Food Blog Forum - Part 3: Beyond Farms & Baked Purple Potato Chips

These irresistible baked potato chips are made from the purple potatoes grown in my dear neighbor's garden, 100% homegrown and organic. I have baked them for the after school snack for my kids and as soon as I put chips out on the plate, they were gone. My daughter asked if I can bake more for her lunchbox and that is what I am going to do! You may use different spices, but I found smoked paprika and parsley being a perfect combination.

Baked Goldfish Pumpkin Chips - for my Sweet Children!

What a genius idea for healthy snack - baked goldfish pumpkin chips! We are roasting vegetables every other day and roasted pumpkin is our favorite. Today I have created this amazing and fun recipe for my children's lunch boxes. After a long search for suitable cookie cutter my husband has finally made one from 2 1/2-inch oval cookie cutter, rather than buying it online or at the store. To make your own cookie cutters is simple and leaves space for your imagination and creativity.

Top Six Appetizers for New Year's Eve Party

Look no further for appetizers to impress even the most discerning guest. Hot and spicy popcorn, smashed potatoes, or sweet potato baked chips - these really are appetizers to sink your teeth into. Set the table, set the mood and set the taste buds tingling.

For sheer visual appeal, shellfish appetizers are hard to beat. There is little more tempting than a plate - or skewer - full of plump, succulent sizzling shrimp and there is a uniquely naughty pleasure found in the delightful messiness of peeling them at the table. For more formal occasions and for those with more sophisticated table manners, serve salmon soufflé or smoked salmon rolls.



Shrimp with Garlic and Parsley - The Best Sizzling Spicy Appetizer
Garlic Popcorn with Cayenne Pepper & Popcorn with ”Buffalo Wings” Red Hot Sauce

Vanilla Chocolate Chips Bars

Nothing can compare with a homemade Vanilla Chocolate Chips Bars for bringing a touch of pleasure to a coffee break or tea-time.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/8 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position.

Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the brownies from the pan after they have baked. Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.



Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.

Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve with tea or milk.

Orange Sweet Potato Baked Chips with Thyme

Sweet potatoes and yams: True sweet potatoes are tuberous vegetables with light to deep-red skins and pale yellow to orange flesh. The term yam is also incorrectly applied to sweet potatoes in US, most often when referring to the darker-skinned, orange-fleshed variety. In fact, true yams are a very large tuberous vegetable eaten in Africa and the Caribbean.

Sweet potatoes contain more beta-carotene than carrots plus vitamin C and fiber. In contrast, true yams have no beta-carotene.


Ingredients: 

• 1 medium sweet potato (about 8 ounces), scrubbed 
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil 
• 1 tsp orange zest 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• freshly ground pepper 
• 1 tsp thyme 

Directions:

Heat the oven to 325°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Slice the sweet potato into very thin rounds using a mandoline slicer.



Mix together olive oil and orange zest in a small bowl. Brush two baking sheets with half of oil mixture. Place potato slices on sheets in a single layer and brush tops with remaining oil. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper. For one medium sweet potato you will need two-three baking sheets.



Bake one sheet at a time until the edges of the chips curl up, the centers are just golden brown, and the tops are dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the chips cool until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using your hands, carefully transfer the chips to a serving dish. Repeat with the second sheet.

Perfect for Spring Vegetable Soup with Purple Potato Chips, Something Green for Good Luck and an Exciting Announcement - or two!:))

I have a great news, something I just have to share with you my dear friends!

First, I'll be attending the Food Blog Forum in sunny Orlando, at Walt Disney World the weekend of March 17th! I feel honored that I was invited to be there with some of the top food bloggers, food photographers, cookbook authors, web designers and others. This is a first time for me and I am very excited about it. I promise to bring back a lot of pictures and great story. Can't wait to meet all the wonderful people from everywhere.



Second, I've got featured with my photo of Baked Scallops with Cheese and Wine Sauce on The FoodPornDaily. And this is my 7th time, I am so happy!!!!

I have many pictures for you today and the lovely spring soup recipe with purple potato chips.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I'll be back on Monday -))




Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 1⁄2 cups green beans cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 1⁄2 cups small broccoli florets
• 2 medium zucchinis, sliced
• 5 cups vegetable stock (or water)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper 
• 4 tablespoons minced cilantro
• 3 purple potatoes, thinly sliced
• olive oil to fry

Directions:

Warm the oil in a pot over medium heat, and cook the leeks for a few minutes. Add the green beans and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broccoli, zucchini and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.



