Golden Snitch Snack Balls

I open at the close.......

As I'm still behind in my posts, I made these in honor of the opening weekend of the Deathly Hallows, Part II, and ate them for lunch before heading to the theater to watch the show (complete with Dark Mark on arm.)

What did I think of the show? As with all of the HP movies, it wasn't quite as good as the book, and certainly botched a few key moments (like Neville's heroic moment! ...fail) but overall it was quality entertainment... and, succeeded in making me tear up on multiple occasions. I really lost it at the end when Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all grown up, sending their own kids off to Hogwarts. When I met the Harry Potter franchise, Harry was younger than I was-- and now all of a sudden, he was an adult, married, with children, and the magical saga had reached its conclusion. If Harry had grown that much over the years, where does that put me?

Sentimentality aside, these snitch balls are a super easy way to have a magical lunch.

THE RECIPE:

mozzerella soy cheese

Peeves, my first favorite character.

flaxseed meal

Snitch filling:
1/2 avocado
2(or more) fresh basil leaves
2(or more) spinach leaves
dash of salt                              ---> pulse in Magic Bullet until leaves are chopped and a paste forms

Roll in flaxseed meal to form a "golden" ball. ****
Slice soy cheese, and cut slices into matching diamond shapes. Stick into ball to form wings of the snitch.

Place mouth on snitch and let it "open at the close" ....of your mouth. As it explodes in flavor and awesomeness.

**** Really want to take it to the next level? Put a whole hazelnut inside to replicate the Ressurection Stone.

Luna Lovegood, my other favorite character (that's MEE!)

BONUS: take the Harry Potter Comprehensive Sorting Test HERE and let me know what you get!
(I'm an all-out Ravenclaw :) )

Magic Cookies Bars

Magic! (cookie bar)

Magic cookie bars (also known frequently as Seven Layer Bars-- although I'm nver quite sure what the 7th layer is... maybe the pan?!) are one of the first desserts I learned to make by myself. The original recipe came from an EagleBrand Sweetened Condensed Milk can. I remember layering the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut flakes on many a late-night dessert-making spree, often accompanied assisted by friends, and often followed by gobbling up the whole pan while watching movies and gossiping in my basement.




Fast forward to now, and my current recipe is really just as easy to make and just as delicious to eat. (I may or may not have eaten it for breakfast all week... which actually worked great!) Benefit over the traditional version: no crushing graham crackers. Downside: spreading marshmallow fluff is a pain. Either way, they're still easy and worth it.

MmmMmm, pan of gooey deliciousness...

THE RECIPE:

Layer in a baking pan: (8x8, or 9x13)

Uncooked.

crust, in 2:2:1 ratio - almond meal, flaxseed meal, coconut sugar
melted coconut oil - add to crust, mix with fork until consistency is gooey but not wet, and covers entire bottom of the pan
vegan marshmallow fluff (I get mine at WholeFoods) - spread (or rather, lump/drizzle on) until it more-or-less thinly covers the whole pan
chocolate chips - use ~10 oz to cover the whole area
chopped walnuts - again, sprinkle or spread over surface
shredded coconut - sprinkle over surface


By now the chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut should have entirely covered the gooey fluff layer-- thus, you can use your hands to gently press all along the top layer to compact the layers together. 


Heat oven to 350 and bake until chocolate is melted and coconut begins to toast - around 20 minutes.

Cooked, served, half-eaten.

 

Pizza!

drooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool....

What goes best with (my just-posted) chocolate chip cookies??? That's right... PIZZA!!!

The quest for quality gluten-free sugar-free yeast-free pizza crust continues. In this version, I've come up with a highly delicious pie-crust-y crust. In other words, it's a bit more dense and less bread-y than the real deal, but still makes a darn good pie. Next time, I'll try adding eggs to make it rise.

THE RECIPE:

1c millet
1/4 c brown rice
1/4 c garbanzo
1/2 c tapioca flour
1 sprinkle stevia
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp guar gum
1 tbs flax meal

~3/8 c light olive oil
1 egg
~1/2 c almond mlk --or until sticky/dough consistency (NOT pie crusty)

spray a large pizza pan with a healthy non-stick spray (or grease manually)
shape into a large circle (makes one ~12 inch pizza)
sprinkle w/ 1/2 tbs flax seed

Top it! I used:

Prego Veggie Smart pasta/pizza sauce
Mozzarella soy cheese, grated
Fresh basil, chopped
Fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced

Spray exposed crust with oil spray.

Bake at 350 for ~20-30 mins, or until cheese melts and crust begins to brown.

Raw Spinach Mini Quiches

This is what I made for my Superbowl fiesta. (aka, I ate them for dinner before going elsewhere to a real superbowl fiesta). I used a spinach-avocado filling which worked perfectly. A couple of them I filled with guacamole, and that was also delicious.

THE RECIPE:

Crust:
3 tbs ground flax seeds
3 tbs almond meal
1 tsp chia seeds
dash of salt          ----> stir together in a bowl
water                  ----> add just enough water for the meal to clump together

Filling:


1 handful spinach   ----> chop (pulsing Magic Bullet works perfectly- just don't over-blend into juice!)
1/2 small/medium avocado ---> add to Bullet or manually whip it and spinach together

dash of salt            ----> add and stir to mix

Assembly:
Use a mini muffin tin (optionally sprayed with nonstick olive oil cooking spray.) Use a spoon (/your fingers) to press a dollop of crust into each muffin tin, shaping it to the cavity. Make sure to compact it tightly, or the crust will crumble under the weight of the filling. Top the crust with a small spoonful of filling. To remove each mini quiche, gently loosen around the edges with a spoon, then scoop underneath it and transfer to serving dish.

These worked really well for me, and were a hearty and happy meal since I ate so many of them!