Maple Date Biscuits

There are more times than not when I seem to be very inspired super early in the morning. After one particularly exhilarating morning run, I came home and decided to make biscuits. This recipe was for a fig-maple sugar biscuit from Cooking Light, however, I used dates and maple syrup. I was slightly under on the amount of butter needed, so I made do with what I had and hoped for the best. The best part about recipes is that you can use them as a starting point and adjust them as you see fit. I can't say that I have ever made biscuits, but they were much simpler than I thought they would be. I do need to warn you though that you will need a pastry blender for this recipe. If you make a lot of pastries and dough, the pastry blender will be a staple piece of equipment so it may be worth the investment. Start off by mixing together the flour, salt, baking powder and maple syrup/maple sugar. I didn't have maple sugar, so I substituted, but make sure that you reduce one of the liquids by a quarter when using the maple syrup. Then add in the cold cubed butter with a pastry blender until a crumbly mixture is formed. Mine turned out to be more of a soft dough, which I am attributing to the maple syrup. Add in the dates (or figs) and the milk and stir until well mixed. Then scoop out the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 16 minutes or until golden brown. The aroma of maple slowed filled the air and smelled amazing and they had just a touch of the golden color when I pulled them out. They were a bit darker on the bottom than I would have liked, but fortunately they were definitely not burned. Once they cooled, I gave one a try and was surprised at how delicious they were. The maple syrup was apparent in the background without being too sweet or overwhelming the somewhat more delicate flavor of the dates. These were not the super crumbly biscuits, but more like a scone which I didn't mind even though I am not entirely sure that was what was supposed to happen. The best part is that these have very little sugar in them and could probably be made to be gluten free. I think next time I might add some pecans or just make some plain ones. I continue to be surprised by the wonderful recipes that I am getting from the Cooking Light cookbook, so I can't wait to try the next one.

 

Curry Hummus

I love hummus, but for some reason I thought it was difficult to make...and up until recently I didn't have a food processor. While flipping through the Cooking Light cookbook I have, I saw a recipe for curry hummus. There were 5 ingredients: olive oil, salt, garbanzo beans, lemon, and curry powder. I figured that it was worth a try and plus I really wanted to use my food processor. Hummus is super easy to make because all you do is add the ingredients and process together. The trickiest part is getting the right consistency, which takes a little longer than I thought. Unfortunately, I took it out too soon, so there were still a few pieces of the garbanzo beans. Though I didn't make perfect hummus the first time, it was easy enough that I will definitely be making it again. This hummus is a great twist on the classic and a light, healthy summer snack.

Homemade Granola Bars

Ever since I tried homemade granola bars, I realized that I could never eat a processed granola bar again. I guess you can call me a granola bar snob now, but they are so easy to make and you can make whatever kind you want. I used a basic recipe from Cooking Light and then added some additional mix-ins. Basically, there are three steps: toasting the dry ingredients, making the "glue" and baking. This recipe started by toasting oats, slivered almonds, and coconut flakes. Put those into a bowl and make the "glue". I don't know what the official name of it is, but it what holds everything together. Heat up canola oil, honey, and peanut butter. Once it is all melted pour it over the toasted dry ingredients and mix. I threw some raisins in before I added the "glue", but you can put anything else you want in. Once you gently mix everything together, it gets poured into an 11 x 17 glass baking dish and then baked for one hour. I don't think I bake them quite long enough to finish adhering together since they were kind of crumbly once you cut them. However, the clusters were super delicious. Though I can't say I am a certified granola bar pro, I do know that I will be making my own from now on and hopefully they will get a little better every time. I promise they will be worth it!

Tuna Panzanella Salad

Salads don't have to be boring and they don't have to have a million ingredients to be full of flavor. The best part about it is that it doesn't even have to have lettuce! Panzanella salad is a traditional Italian summer salad with bread and tomatoes. Cooking Light's version is made with pita chips and tuna for a protein. The best part about this salad is that it gets better the longer it sits and it couldn't be easier to put together. All you have to do is crush the pita chips, toss in cucumber, red onion, kalamata olives and tuna, top with balsamic vinegar, lemon and mint, and mix. I assure you that this couldn't be easier and can be thrown together in minutes. The longer the salad sits, the better the flavors mesh, but the pita chips do get soggy (but that doesn't bother me). This is a great salad to entertain with as it doesn't really matter if it sits out since there's no mayo in it. It is a fresh twist on a salad, super filling, and definitely very waistline friendly. This will probably be one of my "go to" recipes because it is so fun and the mint adds a unique flavor. So for all your upcoming summer potlucks, go for something new and delicious!