In the meantime, slice the purple potato with a mandolin or a super sharp knife (mandolin works best). heat the olive oil and fry the potatoes for about 1 minute until they crisp up. Drain them on paper towels and season with salt.



When the vegetables are tender, puree in batches in a food processor or blender or put through a vegetable mill.



Return the milled vegetables to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with cilantro, and serve with chips and Irish soda bread.



As I mentioned, Something Green for Good Luck!:)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Flax, Chia and Hemp Seeds - It can't be better than this

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Flax, Chia and Hemp Seeds - It can't be better than this. These are protein-packing cookies, with just enough sweet, and wonderful combination of healthy seeds.
Adapted from Namely Marly

 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup coconut oil
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 3 Tbsp soy milk or water, cold
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp hemp seeds (hemp Seeds can be purchased at most health food stores, I bought my at Vitacost)
• 1 Tbsp flax seeds
• 1 cup chocolate chips, dairy-free

Tip: Make these cookies gluten-free by using 1 cup brown rice flour and 1/2 cup buckwheat flour.

Fact: Long recognized as an excellent source of nutrition and energy, hemp foods have been used by humans for over 12,000 years all around the world, and continue to be one of the top-rated superfoods.

Directions:

Heat your oven to 350F.

 

In a large bowl combine the peanut butter, coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla.

 

In a separate small bowl combine the ground flax seed, corn starch, and soy milk (or water). The corn starch will want to get kind of clumpy. Stir it up a bit to keep that from happening. Then add the vinegar, let it sit for just a second or two and pour it into the peanut butter mixture. Stir well.

 

In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients: flour, oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until combined. Add the chia, hemp, and give the dry ingredients another little stir.

 

 

Now stir together the dry and the wet ingredients. If the mixture seems a little bit too dry, feel free to add another tablespoon of soy milk (or water). Then add the chocolate chips and stir everything one last time.

 

Make 1 – 1 1/2 inch balls and placed them and inch or so apart on a baking pan. Bake anywhere from 10 – 12 minutes depending on your desired crunchiness.

 

Note: The cookies come out of the oven on the puffy side, but just wait a minute or so and they’ll deflate. After they cooled they were the perfect cookies – crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside.

  

Celeriac and Spinach Soup with Baked Kale Chips

Celeriac and Spinach Soup with Baked Kale Chips - it can’t get healthier than that!
Celery Root, also known as Celeriac, has mild aroma and flavor of celery and walnuts with crisp texture perfect julienned or sliced into salads and soups or braised in broth and butter.
Here, it is combined with spinach to make a delicious soup.



Serves: 6

Ingredients for the soup:

• 1 ¾ pints/ 4 cups of water
• 8 fluid ounces/1 cup dry white wine
• 1 leek, thickly sliced
• 1 ¼ pounds celeriac, diced
• 7 ounces fresh spinach leaves
• freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and ground black pepper
• baked kale chips to garnish

Ingredients for the kale chips:

• about one bunch of kale, rinsed and dried, torn into bite-sized pieces and tough stems removed
• olive oil
• salt, to taste
• cracked black pepper
• 1 Tbsp wine vinegar

Direction for the kale chips:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Lay on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, wine vinegar, cracked black pepper and salt. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 2 hours.



Direction the for soup:

Mix the water and wine in a pitcher. Place the leek, celeriac, and spinach in a deep pan and pour the liquid over the top. Bring to boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.



Pour the celeriac mixture into a blender food processer and process until smooth, in batches if necessary. Return to the clean pan and season to taste with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
Reheat gently. Serve with the homemade baked kale chips.



Tip: If the soup is too thick, thin with a little water or low-fat milk when processing.



Stay warm and healthy! And have a good winter-)

Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Soup with Nutmeg, Homemade Crispy Baked Beet Chips, and Dry Apricot-Hazelnut Bread

This picture-perfect, crusty loaf will satisfy both the novice and the experienced baker. Use it for breakfast toast or sandwiches.

