Recipes: 6 Super Tasty Snacks

2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
6 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 small garlic clove, minced
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¹/8 tsp cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

1) For the pita chips, preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, cumin and salt. Split each pita open into 2 halves and brush rough sides with olive oil mixture. Cut each circle into 8 triangles. Place in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, oiled side up. Bake 13-15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Once completely cooled, these chips can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

2) For the hummus, in a food processor or blender, combine chickpeas, red peppers, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, salt, cumin, black pepper and cayenne. Process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve with pita chips.

Serves 8-10

1½ cups canned white kidney (aka cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup diced roasted red peppers
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp chopped fresh rosemary
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1) For the focaccia bread, in the bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle dry yeast over and let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Add flour, salt and ¼ cup olive oil. Turn mixer on low and when the dough starts to come together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and elastic about 8 minutes. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and form dough into a ball. Oil a large bowl add dough turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

2) Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat two 9-inch round pans with a little olive oil. Punch dough down, divide in two and using your fingertips, press the dough into each of the prepared pans. Cover with a cloth and let dough rise 20 minutes more. Drizzle each pan of dough evenly with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Use a pastry brush to spread it. Sprinkle with salt and rosemary. Press fingertips all over dough, forming indentations. Bake 17 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

3) For the white bean dip, in a food processor, combine white kidney beans, roasted red peppers, yogurt, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, rosemary, sugar, salt and pepper. Process until the dip is smooth, about 20 seconds. The dip may be refrigerated a few hours ahead of serving. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Serves 8

2) Remove any large stems by stripping the leaves from the stalk using your hands. Tear your kale into rough, 3-inch pieces.Wash and carefully dry kale leaves thoroughly because wet leaves will steam in the oven versus bake and crisp. Place kale on baking sheets in single layer.

3) Drizzle leaves with olive oil. Using you hands, gently toss the kale and lightly rub the oil into each piece. If you need a little more oil, add it now. Redistribute the kale back to a single layer. Sprinkle on salt and any additional flavorings.

4) Place trays in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate trays as the thin pieces of kale will quickly brown in your oven’s hot spots. Check again after 3 minutes. You will hear the kale sizzling from the oil. Carefully pick up or nudge a chip. You want them to be crisp but not browned. Remove from oven and let cool on the tray.

½ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1) For the pretzel dough, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine warm water and brown sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for 5 minutes, until the yeast becomes frothy. Add the melted butter, flour and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. Increase speed to medium for 3-4 minutes, until the dough becomes pliable. Remove dough from the bowl and place in a large, lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

2) Preheat oven to 425ºF. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and divide into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into long ropes and cut into 1-inch pieces to make pretzel bites. Cover pretzel bites with a cloth while working on the rest of the dough so it doesn’t dry out.

3) Using a large pot, bring 16 cups of water to a boil over medium heat. Add baking soda. Boil pretzel bites in small batches for 30 seconds. Remove from the water with a flat slotted spoon and place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bites. Cut a crisscross slit on the top of each pretzel bite. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake 13-15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool slightly and serve with honey mustard dip. Best prepared and served on the same day.

4) For the honey mustard dip, in a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey and lemon juice until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: Approximately 115-120 pretzel bites

2) Preheat oven to 325°F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3) Slice logs into 1/8-inch thick slices and place on prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between each. Bake for 10 minutes, flip crackers over and bake another 10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Can be prepared ahead of time, cooled and stored in an airtight container.

Yield: 50 crackers

White Bean Spread

1) In a small skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and turn heat off immediately. Allow garlic to sit in the oil for 30 seconds and then strain out garlic pieces, reserving the flavored oil. Set aside to cool slightly and discard garlic from the sieve.

2) In a food processor, combine white beans, reserved garlic flavored olive oil, lemon juice, water, thyme, salt, black pepper and cayenne. Process until smooth, about 20 seconds. The dip may be refrigerated a few hours ahead of serving. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Yield: 1½ cups

Authors of bestselling cookbooks Bite Me, Bite Me Too and Lick Your Plate, saucy sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat love eating, feeding, entertaining and dishing up easy recipes at BiteMeMore.com.