Girl With the Hipster Glasses

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Braised Coconut Chickpeas with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Spinach

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I posted a photo of this recipe on the ‘gram last week and I had a request for the recipe. Since the recipe is not my own, I thought I’d just create a blog post linking to it and offering some tips for making it your own. 

This recipe was actually a staple in my rotation back in 2012/2013 when I was living and working in Manila, Philippines. This moment in my life is near and dear to my heart for a number of reasons, one of which being that it was the moment when I really started to enjoy cooking and experimenting with recipes. 

When I consider that kinds of foods that I’m attracted to, it makes perfect sense to me that I was so in love with this recipe. It’s essentially a dairy-free curry with coconut milk, chickpeas, and delicious veggies. A recipe after my own heart.  

When I used to make the recipe, I followed exactly as directed. This time around, I thought it would be fun to play around with adding some dried ancho peppers in to amp up the flavor. I will say that the next time I make this recipe I might add less sun-dried tomatoes. Maybe the ones that I used were particularly potent but they were kind of a lot for me. Now that it’s back in my life, I’m also excited to add some different kinds of greens to the mix and maybe event swap out the chickpeas with another kind of legume. 

This recipe also comes together quick! Perfect for when you’re operating under a time crunch or when you just want to make something healthy with little fuss. If you’re using dried chickpeas, make sure you prep and cook them ahead of time so that they don’t slow you down. 

Click over to the original recipe here. 

Slow-Cooker Chickpea Curry (Vegan)

By: comment

For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been getting a ton of rain in LA. I would wager to say that it’s rained more in the last two weeks than it has my entire three and a half years living in this city. While it can be frustrating to actually have to be out and about in this weather, it’s nice to have a change of pace. It’s the closest that we get to winter in SoCal so I’ve been trying to take advantage of this moment and make all the warm, cozy dishes that I associate with the cold and snow. 

This dish is something that I make variations of all the time. I’m a HUGE curry girl, so meals like this are always my go-to whenever I’m in need of something warm, comforting, healthy, and delicious. Although I do not digest legumes very well, I really enjoy them. Recently, I began playing around with trying to incorporate them back into my diet and this chickpea curry was a lovely attempt to do so. Because I do have some trouble with beans, I always start with them dried, as opposed to can, and soak them ahead of time (usually 8-24 hours before I plan to cook them). If you process legumes like a champ, you could easily make this dish using a pot on the stove in a fraction of the time. If you’re using dried beans, using the slow-cooker will give you the freedom to go about your day as those babies soften up. 

Like I mentioned earlier, I make variation of this dish all the time using different kinds of veggies and proteins. I highly encourage you to experiment. Replace the chickpeas all together or simply add more things in. You could easily make the sauce on the stove and then toss in a few shrimp and have a delicious seafood variation of this! If you’d like to try chicken, I suggest making it on the stovetop as well. I personally don’t like the texture of chicken that’s been slow-cooked so I wouldn’t go the Crockpot route but to each her own! 

Slow-Cooker Vegan Chickpea Curry
Warm and cozy winter meal.
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Ingredients
  1. About 4 cups of dried chickpeas (or about 2 cans if not using dried)
  2. One onion
  3. 1 10-oz can of diced tomatoes with jalepeno and cilantro*
  4. 2 T curry powder
  5. 1 tsp garam masala
  6. 1 tsp turmeric
  7. 1 tsp salt
  8. bay leaf
  9. 2 cups of veggie or chicken stock
  10. 1 cup water
  11. 1/2 cup coconut milk
Instructions
  1. Place chickpeas in a large bowl and soak in water overnight.
  2. After soaking, place chickpeas along with all the additional ingredients EXCEPT the coconut milk into the slow-cooker.
  3. Cook for 4-5 hours on low setting.
  4. Once done cooking, add coconut milk and serve.
  5. Let the deliciousness unfold.
Notes
  1. *I just happened to see this at the store and thought the extra flavors would be nice. Regular diced tomatoes will also do just fine!
Girl With the Hipster Glasses http://girlwiththehipsterglasses.com/
 

Slow-Cooker Applesauce

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img_3191My slow-cooker and I made applesauce for the first time last night and it was kind of amazing…

Applesauce is one of those snacks that immediately takes me back to childhood. To be real, I didn’t even eat a ton of applesauce when I was younger (I’ve probably eaten it more as an adult), but there is something about it – perhaps the lack of chewing that it requires – that let’s me indulge in infantile fantasies every time I eat it. 

