eat

I’m coming at ya with another snack recipe!

This one is just as easy as the last one I shared and you only need a few ingredients, a food processor, and about five minutes of your time to make these super tasty and nutritious snack bites. I like to keep these in the fridge for a quick nibble between meals or as a little sweet bite after lunch. Sometimes I crumble them over yogurt and fruit or dip one into some creamy peanut butter…no matter how you choose to eat these little bites, they are just delicious! If you’re not a coffee person, you can leave the coffee grounds out, but I think the slight coffee flavor just makes the chocolate flavor pop that much more.

Espresso Snack Bites

*1 cup dates, pitted
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup cashews
*2 heaping T. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 t. ground coffee

Place dates and vanilla extract in a food processor and process until completely blended; the dates should form together into a ball. Remove and set aside.

Process the nuts, cocoa powder, salt, and ground coffee in the food processor until finely ground. With the processor running, drop spoonfuls of the date mixture into the nut mixture. Mix until well incorporated; you may need to add a little liquid (water or coffee) to make the mix come together.

Roll mixture into snack-size bites. Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Notes:
– Medjool dates are the best kind to use for this recipe, since they are generally softer and moister (is that a word?!?). If you use a dryer date, you will need to add additional liquid to the date mixture.
– I like to use dark cocoa powder for a richer flavor, but any unsweetened cocoa powder will work fine.
– You can customize the nut types with whatever you have on hand.

What about you: what are you currently snacking on?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

We love our grill in the summer and use it for all kinds of things…kabobs, chicken, steak, veggies, burgers. I love the nights when Ben comes home and turns on the grill for dinner and we open the deck door and the smoke starts wafting in and it just smells so much like summer. What is it about food that is cooked outside that honestly just always tastes so much better?!

We love a good pizza around here and there is nothing better than a pizza made on the grill, in our opinion. Weekends especially just feel like the time for pizza, although we’re certainly not above having it for a week night meal too! I like to make the dough in the morning and let it sit on the counter for the day, taking sniffs of it as I walk by. Yeasty dough is such a comforting smell, right?

This past Friday, I had a few over-ripe peaches sitting in my fridge and decided that I wanted to do something different with them besides throw in the freezer or put them over yogurt or waffles to use them up. I’ve never used peaches for a savory dish and it was an intriguing idea. I browsed Pinterest for a little inspiration, but everything I found still seemed to be more of a sweet dish than a savory. Finally I came across the idea of a spicy peach bbq sauce and it sounded like a perfect addition to the grilled pizzas that were on the menu for dinner that night.

The sauce is a little sweet and a little spicy, and marries so well with the chicken and cheese we topped it with. Grilling this pizza is optional (although highly encouraged), and you could totally prepare this however you like to make your pizzas best.

Peach BBQ Grilled Pizza
click to print

Sauce:
4-5 large ripe peaches
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup red wine
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. honey
2 T. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
hot sauce, to taste

Pizza:
pizza dough
rotisserie chicken
sauteed onions and peppers
shredded mozzarella cheese
cilantro, chopped for garnish

Prepare your pizza dough (i like to use either this one or this one).

For the sauce, saute the chopped onion in a saucepan until softened, stirring occasionally. Peel and chop the peaches. Add the peaches and the remaining ingredients to the saucepan once the onions are cooked. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peaches are tenders, about thirty minutes. Puree the sauce in a blender.

To make the pizza, roll out your dough, grill on one side, remove the crust from the grill and load the cooked side with the sauce and toppings. Return pizza to the grill or finish in the oven until crust is cooked through. Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy!

What about you: what is your favorite thing to grill in the summer? What’s your favorite way to eat peaches?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!