Garlic Party Peanuts

   
       The first time I went to Canada I had these peanuts a friend's family's house. When they were set down in a bowl in front of me they were still warm and the smell of garlic spread through the room. These are the most addictive peanuts in the world. I have eaten so much I have made myself sick but I never get sick of them.


 Ingredients:
 3 cups Raw Spanish Peanuts
 1 medium size bulb of garlic thinly sliced
   olive oil

Coat the bottom of a non-stick pan with olive oil. 

On a medium high heat cook the peanuts until slightly brown.

Add the sliced garlic (mmm doesn't that look good!).....

and cook until the peanuts are dark brown and the garlic is crisp and salt while they are hot. Wait until the peanuts are completely cool to eat. I normally can't wait and end up burning my mouth!

Homemade Granola with Peanut Butter

Breakfast is the hardest thing for me. I'm usually really lazy in the morning and don't like taking the time to make something and toast and toaster hash browns get old nor are they very healthy.I have been looking for something new to eat to and decided to make my own granola recipe.  So this is the first run and you could really put anything in it which I love because I can use whats in season or on sale at the store.

In a large bowl combine:
1/3 cup Brown Rice Syrup
1/4 cup good Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 teaspoon Maple Syrup
1 tablespoon Safflower oil or Vegetable oil

Then mix in:
2 cups Rolled Oats
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts
1/4 cup hulled Sunflower Seeds
1/4 cup unsalted roasted Peanuts
1/4 cup raw Cashews chopped ( I used Cashew pieces because they were half the price of the regular ones)
1/2 cup dried Apricots chopped
1/2 cup dried Cranberries

Spread the mixture out onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 for around 45 min until golden brown and dry to the touch. Half way through turn the granola with a spatula. When done let cool and break up any large pieces.
       I don't think it matters if the nuts are raw or roasted, I purchased based on price but if you buy salted nuts I would omit or cut down the added salt. Also if you use crunchy peanut butter I would omit the extra peanuts.

Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

    Over the summer I took a trip to Vancouver Canada. While I was there I visited Salt Spring Island which not only helped me decided to have my own farm but was a super hippy artsy island. One of the places I ate at was called the Tree House Cafe. It was a really cool place that was literally in a tree and catered to vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike. A majority of their recipes come from the awesome Rebar cookbook which is a restaurant in Victoria, Canada. This cookbook has an excellent Cesar salad recipe. 

Rebar Caesar Salad

1 bulb roasted garlic

juice of one lemon

1 tbsp capers

1 tbsp caper juice

1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cracked pepper

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup of Parmesan 

Combine all ingredients, except oil, in a blender or food processor and blend. Add olive oil in a slow stream thin stream.

                      Caesar Salad with homemade croutons
      
     To make the croutons take stale bread and cut it into cubes. In a bowl mix the cubes with olive oil, salt pepper, and any herbs. Mix until all the bread has soaked up the oil. Place on a cookie sheet and cook until crispy and golden brown.


   The second thing I made was curried chickpeas from a jar of spices I got in Canada. The recipe is on the jar and you can buy it here http://www.acecurriestogo.com/index.php . It was super fast and all I need was the spice mix, crushed tomatoes, 1 can of chickpeas, garlic, and oil.

Simmering away...

                     The finished product garnished with cilantro 

                                                                         

Corn Guacamole Salsa

Now this guacamole I kinda took the idea of it from California Pizza Kitchen but I've made it my own. I'm not a big avocado fan so I'm trying to make myself like it because I know it is good for you.

To make this I used 2 ripe avocados,  frozen corn (grilled corn would be good too),  shallots, jalapeno, cilantro, half a lemon so the avocado doesn't get brown, salt and pepper to taste.