Trader Joe’s a great organic applesauce that it unsweetened that has been my go-to over the past few years but yesterday I decided I’d venture to make my own for the first time.

I was a bit appalled at how simple is was. 

The most energy that you have to put in is peeling, coring, and cutting the apples and for what you get, it’s well worth the 10-15 minutes of work. 

A lot of recipes that I’ve seen online call for adding sugar or honey but I personally don’t think it’s necessary. I was a bit overwhelmed at how sweet the apples alone were. 

Slow-Cooker Applesauce
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
6 hr
Total Time
6 hr 15 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
6 hr
Total Time
6 hr 15 min
Ingredients
  1. 3 lbs of apples of your choice
  2. 2 cinnamon sticks
  3. 3/4 C of water
  4. lemon zest of one small lemon
  5. pinch of salt
  6. Any addition flavorings that you'd like
Instructions
  1. Peel and core the apples and cut them into chunks.
  2. Add the apples along with the water, salt, lemon zest, and cinnamon sticks to the slow cooker.
  3. Cook on low for 5+ hours.
  4. Add lemon juice and let cook for another hour or so.
  5. Once done, stir so that the texture evens out.
  6. That's it. Can you believe it?
Girl With the Hipster Glasses http://girlwiththehipsterglasses.com/
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My Favorite Way to Roast a Pumpkin

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img_2166Hey y’all, 

I recently roasted an entire pumpkin for the first time and it was kind of amazing. 

You may not know this about me but, I am often intimidated by produce. I especially hate having to peel really intimidating carby veggies such as yucca, beets, and (dun dun dun) pumpkin. There’s something about produce with a thick skin and dense flesh that just make me go in the other direction. Though I enjoy their taste, I often prefer waiting until I see them on a restaurant menu over having to actually put in the labor of peeling them. 

Every now and then, when I’m feeling particularly ambitious or festive, I do take one of these veggies under my wing and into my kitchen. I let it sit on the counter for a week or so until I start to fear that it might go bad. Then and only then can I motivate myself to take on the laborious task. 

This is exactly what happened last week with the beautiful sugar pie pumpkin that I got from FarmFresh2You.* I think almost two weeks had gone by before I could actually get up the nerve to go at it. I honestly didn’t know where to begin so I did some googling and most sources said the same thing – peel it, chop it, roast it. I procrastinated another couple of days. 

Through a conversation with a friend, I ended up on the Decolonize Your Diet website. Low and behold, they had a recipe for roasting pumpkin that required no peeling. No. peeling. 

I hopped to it. 

It was incredibly easy and time efficient. 

I had to share. 

All you do is…

Remove one rack from your over and place the other on the rack setting that is the furthest down.

Preheat your over to 375 degrees F. 

Use a knife to cut some slits in the pumpkin so that the steam can flow out. I ended up cutting about 6 horizontal slits that were approx. 3-4 inches. 

Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet and bake it for about 45 minutes (or more depending on its size). 

When you think it’s done, take a knife and see if it punctures easily. If so, take it out of the oven to cool. 

Let cool for 30 minutes or so. 

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Chop it in half, remove the guts and seeds, slice up the flesh and enjoy for days to come. 

BOOM. 

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You should also make good use of the seeds, as I did, by seasoning them to your liking (I used curry powder!) and roasting on 300 F for about an hour. 

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* If you’re in California and you’re interested in having fresh veggies delivered to your home, check out FarmFreshtoYou and use the referral code: SABR9411 to get $10 off your first order! 

