Masonable Mondays #6 - Savory Yogurt and Granola

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #6! Have you seen all the savory yogurts with crunchy toppings out there lately? I liked the idea so I tried Chobani's Pineapple one and loved it. I liked it enough to try to re-create it. So for today's 
#MasonableMondays I am sharing my version of Pineapple Yogurt with Savory Granola. There is really no recipe here except for the granola. If you have access to savory granola options you will not have to cook a single thing. It is as simple as layering crushed pineapple, yogurt and granola in a jar. For my #Masonable I decided to make my own granola. The Chobani flip had a spicy savory granola with almonds and pepitas. The spicy element was chipotle. So I tried to replicate that flavor in my granola. The Domestic Geek came to the rescue. She had a savory granola that featured almonds and a little chipotle powder. So I adapted her recipe and added pepitas. It turned out so good. It is so good with the pineapple flavor. Truth be known, I almost ate it all by the handful before I could fill my mason jars and fruit cups. It is that good! It is great on salads as a crunchy topping too. I think this is another great way to eat oatmeal.  I see lots of savory granola and yogurt in my future. I hope you will give it a try too.

Pineapple Yogurt with Savory Granola
Serves 1

Supplies

1 wide mouth pint Mason jar
1 empty fruit cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
5 to 6 oz. plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Savory Granola with Almonds and Pepitas (recipe below)

Directions

Place pineapple in a pint size wide mouth mason jar. Top with yogurt. Place granola in re-cycled fruit cup. Place cup in the top of mason jar. Secure with mason jar lid and ring.

Note: If you like a little sweetness, you can add a drizzle of honey or agave. Or substitute vanilla or pineapple flavored Greek yourt.

Savory Granola with Almonds and Pepitas
Adapted from the Domestic Geek
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
3/4 cup Blue Diamond Jalapeno Smokehouse Almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl combine oats, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt. Stir well. In a small bowl whisk egg white, olive oil and maple syrup. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until they are well coated. Spread mixture in a single layer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Stirring every 10 minutes. Add pepitas and cook 10 more minutes, stirring every five minutes. Once the granola has cooled, mix in almonds. Store in an airtight container.

Masonable Mondays #5 - Snickerdoodle Hummus

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #5! Today I made a salty, sweet and healthy Snickerdoodle Hummus Masonable. I have been making this snickerdoodle hummus for years. It is amazing! It tastes and smells just like snickerdoodle cookies! The secret is cinnamon and almond butter instead of tahini. I made my own almond butter this weekend. I used my Almond Toffee Butter recipe and just omitted the toffee pieces. But you can use store bought, I know I have many many times. Even some of the friends I shared the recipe with used peanut butter and said it was delicious. If you haven't tried a sweet hummus this should definitely be the one you try. It is so good with sliced apples and carrots. The carrots will remind you of glazed carrots. I really like the salty pretzel crackers with it too. It has that salty sweet thing going for it. The #Masonable is the perfect container to pack all these yummy companions into a easy to carry snack or dessert. It is just sweet enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. So grab a mason jar and a fruit cup and get prepping.

Snickerdoodle Hummus Masonable
Serves 1

Supplies

1 wide mouth pint Mason jar
2 empty fruit cups

Ingredients

Carrot sticks
Apple slices*
Snickerdoodle Hummus (recipe below)
Pretzel chips or crackers

Directions

Add carrots and apples to the bottom of the mason jar. Add fruit cup and place hummus in cup. Add lid and stack pretzels on top of lid. Top with inverted fruit cup and secure with mason jar ring. Store in refrigerator until ready to eat.

*Note: To prevent apple slices from turning brown toss in lemon juice before adding to the jar.

Snickerdoodle Hummus

Makes about 1-1/2 cups; 12 – 2 Tbsp servings

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can low sodium garbanzo beans

2 Tbsp. almond butter

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground

Directions

Drain garbanzo beans reserving liquid. Place garbanzo beans in a food processor along with almond butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pulse for about 1 minute until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Slowly drizzle in reserved liquid (you will not need all of it, approx. 1/3 cup) until the dip is smooth and desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To serve try garnishing with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup. Surround hummus with apple slices, carrots and/or pretzel crackers.