Ingredients for apricot-hazelnut bread: 

• 300 ml mineral water
• 1 tbsp dry yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup shelled and roasted hazelnuts
• 1 cup dry apricots, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 cups bread flour (min 12% protein)
• 1/2 cup rye flour

Direction for apricot-hazelnut bread:
Mix the yeast with the brown sugar, add a bit of water and two tablespoons of flour, stir thoroughly, leave for 10 min. Add in the rest of the water and mix well. Adding gradually the flour make a dough, add the salt, dry apricots and roasted hazelnuts at the end. Knead the dough for 5 min, shape into a ball, dust thoroughly with the flour and leave to rise covered in a container for 1 hour. Shape the bread into a loaf of any form, generously sprinkle with the flour and transfer the loaf onto a baking paper. Cover with the kitchen towel and leave for 30 min.

Preheat the oven together with the baking tray to 420F. Score the loaf, using a sharp knife at a 45° angle. Bake for 5 min, reduce the heat to 400F, and bake for 35 min. Switch off the oven, transfer the bread on a grid and keep it in the oven for 10-15 min, leaving the oven door ajar.
Take the bread out of the oven and cool down completely on a wire rack.



As colorful as it is good to eat, soup is sure winner, whether for midweek family supper or a dinner - party first course. A delicious soup that makes the most of freshly picked apples.
Ingredients for roasted sweet potato and apple soup:

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 leeks, sliced thinly
• 1 large carrot, sliced thinly
• 1 lb 5 oz/600 g sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 2 large apples, peeled and diced
• 5 cups broth
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup light cream
• salt and pepper
• fresh chives or cilantro, to garnish

Directions for soup:
Preheat an oven to 400ºF.
In a bowl, combine the carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until the carrots are tender and golden around the edges, 35 to 40 minutes.



In a soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and sauté, stirring, until tender 5 to 10 minutes. Add the roasted vegetables, broth, nutmeg and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to medium- low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Using a blender, food processor or stick blender, puree the soup, then pass it through a chinois. Return the soup to the pot add cream and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish each serving with a cilantro sprig and the beet chips.
Serve immediately.



Ingredients for beet chips:

• 1-2 beets, large, scrubbed clean
• nonstick cooking spray
• salt, to taste

Directions for beet chips:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Using the slicing blade of your food processor, a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice beets thinly. You want them to be the size of a potato chip.
Spread evenly on a cookie sheet, spray with nonstick spray and season with salt.
Roast about 2 hours, turning halfway through, until crisp. Check often to make sure they don't burn. you may need to roast for a shorter or longer period of time depending on your oven and how crisp you want them - so keep an eye on them -)

Curried Butternut Squash Soup and Homemade Apple Chips

...The summer ends and we wonder who we are
And there you go, my friends, with your boxes in your car
And today I passed the high school, the river, the maple tree
I passed the farms that made it
Through the last days of the century
And I knew that I was going to learn again
Again, in this less hazy light
I saw the fields beyond the fields
The fields beyond the fields

And the colors are much brighter now
It's like they really want to tell the truth
We give our testimony to the end of the summer
It's the end of the summer,
You can spin the light to gold.

from Dar Williams Lyrics
"The End Of The Summer"

 

Ingredients for the homemade apple chips:

• 2 large apples (Gala or Idared work well)
• Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Ingredients for butternut squash soup:

• 1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil  
• 3/4 cup sliced shallots 
• 6 cups unsalted chicken stock, warmed, plus more as needed
• 1 butternut squash (midium size), peeled and cubed
• 2 carrots, peeled and cubed
• 1 russet potato, peeled and diced (optional)
• 1⁄3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. curry
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• small sage leaves for garnish

Directions for homemade apple chips:

Preheat oven to 200˚F.
Thinly slice apples crosswise about 1/8-inch thick with a mandoline or sharp knife. Arrange apple slices in a single layer on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets.
In small bowl, combine cayenne pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. Put mixture into a sieve and sprinkle evenly over apple slices.



Bake in the top and bottom third of the oven until apples are dry and crisp, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and let ‘chips’ cool completely before transferring to a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Makes about 2 cups apple chips.



Directions for butternut squash soup:

In a large pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the shallots and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the squash, the carrots, potato, broth and the 1/2 tsp. salt, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.



Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.



In a blender or food processor, puree the soup, in batches if necessary, until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the heavy cream. Heat the soup until just hot, then stir in the curry and adjust the seasoning with salt. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and serve immediately. Garnish with small sage leaves.