the blog was rather quiet. But, I did get my first ever garden planted – I even have the bright red sun burn to prove it!

I can”t believe how much our lives have changed over the last little while. We went from a view like this:

To a view like this:

Only a little change…

To make up for my week of silence, I made you brownies. Fudgy, gooey, rich brownies. With little pockets of salt roasted pecans to help offset the uber chocolatey-ness. It is one delicious combination.

To ensure fudgy brownies every time it”s important to do two things 1) Don”t over-bake the brownies. A toothpick inserted in the centre should have a few fudgy crumbs stuck to it. If it comes out clean it”s been in the oven too long. To avoid this, check on the brownies well before the recommended time. 2) Don”t over-beat the batter. If you beat the batter too much it incorporates too much air and you”ll have a cakey brownie instead of a fudgy one. To avoid this, mix the batter by hand just until the ingredients are incorporated.

This is one brownie that gets better with age, so if you can bear the wait, make it the day before you plan on serving it.

Fudge Brownies with Salt Roasted Pecans

Salt Roasted Pecans

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  • 1 cup pecans

  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and salt. Cook, stirring often until the pecans have a toasted aroma. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Brownies

  • 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

  • 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, cut up

  • 1 cup white sugar

  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

  • 3 large eggs, room temperature

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Melt together chocolate and butter in a medium sized saucepan, over medium heat. Remove from heat; whisk in sugars. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until evenly mixed. Stir in vanilla. Stir in flour and cocoa powder.

Remove 12 pecans from the skillet and set aside. Chop remaining pecans and stir into brownie batter. Pour the batter into a greased 8×8 inch baking pan. Top with the reserved pecans.

Bake at 350º for 25 minutes, or until the top looses it”s shine and a toothpick inserted in the centre produces fudgy crumbs. Let cool at least one hour before serving. Store covered, at room temperature, for up to 5 days.

Makes: 12 servings

Adapted from Bake with Anna Olson.

Maple Roasted Peach Crisps

By in Breakfast, Fruit, Pastries 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Maple Roasted Peach Crisps

Max started barnehage (preschool) this week. I have to admit it”s been rather rough on me. This is the first time he”s been away from home consistently and the house feels so empty. I”ll admit that more than a few tears have been shed, on my part not his. He”s absolutely loving it and not missing me one bit. How”d he grow up so fast? Sniff.

The weather has cooled off a bit, the leaves have lost a bit of their vibrancy, my little boy is gone during the day. It feels like fall.

But it”s not fall. And I”m not ready for it to be fall. I can”t seem to help my mind from heading in that direction though so I”m trying to bridge the gap a bit and hold on to summer for a little longer.

These Maple Roasted Peach Crisps seemed like the perfect way to switch gears a bit while still enjoying summer fruit. They”re warm and comforting, soft and crisp, tangy and sweet. A good reminder of why I”ll be ready for fall when it really comes around.

I”ve always been a big fan of individual desserts. They are so much prettier to plate and everyone gets the same serving sizes so there”s no fighting over the biggest piece. ;)

These are actually a lot less work then a regular crisp because you don”t have to chop the fruit and toss it with other ingredients. Not that, that is hard to do but less work is less work. :) It feels and tastes healthier too, which is the way I like to enjoy my desserts in the summer.

Note: If you don”t want to make the whole batch at once you can make the crumble topping and store it in the fridge. When you want a couple fresh crisps: make as directed below and put the remaining crisp topping back in the fridge.

Maple Roasted Peach Crisps

For an indulgent breakfast serve this on its own or with a spoonful of yogurt. For dessert: a dollop of whipped cream or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Peaches

  • 4 peaches, halved and pitted

  • maple syrup

Crisp Topping

  • 1/4 cup flour

  • 1/4 cup rolled oats

  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • pinch salt

  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds

  • 2.5 tablespoon butter, melted

Place peaches in a rimmed pan, brush with maple syrup.

Combine crisp ingredients until evenly moistened with butter. Carefully place 2 tablespoon topping onto each peach halve.

Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until peaches are tender and topping is browned. Serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup.