 

 

How to Blister Shishito Peppers + Recipe Ideas

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Hey guys, 

If you weren’t aware, shishito peppers are in season! I got some in my CSA box last week and I was SO excited. If you haven’t tried shishitos before, get ’em while you can. They’ll be out of season soon and it would be a shame to have to wait until next summer to experience their deliciousness. 

The great thing about shishitos is that they’re super easy to prepare and make an amazing appetizer or snack. I’ve also been known to eat a batch of these with some homemade mayo and call it dinner. 

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To blister shishitos, begin by simply heating cooking fat in a skillet over medium high heat. I would highly recommend using a cast iron skillet if you have one. I would also suggest coconut oil, ghee, or some kind of animal fat for the oil since you want something with a high smoke point. Once the oil is hot, add the peppers to the pan, making sure not to overcrowd them, and simply let them cook unbothered. I usually leave mine for about 4-5 minutes. You can check to see if they the side against the skillet is blistered to your liking. After the first side is done, use metal tongs to flip them and let cook on the other side. Once done, transfer to a plate and generously sprinkle with sea salt. A squeeze of lime would also serve you well. 

Although shishitos definitely hold their own as far as flavor, it can be fun to play around with them a bit. Last night I decided to add them as a topping on my pizza along with goat cheese, fresh garlic, basil, and cherry tomatoes and finished it off with some high quality olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. 

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Here are also a couple of recipes that caught my interest for my future shishito endeavors. Enjoy experimenting. 

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Browned Butter, Lemon, and Parmesan (Food Network) 

Corn Tomato Shishito Pepper Pizza (Shutterbean) 

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Miso (Food and Wine) 

Grilled Leeks with Shishito Romanesco (Food and Wine) 

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Let me know how you like to eat your shishitos in the comments below!

Coconut Cherry Dessert Rice

By: comment

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Ciao ciao, 

I’ve been making this dessert in varied versions for the past few months and I finally decided to post it. It’s so simple that it never occurred to me to posted but then I realized that super simple can be a good thing when it comes to food-making. This treat is great when you’re craving something rich but want to stay away from breads and other glutenous foods. Simmering the fruit in coconut cream allows the natural sugars to release and create its own syrup so there is no need to add more sugar. The richness of the cream along with the starchy carb goodness of the rice makes this dessert feel sinful despite its clean nutritional profile. I highly recommend experimenting with different fruit/combinations. I can attest to the deliciousness of using frozen mango and figs instead of cherries. Amazing. 

Coconut Cherry Rice
Serves 1
Hearty, warm dessert.
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Cook Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 C cooked white rice
  2. 1/2 C frozen cherries (I used sweet dark cherries from Whole Foods)
  3. 1/4 C full-fat coconut cream or milk
Instructions
  1. Cook the cherries and coconut cream in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat for 5-10 until cherries are soft and maybe even begin to burst. You want the juices to release and the texture to be somewhat thick.
  2. While the cherries are cooking, heat rice (either in microwave or using a separate pot on the stove).
  3. Once cherries are ready, pour the mixture over the rice.
Notes
  1. You can do this with any fruit that you'd like. I loooove doing this with mango as the taste mimics the mango sticky rice found at Thai restaurants.
Girl With the Hipster Glasses http://girlwiththehipsterglasses.com/

Butternut Squash Soup with Sage

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FullSizeRenderLong time, no recipes. Life has been coming at me fast and I’ve had to be efficient in the kitchen, which means not much time to play around with recipes or write them down. I enjoyed this soup tonight though and it’s super simple so I thought I’d share while I still had it on the brain. 

