Saturday, September 29, 2012

This Week's Blog Post

Magenta Pearl Earrings
I just posted these pretty magenta pink pearl dangle earrings available at Miss Val's Creations.
Falafel
Jim did a project for me at my house and payment was homemade falafel! I printed a few gluten free falafel recipes online and came up with a custom recipe.
I put the following in my the smoothie maker (this was the closest appliance I had to a food processor!):
  • 2 cans of chickpeas 
  • 1/8 cups of freeze dried cilantro 
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper 
  • ½ tbsp cumin 
  • 3 tbsp brown rice flour 
  • ¼ c water
I did not use any onion or garlic since my stomach can not handle them, but typically garlic would be in this as well.
Then I blended it up and rolled them into balls (flattened) and baked them at 350 F for 15 minutes.
I was attempting to bake them as one of the recipes instructed since that sounded healthier. However, they were not crisping up. Then Jim stepped in and we ended up frying them a bit on the stove until we got the consistency we liked!
Tahini was new to me too. Straight up is so bitter! We mixed the following for our dressing:
  • 1/3 c tahini 
  • 1/3 c water 
  • some dried parsley 
  • 3 capfuls of apple cider vinegar 
  • a dash of olive oil 
  • a spoonful of yogurt
  • a pinch of dried ginger, coriander and salt
This was a total experiment but it ended up tasting great!
I have noticed that butcher shops have the niche market of gluten free products. That is where I found these delicious wraps from Food For Life! These are comparable priced to normal wraps and I love that they are frozen so I can just grab one when needed. The price is comparable to traditional wraps!
We loaded the wraps with falafel, tahini, lettuce, tomato and cucumber.
I can never wrap these…luckily Jim was around to do the job. Success and deliciousness!!!
New Kitchen Toys
So after attempting to grind chickpeas in the smoothie maker, I bought this new appliance! This Hamilton Beach food processor had great reviews online so I should be able to get a lot of use out of it!
I have blogged about my coffee making issues in the past and had switched to pressed coffee so I do not need to worry about a electric device not working properly! My taste buds prefer the flavor of pressed coffee over dripped too. Well the one I used for a while cracked! An online search for unbreakable presses brought me to this Thermos beauty! It is also insulated to keep coffee warm for hours. What a buy!
Gluten Free Crackers
It is fun finding new, reasonably priced gluten free goodies!
Both these crackers are absolutely delicious and oh so good with cheddar! I actually prefer these over most crackers that are wheat based. The Crunchmaster ones on the right are super crunchy!
Thank you for stopping by! Have a beautiful fall week. We are already seeing a bit of foliage in Massachuetts so I am looking forward to all sorts of color!  ~Val
 

21 comments:

  1. Ooh, what a lush magenta -- a perfect pop of colour with any outfit! I am not very fond of chickpeas however, lol

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  2. Love the new earrings...great color!
    You'll laugh at this...I thought the first photo was Capt'n Crunch :) I know you don't eat it, but now you've got me craving it...lol :)
    Your wraps look very tasty!

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    1. LOL! I guess chickpeas do sort of resemble Capt'n Crunch!

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  3. Pretty cranberry color in those earrings! They will be lovely for the fall.

    Love your recipe idea! I make hummis often, but I haven't made falafel. You make it look so easy! I love this type of food - so tasty - YUM

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  4. Hi Val,
    Beautiful earrings love the color! I need to give the receipes to my Mom she is now on a gutin free diet and is always looking for new things to try. Enjoy your new gadgets.
    Therese

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    Replies
    1. I know the challenges your mom is dealing with! Over time she will comfortably adjust to her new diet. It has been getting easier for me. :)

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  5. Your food is making my mouth water! Whenever you show a new recipe on here Val, it always looks so good! Love the earrings! Beautiful color! Have a great day!

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  6. Your earrings are so pretty - love the shiny magenta beads!
    I've eaten falafel, but never tried making them before. I don't have a food processor. Yours looks extremely good :)

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  7. Gorgeous earrings! And that wrap looks and sounds so delicious - the barter system revisited. :-) I'd like to know how you enjoy your food processor. I've thought about getting one, but haven't yet. So far I've been using my blender for every.single.thing and I'd like to switch it up a bit if I can. Thanks and have a great week ahead!

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  8. Thanks for sharing your recipe and some tasty snack options, looks like it was a tasty meal. I hope you enjoy your new appliances. I love the color of the new pearl earrings.
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

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  9. Those earrings are lovely, perfect color for the fall. Hope you had a nice start to your week Miss Val.

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  10. I love your earrings, they are so beautiful and elegant. Thank you for the recipe share and your shopping finds! I love your plates too, they're so pretty.

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  11. Those earrings are so pretty! I love magenta. It's a great color.

    Thank you for your kind comment on my blog. I really appreciate your support.

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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  12. Oh those wraps look so yummy, Val. Healthy too!
    I actually love combining recipes to see what I can come up with.
    Most of the time, it turns out pretty good.

    LOVE those earrings. I am thinking perfect for the holidays.

    Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!
    xo.

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  13. Cute new earrings! Oh, that recipe looks so delicious- we'll have to try it too! And we do pressed coffee, but that thermos/ press looks amazing!

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  14. Yummy! Love falafel! Never thought of making them myself.
    Lovely earrings!

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  15. Beautiful earrings!!! that recipe looks so delicious!!!
    Have a good week, dear!

    Besos, desde EspaƱa, Marcela♥

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  16. I left a surprise for you on my blog. Check it out Thursday morning. :-)

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  17. never actually tried that before, thanks for sharing!

    the STYLE Fringe BLOG
    http://the-stylefringe.blogspot.com

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  18. Hi Val, beautiful earrings!!!!!

    You guys make the best food, you always have me drooling when you post how to's or show what you and Jim have created in the kitchen.

    My husband Chris uses a coffee press, he loves it. Hope you will enjoy it as well.

    Hope you are having a great week.

    Ruth

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  19. waaooo that's how u do it?? i did not know the recipe!!

    www.meryswardrobe.blogspot.com

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Thank you for stopping by! I love reading visitor comments! ~Val