Makes: 8 servings

Roasted Pear Crisps

By in Breakfast, Fall, Fruit, GF Sweets, Gluten Free, Sweets 13 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Roasted Pear Crisps

My hubby is in London this week, which means one of two things. I am either living off of leftovers and anything I can scrounge up without going to the grocery store. Or, I am making everything I normally avoid because I assume James won”t like it.  The latter is the reason for these delicious Roasted Pears. As I have mentioned earlier, my hubby is not too fond of pears, so when I spotted this recipe I knew that I had to make it while he was gone. They looked so simple I knew I would be able to get my butt into gear for such a short amount of time. Don”t get me wrong, I don”t avoid cooking because I am wallowing in self pity, it is merely because this is my time “off”, and I relish it. Admittedly, the house get”s a little messier, the meals get a little boring (ok a lot boring). When you are cooking for yourself and a one year old there is not point in slaving away. Me and my son concentrate on having fun and relaxing and I always make sure the evidence is cleaned up by the time James gets home. :)

I could eat these pears for breakfast every morning. They are like beautifully packaged, individual, Pear Crisps. The pear itself is warm, smooth and silky. The oats and almonds have a light crunch, with the flavour of cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins throughout. All of this drizzled with honey and a dollop of yoghurt. Could breakfast be any more perfect? These pears would make a great healthful after school snack. Or even dessert, topped with ice cream or whipped cream. I quartered the recipe for myself and was planning on giving Max the other half when he woke up from his nap. But, I could not stop at just one and knowing he would not know the difference, I just HAD to have the other half. I wanted to share these with you right away because they would make such a great weekend brunch recipe.

I don”t know if you notice in the pictures but my raisins blew up and turned back into grapes while they were baking. That has never happened to me before! Anyone ever heard of such a phenomenon?

Roasted Pears 12

Roasted Pear Crisps

adapted from Fresh

  • 1 cup rolled oats

  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds

  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

  • 1/4 cup melted butter, plus extra for brushing

  • 3 Tbsp. raisins

  • 4 pears

  • honey and yoghurt for topping

  1. Mix together oats, brown sugar, almonds and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter then raisins.

  2. Cut pears in half, leaving skin intact. Scoop out the core with a small spoon.

  3. Lay pears, skin side down, in a baking pan. Brush lightly with butter.

  4. Heap oat mixture onto pears, pressing to make sure it stays in place.

  5. Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for 20-25 min. until pears are soft and oats are browned.

  6. Drizzle warm pears with honey and serve with yoghurt.

Makes: 8 pear halves

* To make this gluten free, make sure that the oats you are using are certified gluten free.

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Roasted Pears 59

Roasted Mashed Potatoes

By in Fall, GF Sides, Gluten Free, Sides, Thanksgiving 13 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Roasted Mashed Potatoes

I have a confession to make. I am not so great with potatoes. Don”t get me wrong, I love potatoes. In fact, they are one of my favourite vegetables. But, my husband does not appreciate their texture or lack of flavour so making potatoes is a little foreign to me.

When I saw some Roasted Mashed Potatoes on Hot Garlic I knew I had to give them a try. Mashed potatoes that are loaded with flavour and no fuss? Count me in! You know what my husband said after digging in? “These are pretty good for mashed potatoes.” Score! I probably still won”t be making them very often because I enjoy cooking for other people rather then myself, and pretty good just doesn”t cut it for me. But, as a potato fan I have to say, these had an excellent roasted garlicky flavour.

This is the beginning of my countdown to Thanksgiving. I am a Canadian living in Norway so I won”t be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and friends, which makes me a little sad. So, I thought it would be fun to spread out our Thanksgiving meal over the next couple of weeks so that James and I can enjoy the food without a ton of leftovers. Plus, I was hoping to help inspire you if your Thanksgiving Meal Planning Well was running dry. :)

Anybody have any great potato tips they would like to share?

Roasted Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Mashed Potatoes

I served these potatoes with Basil & Prosciutto Chicken Cordon Bleu, so I added a tsp of dried basil to the mix. Feel free to use whatever herb will compliment your dish.

  • 1/2 onion

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 6 potatoes

  • 1 tsp. basil (or other herb), optional

  • salt and pepper, to taste

  • 2 Tbsp. butter

  • 2 -4 Tbsp. cream (or milk)

  1. Peel and chop onion into large chunks. Peel garlic, leave whole. Chop potatoes into quarters or smaller, depending on the size.

  2. Lightly grease a baking pan with olive oil. Place onions, garlic, and potatoes inside and drizzle with more olive oil. Sprinkle on basil, salt and pepper.

  3. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 50 min-1 hour, until potatoes are tender.

  4. Place in a food processor, mixer, or bowl and mash. Add butter and cream to preference and beat until smooth. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serves: 3

*My mom”s rule of thumb was always 2 regular sized potatoes, per person, when mashing.

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