Butternut Squash Soup with Sage
Serves 3
Deliciously rich and creamy butternut squash soup with fresh sage.
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Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
20 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 T ghee, coconut oil or other cooking fat
  2. 1 white onion
  3. 2 carrots
  4. 3-4 cloves garlic
  5. 2 T fresh sage leaves, minced
  6. 2-4 cups chicken broth (depending on your preferred thickness/texture)
  7. 2 15-oz cans butternut squash puree
  8. salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste
  9. 1/4 C coconut cream/milk (can use more if you'd prefer it creamier)
Instructions
  1. Chop onions, carrots, and garlic into small pieces (or if you're lazy like me, add them all to the food processor and pulse for 5-7 seconds).
  2. Heat the ghee in a large pot over medium heat.
  3. Once oil is hot, add chopped/minced veggies and sauté until softened (about 5 minutes).
  4. Add sage, broth, and squash puree to the pot and mix everything together.
  5. Add a sprinkle of each salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
  6. Turn the heat down a notch and allow everything to heat for 5 minutes or so.**
  7. Add the coconut milk. Feel free to add more than 1/4 C if you'd like it creamier.
  8. Once slightly warm, starting adding salt and pepper in small amounts. After adding a bit, stir it in and taste until you get the taste that you like.
  9. Serve once hot.
Notes
  1. ** If you'd like your soup super creamy, at this point, you can pour it into a blender and blend it until smooth before returning it to the pot and finishing up. I like my soups with a bit of texture so I skipped the blender step.
  2. ** You could also use fresh squash for this recipe. Just roast it beforehand and scoop out the insides and puree it in the blender with all the other veggies.
Girl With the Hipster Glasses http://girlwiththehipsterglasses.com/

Smoky and Spicy Nut and Sesame Seed Blend

By: comment

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Sometimes you just need a snack….a delicious, healthy, filling, flavorful snack. I got you.

Nuts have been my main and favorite form of snack for years and has become absolutely critical to my new found paleo life. While I have no problem eating them, all of them, raw, straight from the plastic bags that Trader Joes distributes them in, sometimes it’s nice to jazz things up. This recipe is Jazz at its best. Simple and yummy. If you’re into smoky flavors, this is all you.

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Smoky and Spicy Nut and Sesame Seed Blend
Original recipe from Oh She Glows

Gather
1/2 C cashew halves
1/2 C raw while almonds
1/4 C + 2 T unsweetened coconut flakes
1 T sesame seeds
1 T coconut aminos or low sodium tamari
1/4 tsp pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/8 cayenne pepper

Do
1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Add nuts and seeds to a large bowl.
3. Combine wet ingredients and spices together in a small bowl.
4. Pour wet ingredients over dry and combines well, using a spatula get all of the wet ingredients and to thoroughly coat the nuts and seeds.
5. Spread nuts in a thin layer on parchment paper.
6. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove sheet from oven, stir and return to oven for another 10 minutes.
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then eat…or store in a glass jar or air tight container.

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Chocolatey Pumpkin-Spice Latte

By: comment

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You guys may not know this about me but I’m really into fall. You know, the season. Upon moving to LA, one of my major concerns was the lack of seasons to be had in this city but I was determined to keep fall alive no matter what the weather gods had in store. As I sit here, recovering from the heatwave of 100+ temperatures that we had last week, I am not discouraged. Summer got its last hurrah and now it’s fall’s time to shine. What better way for fall to make its annual debut than in a delicious drinkable milky treat?

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I used to be a big Starbucks girl. I’m embarrassed to say that I made many a pit stop in downtown Chicago on my way to my high school to spend six bucks on a something sugary in grande size. In my older age, I rarely find myself at the coffee chain, largely because I realized that there is so much better coffee to be had for my money. While I have numerous independent coffee shops that I frequent for quality beans, these places don’t typically offer the fun seasonal drinks for which Starbizzle is known.

Being the paleo girl that I currently am, the thought of buying myself one of these drinks, even as a treat, kind of repulses me. All the sugar and weird chemicals in those flavored syrups make even the tastiest of seasonal beverages so much less appealing. It occurred to me that the best way to deal with this situation was to hit up the kitchen….

