Buttermilk Ranch Popcorn

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So, it’s Oscar Sunday.  And, during said Oscar’s (if I remember to watch them, which is usually just for the dresses anyways…there, I said it), I will usually eat something snacky and salty and/or sweet and be glad that I didn’t have to sew myself into my PJ pants or nearly break my ankle in Louboutins.

And what goes with movies?  Just a little popcorn.  But I didn’t want to post anything *super* unhealthy (aka butter-laden, although that sounds pretty good right now), and I wanted to post something with a little attitude.  And God knows I love anything having to do with Ranch dressing, so buttermilk Ranch popcorn it is.

Now, here’s the deal.  You can blend in any kind of flavor here.  I thought about adding in some red pepper flakes to the initial powder, but I wanted to see what the base flavor was like before adding anything in, and I was partial to it so I didn’t.  But you certainly can if you want.  I didn’t have onion powder on hand, but I did have an onion seasoning blend that I picked up a few months ago (like a dried onion-soup blend), so I used that, which turned out great.  The bottom line here is that you can season all of this to your own personal tastes.

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Buttermilk Ranch Popcorn

Servings: enough powder for a few large batches of popcorn, according to how much you like to use

 

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk powder

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (I used a brand with a little bit of Parmesan-ish flavoring…which was pretty awesome)

1 tablespoon onion seasoning (like, dried onion soup blend or an onion powder)

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Popped popcorn (I like to make mine the old-fashioned way: on the stove, with about 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil.  I find that the coconut oil flavor is mellow and there is just enough fat there to grab the flavors without adding a lot of fat in the way of butter.)

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Instructions

1. In your food processor, combine the buttermilk powder, nutritional yeast, onion seasoning, and salt and pepper.  Process until combined, adjusting the flavor profile according to your own tastes.

2. Lightly toss the popped popcorn with your desired amount of flavor powder, adjusting to taste.  I kept the remaining powder, covered, in my fridge to use for the next time because my particular brand of nutritional yeast advises to keep it in the fridge.  Otherwise, it should be fine, tightly covered, in a dark spot, like the pantry.  Enjoy.

 

Source:  Adapted from Food and Wine.

February 24, 2013 - 10:06 pm

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar - Mmm!! This looks awesome!

White Bean and Tomato Chutney Bruschetta

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What a week.  But, I have good, no great, news for you.  Wonderful things coming in the near future with the blog. I’ve had my first sneak peeks with the new branding/logo for the new website launch, and I am like a second grade giggly girl right now.  I cannot believe how things have been moving along.

It’s totally true: when you pour love into something without room for expectation, toxicity, or unneeded pressure, love comes racing right back at you.  Preach, sister!

Here’s a simple and healthy bruschetta that you can throw together quickly  (To cut down on time, make the balsamic glaze in advance.).  If you want to skip the whole bread/carb part, this would also make for a pretty amazing dip with veggies.  Omit the parmesan in the bean paste (or sub in with your favorite nutritional yeast here), and you’ve got a clean-eating vegan version.  This stuff is dangerously delicious.

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White Bean and Tomato Chutney Bruschetta

Servings: makes enough for about 15 bruschetta

 

Ingredients

For the balsamic glaze:

1 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

For the white bean paste:

One 15-ounce can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

For the tomato chutney:

4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons shallot, finely chopped

For the bruschetta:

One French baguette, sliced diagonally into about 15 1/2-inch thick slices

Olive oil, for brushing

Sea salt, to taste

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Instructions

1. For the balsamic glaze:  In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the balsamic vinegar and the sugar, mixing to combine.  Simmer the mixture until thickened and syrupy, about 20 minutes or so.

2. For the white bean paste:  In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and process until smooth.

3. For the tomato chutney: Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature until ready to assemble the bruschetta.

4. For the bruschetta: Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.

5. Lightly brush each baguette slice with olive oil.

6. Toast each slice on the grill pan until lightly golden, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Season with sea salt.

7. To assemble the bruschetta:   Place about 1 tablespoon of the white bean paste on each baguette slice and top with the tomato chutney.  Drizzle each slice with the balsamic glaze.

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Source:  Slightly adapted from Vegetarian Times.

February 22, 2013 - 9:38 am

Maria Tadic - These look so yummy! I love appetizers like this! I can’t wait to try it!

February 25, 2013 - 2:35 pm

Marie - These look so tasty. Throw the word bruschetta into pretty much any recipe and I’m in. For some strange reason I’ve never been a fan of oranges though. Do you think this dish would still work if I substituted in another citrus juice instead?

February 25, 2013 - 3:01 pm

srlacy - Hi Marie-

That should be ok, I would think.

February 26, 2013 - 12:31 am

Carina - Those look sooo good. I wish I had some to pop in my mouth right now! In really in for any kind of bruschetta, at any time.