Nutritional Info per Serving: Calories 71.8; Total Fat 2.0 g; Saturated Fat 0.2 g; Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g; Monounsaturated Fat 1.1 g; Cholesterol 0.0 mg; Sodium 105.7 mg; Potassium 91.7 mg; Total Carbohydrate 12.3 g; Dietary Fiber 1.7 g; Sugars 3.5 g; Protein 2.1 g

Linking to:
Tumbleweed Contessa - What'd You Do This Weekend?

Chunky Monkey Yogurt Pie

#MadeWithChobani

the Official Yogurt of College Football

When I heard Chobani was looking for bloggers who would be interested in featuring their products in one of their posts I was thrilled. After all I already buy and use Chobani. I thought of all the many uses I have for their yogurt. I use it as a replacement for sour cream and as a topping. I use it in dips and dressings. I eat it for breakfast and as a sweet treat in the evenings. Then finally I use it to make all kinds of Yogurt Pies. My family has been making yogurt pie for years. It is often dessert at celebration dinners, get-togethers and holidays. So it just seemed natural that I would create a new one for Chobani's campaign.

Go check out their website for even more recipes using Chobani.

So let me tell you a bit about Chobani's ad campaign. With football season upon us, Chobani has been named the Official Yogurt of College Football! They want to remind us not to drop the ball when it comes to staying healthy at the tailgate. So they are asking bloggers, well everyone to share healthy recipes for tailgating with the #MadeWithChobani.

Most of my tailgating is done at home these days; getting together with family and friends to watch and cheer on our favorite teams. So I decided to use Chobani Flip Nutty for 'Nana Greek Yogurt to create a new Yogurt Pie. Nutty for 'Nana is a delicious Banana Low-Fat Yogurt with Honey Roasted Salted Almonds and Dark Chocolate on the side. You can flip the specially design cup to add the crunchy toppings to the creamy yogurt. Trust me it makes a delicious healthy dessert all by it's self. But I thought I would make it into a dessert for a group of college football fans. As a Louisiana Tech Alumni this house cheers for the Bulldogs. So this frozen treat will be decked out in red and blue. GO DAWGS! Now back to the pie... 

You can make all kinds of Yogurt Pies using #Chobani. Fresh fruit flavors or decadent ice cream flavors. With Chobani Flips you get the yogurt and a mix-in or garnish in one. Nutty for 'Nana is the perfect base for re-creating the ice flavor Chunky Monkey. You get the banana yogurt, nuts and chocolate in one carton. It made a delicious low-fat frozen dessert with all the flavor of a decadent ice cream. I decided to use the topping as a mix it; after all that is what makes the ice cream so good, all the chunky treats. I also decided to leave some of the bananas in slices too. This pie really lives up to the title of chunky.

For the garnish I had to go with something with team spirit. A bag of almond M & Ms re-enforces the almond and chocolate flavors and makes it so easy to decorate this pie for your favorite team. Beside that, the brown almond M & Ms look a lot like little footballs. So print out your team pennant or mascot and garnish this Chunky Monkey Yogurt Pie for your favorite team.

Chunky Monkey Yogurt Pie
Serves 6

Ingredients

2 cartons of Chobani Flip Nutty for 'Nana Greek Yogurt

1 cup sliced banana, divided

12 oz. light whipped topping, thawed

1 prepared Oreo pie crust

Hot fudge topping

Almond M & Ms, chopped and whole for garnish

Directions

Select your team colors (I used red and blue) from the bag of M & Ms. Roughly chop and set aside. Also set aside 7 brown M & Ms for garnish.

Place 1/2 cup banana slices in a mixing bowl, mash with the tines of a fork. Add remaining banana slices and yogurt; fold together. Fill yogurt portion of cups with whipped topping (about 1-1/2 cups or half of the carton) gently fold whipped topping into yogurt and fruit mixture. Sprinkle in the nut and chocolate topping and gently fold together. Pour into pie crust and spread evenly. Place pie in the freezer and freeze solid. When frozen, spread the top with a thin layer of hot fudge, the remaining whipped topping, chopped M & Ms in team colors and whole brown M & Ms for garnish.

