Roasted Siracha-Lime Soybeans

Roasted Siracha-Lime Soybeans

Makes about 2 ½ cups of beans

Takes about 1 hour (not including soaking)

These make a great snack with a lot of protein and pack a flavor punch to boot.  I started making these to kick my pistachio habitat (too expensive).  They are super easy to make and since dry soybeans rarely cost more than $1.50/lb, it’s a very cheap snack if you’re on a budget.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup dry soybeans

1 tbsp siracha

1 tbsp olive oil

1 ½ tsp lime juice

¾ tsp smoked paprika

1. Soak the soybeans overnight.  Make sure to add a lot of water since they swell to a large size.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Drain the soybeans and remove any loose skins (these burn).  Spread them out on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until shrunken and lightly brown.  Use a spatula to move beans around around 15 minutes or so to ensure even cooking.

4. Meanwhile, combine the siracha, oil, lime juice, and paprika in a bowl.  Mix.

5. Add the soybeans into the other ingredients and stir to coat.  Spread them back out on the baking sheet and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

6. Allow soybeans to cool before serving or storing.  If beans start to get soft and lose their crunch after a couple of days, pop them back in the oven for a few minutes and they should crisp up again.

Pesto Gnocchi with Zucchini and Olives

Pesto Gnocchi with Zucchini and Olives

Takes about 1 hour, 45 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Gnocchi:

1 lbs russet potatoes, diced

2 tbsp water

½ tsp salt

½ tbsp olive oil

1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour

1 recipe lime-almond pesto (recipe follows)

1 zucchini, sliced into quarter slices

1 cup mixed sliced seasoned olives, any type
1 cup cherry tomatoes

1. Boil potatoes 10 minutes.  Mash with a fork, add water, salt, and olive oil.  Mix in the flour and work into a dough.

2. Cut the dough into eight pieces.  Roll each piece into a long round roll and chop into ½ inch pieces.  Press each piece down a little with a fork so that there are lines on it.  Place on a cookie sheet and cover with a towel.

3. Boil a large pot of water with a small amount of oil added in.  Drop in the gnocchi in batches – you should have about 3 batches.  Make sure they are in a fairly single layer.  Boil until about 1 minute after the float (3 – 4 minutes total).  Remove with a slotted spoon and put in the next batch.

4. In an oiled skillet or wok, sauté the zucchini for about 4 -5 minutes until slightly softened but still crisp.  Mix in with the gnocchi and add the olives.  Pour the pesto over the gnocchi and mix the whole thing together.  Serve warm or cold.

Lime-Almond Pesto

Makes about ½ - ¾ cup pesto

Takes about 15 minutes

This is a variation on normal pesto.  Using almonds, instead of pine nuts, is substantially cheaper and the taste is not very different.  Lime juice instead of lemon makes for a nice change.

Ingredients:

1 tightly packed cup of basil (overflowing is good)

¼ cup slivered or blanched almonds

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp fresh minced ginger, unpeeled

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp lime juice

¾ tsp salt

1. Combine all the ingredients in the food processor.  Pulse until you reach your desired consistency.

Ginger Lime Iced Tea

Ginger Lime Iced Tea

Serves 6

Takes about 4 hours (mostly to refrigerate)

Ridiculously refreshing on a hot summer day, this ginger lime ice tea is very easy to make but only requires a few ingredients.  I use a stevia mix to sweeten the tea but sugar could be used as well.  Either way, the result is only a lightly sweet tea with the strongest flavors being ginger and lime.

Ingredients:

8 cups water

3 – 4 tbsp unpeeled minced ginger

Zests and juice of 2 limes

1 ½ tbsp of sugar or zero cal sweetener (stevia mixes are good)

1. Combine the water, ginger, and lime zests in a pot.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 20 minutes.

2. Allow the mixture to sit (off the heat) for approximately 20 minutes.  Add lime juice and strain the tea through a fine sieve.  Use a spoon to press all the liquid from the residual ginger pieces.  Discard solids.

3. Stir in sugar or stevia.  Refrigerate until chilled (at least 2 hours but more is good).  Garnish with a mint spring or slices of lime.