One of the things I enjoy most about having the kids home with me in the summer is working together with them in the kitchen. Often times I try to find ways for them to help me with dinner preparation- grating cheese, stirring pasta, shelling peas, shucking corn, etc. Once in a while I’ll try to think up a sweet and healthy treat that’s a little more exciting than just dinner and that I know would be especially fun for them. This chocolate millet crunch was our most recent little project. It’s simple enough for the kids to make almost on their own, but tasty enough that it’s hard to just eat a few pieces. These are little mounds of chocolate coated puffed millet, chopped hazelnuts, and goji berries with just a touch of shredded coconut sprinkled on top. Puffed millet can be found in the cereal aisle of a natural foods store and although I find it rather bland on its own, it complements the chocolate nicely and it adds a certain crisp lightness that I love. These must be served chilled to get a crunch, which makes them perfect for those hot days when you just need a little bit of chocolate. [Read more…] about Chocolate Millet Crunch
Continue ReadingPuffed Amaranth Crispie Bars {with Drizzled Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt Flakes}
It was recently teacher appreciation week at my son’s school and I signed up to bring a sweet treat for “dessert bar” day. Deciding on what dessert to bring to events is always tough for me. Not because I can’t think of anything to bring, but my mind is always too full of ideas for what to bring. This time I wanted something sweet, salty, bite-size, and relatively healthy. I came up with these puffed amaranth crispie bars and felt so happy about being able to share with all of the hardworking teachers at school. These no-bake bars are chewy and crispy, bound together with a blend of almond butter and honey, and finished with a drizzle of dark chocolate and a sprinkle of salt. Amaranth, rich in nutrients and containing all of the essential amino acids, has recently made its way into our kitchen and I have been loving this supergrain. The amaranth along with sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, and sesame seeds deliver a bit of crunch while the brown rice crisps make these bars crispy and light. Enjoy these for dessert, snack, or even as a quick breakfast.
PrintPuffed Amaranth Crispie Bars
- Yield: 15 2x1 1/2-inch bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup puffed amaranth (see note)
- 1 1/4 cup brown rice crisps
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup creamy almond butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate
- flaky sea salt for finishing, such as Maldon
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the puffed amaranth, brown rice crisps, coconut, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, and sesame seeds. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
- In a small saucepan, stir the the almond butter, honey, coconut sugar, and salt together over medium-low heat until sugar and salt are dissolved, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in vanilla.
- Working quickly, pour the almond butter mixture over the amaranth mixture and mix together until thoroughly combined. Use the back of a rubber spatula or lightly oiled hands to press the mixture firmly into prepared pan. Chill until firm, at least an hour.
- Set a small glass mixing bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and place the chocolate in the mixing bowl. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Use the parchment paper to lift bars out of the pan and onto a work surface. Use a teaspoon to drizzle the chocolate. Wait a few minutes for chocolate to begin to set and then lightly sprinkle sea salt flakes over the chocolate. Return to the refrigerator and wait for chocolate to completely set, about 20 minutes, before cutting into bars. These are best stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
Notes
To make puffed amaranth, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. (Do not use a small pot or saucepan. Even though the amaranth seeds are tiny, they need quite of bit of space in order pop properly.) Add amaranth 1 tablespoon at a time. Cover immediately and give the pan a quick shake to distribute the seeds evenly. The amaranth should begin popping right away if the pan is hot enough. Give the pan a quick shake every 3-4 seconds. After the popping begins to slow (usually around 12-15 seconds), remove pan from heat and allow amaranth to continue popping off heat for another few seconds. It’s better to leave some seeds unpopped than to burn the whole batch. The unpopped seeds can be used along with the popped seeds. Transfer the popped amaranth into another bowl to cool and repeat with remaining amaranth. 3 tablespoons of amaranth will yield slightly more than 3/4 cup of puffed amaranth. Sprinkle the extra on granola, cereal, etc.
Inspired by At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen
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Pineapple Coconut Chia Shakes
Smoothies are always a welcome treat at breakfast and I like them because they are quick and a great way to load up on nutrients to begin the day. Once in a while I also like to surprise my kids with a smoothie for their afternoon snack while we chat about their school days. When it comes to smoothies, my style is more the “throw random fruits and vegetables into the blender” method rather than the “read and follow a recipe” method. I even have a beautiful smoothie cookbook, but it always seems so much easier to improvise. Despite the lack of measuring, the smoothies somehow always end up tasting fine. This is one combination that we enjoy so much however that I measured everything out just so that I could share it with you. Its flavor is similar to a pina colada minus the rum (since I’m usually making these for the kids) and it’s fun to dream about being at the beach on a sunny tropical island whenever we have these. The chia seeds thicken up the smoothie into more of a “shake” consistency while adding a healthy dose of Omega-3s. Just note that the chia seeds need at least a few hours to soak so this is probably best made the evening before if you’re planning for breakfast.
PrintPinapple Coconut Chia Shakes
- Yield: 2-3
Ingredients
- 2 1/2- 3 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/2 banana
- 1 13.5-ounce can light coconut milk, about 1 1/2 cups
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
Instructions
- Place the pineapple chunks, banana, and coconut milk into the blender and blend on high until completely smooth and creamy.
- Pour half of mixture into a quart size mason jar along with the chia seeds. Close lid and shake until chia seeds are well distributed. Add the rest of the pineapple mixture and shake again. Refrigerate for at least a 3 hours until thoroughly chilled and chia seeds thicken.
Notes
inspired by Amy Chapin’s Peach Chia Shake from At Home in the Whole Foods Kitchen