Fix Me A Snack

My family's quest to rid ourselves of empty-calorie snacks

Whenever I eat guacamole, I feel like it might be okay to become a vegan someday.  The creamy goodness an avocado imparts is right up there with cheese and butter in my book. 

For more “authentic” guacamole, omit the beans, chop the cilantro, and mash all the ingredients up with a fork.

 

1 small clove garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1/3 cup canned cannelli beans, rinsed (optional)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ripe hass avocados, pits and skins removed

Place the garlic, beans, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, salt, and avocados in the bowl of a food processor. Cover and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Serve with tortilla or pita chips. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Press a piece of plastic wrap on top of the dip to keep browning to a minimum.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups
Prep-time: 10 minutes

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There’s nothing like a bag of inexpensive red grapefruits to brighten up these sometimes dreary winter days.

If your kids are younger, or if you just don’t feel like getting fancy with the skewers, you can serve the grapefruit on the side or simply on top of the yogurt parfait style.

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I’ve never been a huge fan of hummus. Making it at home has changed my tune, though. Homemade is so much creamier and tastier.  My kids named this snack Ted and then proceeded to devour him with gusto.

More importantly, my beautiful husband gave me a new camera for Christmas. And the sun came out this morning! Lucky me!

 

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My oldest, who will pretty much eat anything, does not like nut butter of any kind (at the moment). It’s bizarre, but I let it slide since she is an open-minded eater (and, honestly, what choice do I have?). In this recipe, chocolate saves the day and makes the nut butter palatable.

I made some chocolate sauce based on a recipe from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook awhile ago. I intended to buy some, but the ingredient lists at the store were a little too frightening. Chocolate syrup would work just as well and there are a couple brands with short and understandable ingredient lists at the health food store and Trader Joe’s. 

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I’m on a bit of a back-to-basics kick lately. I hope I’m not putting my dear readers to sleep. Believe me, I’ve been experimenting with crazy “innovative” snacks. But they’ve all been bombs. Sometimes I need to whip up something more predictable so my kids will not mount a rebellion. 

 

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1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilanto, chopped
1/2 ripe haas avacado, chopped (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lime
A couple of pinches of salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Make sure the avacado is well coated with the lime juice as it will prevent it from browning. Serve with tortilla chips. Ole!

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