This recipe is super simple, requiring just a few ingredients and a little time. The great thing about it, like most homemade versions of things, is that you can customize it to your tastebuds. I tend to like my lattes on the creamy side, without too much sugar so that the flavors of the coffee come through. This recipe caters to these preferences but feel free to adjust ingredients as you see fit. It’s also vegan and paleo friendly. 🙂

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Serves 1

 

Gather:

1/2 brewed coffee of your choice (I used this amazing snickerdoodle flavored decaf that I got from the farmer’s market)

1/2 C coconut cream (or milk. I used cream because it’s thicker and creamier, like I prefer)

1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use the Trader Joe’s brand)

1.5-2 TBL pumpkin puree (I used the one from Trader Joe’s)

1 tsp raw honey* (or more if you have an intense sweet tooth but remember there’s sugar in the chocolate too!)

1 TBL dairy-free chocolate chips

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 T vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cocoa or cacao power for sprinking on top

 

*For strict paleo version, use agave or another vegan-friendly sweetener. You could also omit all together and add another TBL of chocolate chips. 🙂

Do:

1) Brew coffee if not yet brewed.

2) Add coconut milk, almond milk, pumpkin puree, honey, and chocolate chips to a small saucepan over medium/medium-low heat.

3) Stir regularly until all ingredients have combined, chocolate chips have melted, and mixture is well heated.

4) Keeping the saucepan over the heated eye of the stove, turn off heat and add pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract. Stir until combined and dissolved.

5) Pour mixture into the bottom of your coffee mug and pour hot brewed coffee over top.

6) Sprinkle cacao power and more pumpkin pie on top.

7) Indulge.

 

Happy Fall!

Blueberry Peach Crumble

By: comment

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Bonjour mes amis,

Now that I’ve gotten in the habit of updating on the go, I thought I would get this post going as I head to the gym. This WordPress iPhone app is so handy! Anyway, I come to you with deliciousness. Last week I took a break from the savory to try something seasonal and sweet. I ended up at the downtown Chicago farmers market after my morning workout last Thursday and the peaches and blueberries were calling my name. I was pretty sure that I wanted to try a crumble but I was unsure of which fruit I’d put in it until I got to the market. Sometimes it’s nice to let nature help plan the menu.

I’ve always been a fan of cobblers, crisps, etc but these desserts don’t often make their way into a healthy diet. I’ve especially struggled with this since going paleo. I had come across some interesting recipes for paleo crisps and crumbles and I thought it might be a good day to attempt one myself.

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This recipe is paleo but if you’re not into that jazz there are a number of substitutions that can be made. I’ve tried to note them on the ingredients list as I realize that some of the ingredients would rarely be found in a non-paleo kitchen.

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Gather:

(For filling)
1 lb firm peaches (about 4 peaches for me)
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T honey (would probably be delicious with maple syrup as well)
2 T arrowroot (this is for thickening, can sub with regular flour if not paleo)
3/4 C fresh blueberries
Dash salt

(For crumble)
1/4 raw sliced almonds
1/2 almond meal
1 T coconut flour (can sub regular flour)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 salt
2 T honey
2 coconut oil, cold (solid but soft)

Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Peel and slice peaches. You can do this a number of ways. I boiled mine for a few minutes, allowed them to cool, and then I was able to easily remove the skin. This might not work depending on the ripeness of your peaches. If peaches are pretty firm, it’ll probably be easier to just peel them with a nice or peeler. Anyway, after they’re peeled, slice them to your liking.

3. Place peaches in a bowl and add lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, arrowroot powder and salt. Mix together and then add in blueberries. Stir carefully as not to smash them. Let filling sit while you make crumble to give it a little time to gel.

4. Put sliced almonds, almond meal, coconut flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and whisk together. Add honey and stir until combined. Add coconut oil and slice into the mixture with a fork or your hands. Allows the mixture to clump together. It may not clump as much as it would with regular flour but that’s fine.

5. Add filling to an oven safe baking dish or pan. I used a small cast iron skillet greased with coconut oil.

6. Add filling to dish and top with crumble. I used my hands to drop the clumps on top of the filling in a crumble-like fashion.

7. Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the crumble has browned and the fruit bubbles. I placed mine under the broiler for a couple of minutes so that the crumble could brown further.

Et voila.

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