Note: Remove the pie from the freezer and decorate 20  to 30 minutes before you are ready to serve. That way it is thawed just a bit when it is time to serve dessert. If you forget no worries serve with forks instead of spoons.

Disclaimer: I did not receive any monetary or product compensation for this post. I purchased the products myself and all opinions are my own.

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Low Sodium Ramen Noodle Salad

When I originally posted my recipe for Oriental Ramen Noodle Salad I had no idea how popular it would be. I mean I thought everyone had their recipe for this simple salad. You know it still remains the most viewed recipe on my blog. Of the two years I have been blogging nothing has been able to de-throne it. 

Well get ready to toss that high sodium flavor packet. I have developed a low sodium version of this popular salad. I have substituted a sodium free bouillon packet and my own spices for the little packet that comes with the ramen. It worked so well. I did add a little more vinegar too. As I mention before vinegar is a great way to add brightness to a dish like salt would. I left out the sunflower seeds and doubled up on the almonds. It can be hard to find unsalted sunflower seeds. Honestly ... I forgot to even look when I was at the store. I did not miss them, the almonds have great crunch too. The fact that I left out the seeds did inspire the sesame garnish. They really add a finishing touch to this salad. I was really pleased with this low sodium make-over. Dear sister even said she did not miss the salt in this one. Well there you go a salt shaker stamp of approval. It is definitely worth a try real soon. Don't you think?

Low Sodium Ramen Noodle Salad

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 pkg Ramen noodles any flavor

1 large package Coleslaw mix

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1/2 cup silvered almonds
Black and white sesame seeds, to garnish

Dressing:

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp. canola oil

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 packet sodium free chicken bouillon granules

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. white pepper

1/8 tsp. dried chives

1/8 tsp. five spice powder

Directions

Toss or save ramen flavor packet for another use. Break noodles into pieces and mix with coleslaw mix, onions, and almonds in a large bowl. Combine ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake vigorously. Pour over salad, toss and chill for several hours. When ready to eat, toss again to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Memories By The Mile: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Picnic Food

Almond Toffee Butter

Remember the Almond Toffee Butter my friend D found at the Benton Farmer's Market? Well I have to confess it was my breakfast food for maybe a week or more straight. It was so good! Did you catch that last part? WAS!!! Good. Yep, it's gone! No more! So I set out to try to re-create it. The most difficult part is having patience and faith that those little almonds will turn into butter. First it looks like sand spinning around. Then it starts to climb the side of the processor bowl. Then it starts to clump into a dough. Then it starts to spin like a top, real slow around the bowl. Will it ever become butter (Head in hand, shaking my head)? Then after all that, it smooths out and looks just right. How long does it take to make almond butter, you ask? Well for me about the length of a 30 minute cooking show. Pioneer Woman to be exact. I put my poor tiny food processor through its paces. Honestly I did not think it would be able to make another batch. It was a little over heated by the time the almonds were butter. But that little guy has made two more batches since then and I swear in less time each time, Weird? I made one without salt, also delicious. The third batch I got the salt to sugar ratio just right. Really every batch I made was so yummy, but I was after replicating the Almond Toffee Butter purchased at the market. This last batch was perfect! Just the right amount of sea salt, brown sugar and toffee bits. I love the texture of homemade almond butter. The toffee adds a nice little crunch too. I don't think I will ever buy almond butter again. It is too much fun to make I home. I can't wait to experiment with some other flavors. 

Almond Toffee Butter
Makes about 1-1/2 cups, 12 (2 Tbsp.) servings

Ingredients

2 c. whole unsalted almonds
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. walnut oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. toffee bits

Directions

Place almonds in the bowl of a food processor, process until it looks like coarse sand. Stop processor and push down the almonds climbing up the sides, continue to process. Add sea salt, walnut oil and brown sugar; continue to process as above until the constancy of chunky peanut butter. Add toffee bits and process until combined. Allow to cool before serving. The flavor is not as evident when warm. Store in the refrigerator, keeps well.

