Better-Than-Jarred Sunflower Seed Butter
March 11, 2012 § 20 Comments
I love weekend mornings. 
Now that half-marathon training is over, I don’t have to get up extra early to run on Saturday and Sunday and I kind-of love it.
This morning I woke up around 8AM and was able to have a leisurely breakfast without worrying about where my running clothes were, what time I’d be back from my run, etc. I had nowhere to be, so I took advantage of it! I took my time eating breakfast (eggs sunny-side up and bacon) and even just sat in the quiet while flipping through a new issue of People magazine and sipping my black coffee after I finished eating. 
Since I’m the early bird in my family, I knew I still had an hour or two, after eating, to kill before my parents needed use of the kitchen. What to make? I thought and, as my eyes focused on the 1-pound bag of sunflower seeds my Mom and I had bought at Trader Joe’s a few days prior, I knew what I had to make. Sweet, drippy, homemade sunflower seed butter! 
Better-Than-Jarred Sunflower Seed Butter
“I’m generally not one to make my own nut butters because I’m lazy and would rather buy a jar at the store and save myself the hassle but sunflower seed butter is the exception. Store-bought sunflower seed butter just can’t compare to homemade! Try it and you’ll taste the difference!”
Ingredients:
- 2 cups roasted and salted sunflower seeds (If not using salted just add 1 teaspoon salt.)
- 2-3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, optional but recommended
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
- Place sunflower seeds and canola oil in a food processor. Turn on and allow to process the seeds for 8-10 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally.
- After 8-10 minutes are up add the sugar and vanilla extract to the sunflower seed butter. Process for 1-2 more minutes and enjoy!
Yield: 1 ¼ cups sunflower seed butter
A slice of toast with homemade sunflower seed butter for breakfast number two? I love mornings!
Are you a morning person?
Have you ever made homemade nut butter?
Clementine Salsa
January 25, 2012 § 6 Comments
Finally. Finally all of that Final Exam nonsense is over with.
I’m not normally a stressed-out person, but exams can certainly bring out the worst in me. There’s so much to do and so little time to do it all in!
Plus, I hate studying.
Plus, I especially hate studying for Chemistry.
Four and a half months of Stoichiometry, mole conversions, and formula-writing is enough for me!
But, anyways, this post isn’t another rant about school. This post is actually about my favorite class this semester, which is, believe it or not, Religion! 
One of my favorite parts of blogging (other than hearing from you guys, of course!) is being able to look back at my older posts and remember exactly what I was thinking about when I wrote them.
Last semester it was pretty clear that I loved my Spanish class. This semester I’ve looked forward to going to my last-period Religion class every single day!
Let me explain…
While my Mom (and at least 2 of my friends) might claim that the main reason I loved Religion class so much was because my crush was in that class, I’m going to disagree.
Yes, it was nice that my Religion teacher put stress on “ice breaker-type” exercises and I always just so happened to be paired up with my crush, but that’s not the only reason. 
I also liked the relaxed-attitude of my teacher. And the fact that we got to watch at least 20 movies over the course of the semester. I liked that, being brought up in a Catholic family, most of the material was just common sense so I didn’t have to do that much thinking. Plus I liked that the class had a fair share of class clowns. Class clowns make any class more fun! 
Somehow I was supposed to neatly tie this in with the Clementine Salsa…
Oh yeah. Long before I crawled under my rock to start studying for Finals I made this salsa. We had just bought a 5-lb. bag of ripe clementines and Phil and I were absolutely addicted. We would eat two, sometimes three or four at a time. I mean, they were delicious on their own, but the foodie in me knew there had to be a better way.
While reading through some of my older posts I came across the Pico de Gallo recipe I posted last Summer. That’s when it hit me. People add fruits like pineapple and mango to salsa – why not add clementines?! 
Clementine Salsa
Adapted from my Pico de Gallo recipe
“Traditional pico de gallo with a sweet twist! Combining pico de gallo with clementines might sound a little strange at first, but once you taste it you’ll never look back! Great served with chicken and fish, also fabulous with tortilla chips!”
Ingredients:
- 4 tomatoes, diced with all pulp and seeds removed
- 5 clementines, peeled, sectioned and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 small onion, diced (~½ cup)
- 1 jalapeño pepper, minced with all seeds removed
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- juice of 1 lime
- pinch of cinnamon (optional)
- salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Throw all ingredients in a large bowl, mix well.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow the flavors to combine.
- Dig in!
Yield: 1 ½ cups 
Well, here’s to hoping that I’ll have another great class like my Religion class next semester! Maybe I’ll also have a few more classes with the crush too…?!
Cilantro, Walnut, and Jalapeno Pesto
January 17, 2012 § 17 Comments
Warning: obnoxious high-schooler rant ahead!
You know what? I hate Rosetta Stone.
I know, I know. Hate is a strong word, but I challenge you to do four units of it and then tell me you don’t hate it.
It’s annoying, it’s boring, and, most of all, it’s time-consuming!
Sure I learned, like, three new Spanish words, but is it really worth it?
I mean, if I wanted to waste 8 hours on the computer I sure as heck wouldn’t spend it on Rosetta Stone. I’d much rather spend it reading blogs or drooling over everything on Foodgawker. 
Oh one of my many Rosetta Stone breaks I stumbled across this recipe for Cilantro, Walnut, and Jalapeno Pesto from I Breath…I’m Hungry! via Foodgawker.
Immediately I got into the kitchen. It didn’t matter that it was 7 o’clock at night and I had already eaten dinner. I needed a break and since the pesto was made from cilantro and jalapenos I was practically learning Spanish just by making it!
Me gusta esta comida. Es muy deliciosa!
As with Rosetta Stone, at first I didn’t know how to use it. Needless to say, I didn’t go on Rosetta Stone for the rest of the night and eventually figured it out.
- Add it to this.
- Use it in place of basil pesto in this pasta salad.
- Add it to this pizza.
- Or spread it on a piece of toasted bread and top with a runny egg and a slice of sharp cheddar. (My breakfast of choice lately!)
Enjoy!