May 1, 2013 - 12:57 pm

White Bean and Tomato Chutney Bruschetta - […] source:  thecurvycarrot.com […]

Deep Dark Chocolate Biscotti

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I recently got really into different types of teas.  And I can thank my little brother for that.  One night, when I came into town late to visit my parents from out of state, Ben asked me if I knew anything about teas.

“Like, tea?  Like, from a tea bag in hot water?”  I was tired and had just crawled through Chicago’s traffic.  On a snowy night.  After my “check battery” light had turned on a few times.  I needed some zen.

“No, Shay, like different blends of different types of tea leaves.”  And then we had a discussion about tea.

Ahhhh…and then began my rapid descent (or ascent) into the overwhelming and pretty awesome world of teas. I’ve collected some different books now that I have been perusing ..many contraptions and gadgets…and I’ve had lots of fun experimenting with different blends, temperatures, and add-ins.  My goodness, tea is totally like a hug in a cup.  Well, and then there’s coffee..which is another world of its own, too.

So, what goes best with tea and/or coffee?  Well, biscotti, probably.  Or maybe scones.  Some type of carbohydrate that can get soaked in the beverage of choice to become even more delicious.

As part of Cooking Light Bloggers’ Connection, I’ve been delving a little bit more into Cooking Light magazine’s recipes.  You can check out the link here (Hi, that’s me.  Nice to meet you.)  And make sure to check out the other bloggers there…some of my favorites are a part of this group, too.  This is another fantastic recipe from Cooking Light.  I hope you try it.

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Deep Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Servings: about 24 biscotti

 

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 egg whites

1 large egg

1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2/3 cup chocolate chips (I used bittersweet chocolate here.  Use whatever you like.)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground flax seed, baking soda, and salt.

3. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand-held electric mixer), beat together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg whites, and egg at high speed for about 2 minutes.

4.  Add the vanilla extract and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing until combined.

6. Using a spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips and the walnuts, stirring until incorporated.

7. Transfer the dough to a flat work surface and divide it into three equal portions.

8. Roll each portion of dough into a 6-inch-long roll and place each one onto your prepared baking sheets.

9.  Pat each portion into a 1-inch thickness roll.

10. Bake for about 28 minutes or so, or until the dough is firm.

11. Remove the dough from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.

12.  Cut the dough diagonally into several slices.  Place the slices, cut side down, on the baking sheet.

13. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake the biscotti for about 7 minutes.

14. Very carefully, flip each biscotti and baking for another 7 minutes.  Let cool.

 

Source:  Barely adapted from Cooking Light.

February 19, 2013 - 11:23 am

Maria Tadic - Biscotti with hot tea or coffee is the best afternoon snack in the world! So yummy and comforting!

February 19, 2013 - 12:34 pm

Kim @ Soliloquy Of Foods & Such - The hubs and I have transitioned from coffee; I never thought in a million years he would kick the beans for tea…and I didn’t even have to nudge him with decadent biscotti, like these.

February 19, 2013 - 9:02 pm

Crystal - Until recently, I had no idea that there was a whole magical world outside of Lipton tea. Chocolate, coconut, caramel, etc.! I’m becoming obsessed!

February 20, 2013 - 1:26 pm

Meghan - I’m such a huge fan of tea. I actually wrote my thesis on the novel and tea in the Victorian period, so you can imagine I did a lot of “research” by trying different varieties. One of my favorites for biscotti-pairing is Harney and Sons Earl Grey Imperial with a little milk and some sugar (it’s very strong. Trust me, it needs the added sweetness.).

February 20, 2013 - 2:45 pm

natalie@thesweetslife - yay! I didn’t realize you were a Cooking Light blogger too! Love biscotti and haven’t made it in so long!

February 20, 2013 - 3:16 pm

srlacy - Yeah, I know! I saw you on there, too! 🙂

February 20, 2013 - 10:33 pm

Spencer - Looks delicious! I would so love to try some. I am sure it tastes fantastic.

February 21, 2013 - 12:28 pm

Rose Marie - These look wonderful, however – whole wheat pastry flour is very difficult to find where I live. Do you think this would work with King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat flour? Thanks.

February 21, 2013 - 1:00 pm

srlacy - Sure!

March 5, 2013 - 10:37 pm

Maria - Oh, do share what books about tea you’ve collected. I LOVE tea and want to learn more about it but haven’t looked into any books yet.

March 6, 2013 - 9:58 am

srlacy - Hi Maria-
I picked up “The Tea Companion-A Connoisseur’s Guide” by Jane Pettigrew which I really like as well as “The Little Book of Tea”. Both books I found at a Teavana store…you might be able to find them online. I don’t think they were pricy at all. It’s pretty interesting stuff once you start reading. Enjoy!