Sweet and Spicy Nuts

With my husband being deployed, I am constantly looking for new recipes of treats to send him!  This is something I sent him around Christmas time, and his friend requested I send more. I thought I would post this now since I failed to around the holidays. I make these every year, and everyone loves them! You can go lighter or heavier on the red pepper, and if you don't have pumpkin pie spice or chai spice (I never have either) you can mix your own, or just do cinnamon with a pinch of nutmeg. The recipe says to bake at 275, but I always end up baking it longer, and sometimes at 300, otherwise it never gets solid enough to break apart and stays sticky.

Sweet and Spicy Nuts


1 large egg white
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice or chai spice blend
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cups assorted mixed nuts
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 275.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.Whisk the egg white with 1 Tbs. water in a large bowl until frothy. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, the spice blend and cayenne pepper. Toss the nuts in the egg white mixture, then stir in the sugar-spice mixture and Worcestershire sauce.

3. Spoon the nuts onto the prepared baking sheet in small cluster and bake until golden, 30-35 minutes. Cool completely, then break into pieces.

Cilantro Lime Tuna Salad

Okay, so almost every sunday I make tuna salad, and keep it in the fridge for a busy day. It makes a fast lunch or dinner, it's good on toast, in a sandwich, on crackers (I love it on Triscuits with feta cheese, I think it grosses my husband out, but I love it), in a wrap, or as a tuna melt. I usually keep it simple..tuna, minced onion, chopped celery, dried dill, salt & pepper, and just enough mayo to hold it all together. But today I was wanting something a little different. So I went online, and found a recipe that appealed to me on Epicurious, called "Crunchy Tuna Salad". I used the idea for the dressing, however I didn't have the jicama or celery that it called for, so I changed it up a bit, and it turned out fantastic! It was a nice change from the traditional tuna salad, and it had such a bright flavor! The next time I make it, it will be going into a panini with tomato and monterey jack. So here's the recipe...

Cilantro Lime Tuna Salad


12oz can of solid white albacore tuna
5 Tbs. mayo
3 Tsp. dijon mustard
a good squeeze or two of lime juice
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 Tbs. minced red onion

Mix mayo, mustard, lime juice, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Taste to see if you need more lime, salt or pepper. Mix drained tuna, pepper, onion. Add dressing.

Raisin & Oat Scones

I got this recipe out of Everyday Food.  I'm not sure what I was expecting before I made these. They turned out good, but not what I expected. I really liked that the recipe called for whole wheat flour since most of the time I substitute at least half whole wheat. I did not add the fennel seed, I wish I would have, I think it would have given them that special something. Next time I make these I will use a combination of golden raisins and dried cranberries, or use all dried blueberries. If you are like me and hardly ever use buttermilk, there is a dried buttermilk powder you can buy. It comes in a can, that you can refrigerate after using some of it. You add a few tablespoons to milk and it works the same as buttermilk. These come together quickly, so they would make a good weekend breakfast.

Raisin & Oat Scones:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
3 Tbs. packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
1/2 cup raisins or dried cherries
2 tsp. fennel seed (optional)
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, oats, raisins, and fennel seed, if using. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, egg, and buttermilk until combined, then add to flour mixture. Stir until batter is evenly moistened-do not over mix! Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls, 2 inches apart, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let scones cool on a wire rack, 5 minutes.

Cheesy Chickpea and Sesame Crackers

First of all, my apologies for neglecting this blog...again! The last 6 months have been rough for my husband and I...had surgery, moved closer to family after he got orders to deploy, and have had continuing issues, however I am back home now! The hubby isn't due home for awhile yet, but I hope to be able to post some stuff in my free time (haha).

With that said, here is my new recipe!

I found this one recently and thought it sounded tasty, and the fact that is only had two steps made it all the more appealing since my time is limited these days! Thought I would give them a test run, and if they turned out good I would send some to the hubby, thought it would be nice to send something different for a change...and he will be receiving these!! They are quick to make, the longest part is the baking, which takes about 30 minutes.

Cheesy Chickpea and Sesame Crackers

1 can (15.5-16 oz) chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp coarse salt

3/4 tsp ground pepper

1 1/2 cups flour, plus a little more for dusting a surface

5 Tbs cold unsalted butter (I used salted, but went a little light on the salt then)

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1 egg white

2 Tbs white sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350, with racks in middle and lower third of the oven. In a food processor, pulse chickpeas until coarsely chopped. Add coriander, salt, pepper, flour, and butter and pulse to combine. With machine running gradually add 3 tablespoons cold water until dough forms a ball. Add parmesan and pulse to combine.

2. Divide dough and form into two 1-inch thick disks. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each disk to an 1/8-inch thickness. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. With a knife, cut into 1-by-3-inch rectangles and place 1/2 inch apart, on two parchment lined baking sheets. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let crackers cool on sheets, then transfer to airtight containers and store at room temperature, up to two weeks.