Nutrition information per serving*: Calories 169.4, Total Fat 14.8 g, Saturated Fat 1.5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 4.3 g, Monounsaturated Fat 7.9 g, Cholesterol 0.7 mg, Sodium 61.7 mg, Potassium 167.0 mg, Total Carbohydrate 6.6 g, Dietary Fiber 2.9 g, Sugars 2.4 g, Protein 5.0 g.  
WW P+ 5

*Information from the Sparkrecipes calculator. NI may vary depending on the brand or size of the ingredients used to prepare it.

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Memories By The Mile: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Creative K Kids: Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party
Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Christmas Goodies

I have been doing some baking for our Christmas treat table. This is the first year I have done this. Usually in our small family we make one dessert for Christmas. But that table is one of the things I miss about the big family Christmas in south Louisiana. There was always a spread of sweet Christmas goodies. It might be on the cabinet counter in the breakfast nook or on a folding table or even on a dryer in the laundry room covered in a Christmas tablecloth. But you could always count on being able to pick out a little bit of your favorites for dessert. So this few days before Christmas, I made Candy Cane Blossom Sugar Cookies, Rudolph Peanut Butter Cookies and Barefeet in the Kitchen's Easy Dark Chocolate Almond Fudge. I just can't wait to see them all gathered in the designated goodie spot this Christmas. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and that you find something sweet at your Christmas gathering.

Almond Cheesecake 2013

This is our Thanksgiving dessert tradition. It is an amazing cheesecake! The almonds create such a rich flavor you won’t believe this is a lower-calorie cheesecake. I posted it last year put forgot to take pictures. So this year I made sure to rectify that situation. I took tons of photos. This is another must try. You will not be sorry.

Almond Cheesecake

Source: 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes by George Geary's

Serves 10 to 12

Crust:                1-1/2 cups almond cookie crumbs

                        3 Tbsp margarine, melted

Filling:               2 (8 oz) packages Neufchatel cheese or light cream cheese,                           softened

                        1 cup lower-fat sour cream

                        1 cup granulated sugar

                        3 eggs

                        3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

                        1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

                        1 tsp vanilla

                        1/4 tsp ground allspice

Decoration:        8 oz lower-fat whipped topping

                        1/4 cup ground almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Use a 9-inch springform pan with 3” sides.

Crust: In a medium bowl, combine almond cookie crumbs and margarine. Press into bottom of cheesecake pan and freeze.

Filling: In a large mixer bowl, beat cheese, sour cream and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in flour, almonds, vanilla and allspice. Pour over frozen crust. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top is light brown and the center has a slight jiggle to it. Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before decorating.

Decoration: Top with whipped topping and dust with a sprinkling of ground almonds.

Variation: Spike the almond flavor with 2 Tbsp almond liqueur.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:  Calories 336.1; Total Fat 19.7 g; Saturated Fat 9.2 g; Polyunsaturated Fat 3.1 g; Monounsaturated Fat 6.4 g; Cholesterol 83.0 mg; Sodium 285.1 mg; Potassium 144.7 mg; Total Carbohydrate 31.3 g; Dietary Fiber 0.8 g; Sugars 23.1 g; Protein 8.0 g. 9 WW PointsPlus.

Notes: I used Italian amaretti cookies for the crumbs. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. This will prevent the cheesecake from cracking. Definitely use the almond liqueur. I used amaretto and added it with the vanilla. This cheesecake can be frozen too. Remove springform ring, wrap in plastic wrap and then foil and place in the freezer. Just allow 24 hours for it to defrost in the refrigerator and wait to decorate just before serving.

NI includes amaretto; however it is calculated with graham crackers not almond cookie. Sparkrecipes did not have a listing for almond cookie.

Linking to:
Mommy On Demand: Create it OR Bake it
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia-Illinois and Link Party
Dizzy Busy and Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Turnips 2 Tangerines: Four Seasons Blog Hop
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Horrific Knits: Fall Into the Holidays
My Plate of Crumbs: Random Recipe Roundup
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo