Roasted Garlic Sesame Broccoli

Serves 2

2 small heads of broccoli, florets only largely chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. liquid amino acids (or soy sauce)

1/2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

3 garlic cloves, minced

sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Chop the broccoli and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Next, drizzle the sauce over the broccoli and mix well to coat.

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Halfway through, stir and rotate.

Serve hot as a side or snack.

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German Word of The Day: Broccoli --> Brokkoli (It's pronounced pretty much the same, I just thought it was cool that it's with two "k" instead of the "c".

[yumprint-recipe id='113']

Last night I had a hankerin'. Sweets. Always with the sweets. Some people crave french fries or potato chips, those crispy, salty, fatty flavors. Not me. Give me the sweets. Give them to me right now. It may be a bit of a problem...either way, problem solved thanks to these Roasted Pumpkin Pie Chickpeas.

You can't escape the pumpkin, no matter how hard you try. Why would you want to anyway?

But first a story. When Todd I and were moving last year, I found with my little hand exploring, blindly, the dusty remains deep within the bowels of the forsaken baking cupboards of my childhood home...a little, abandoned, dusty jar of pumpkin butter. Jackpot. Obviously, I couldn't leave that little guy behind.

So, naturally, it's been sitting in my spice cupboard for about a year now. I know, you're thinking I should probably use it fairly soon. But, pumpkin butter is special though. In my opinion it has to have a great purpose to be opened. The unfortunate part of this uplifting story...is that the jar is at least, oh...I talking at minimum 10 years old. Yes. I know this because it was came in a gift box my family got for Christmas many, many years ago. I also found a tiny pack of coffee, which...we drank.

Yep. So if I die soon, you'll know what did it. It was the pumpkin butter (see above)...or the coffee (culprit not pictured). To my defense, the lid of the jar popped when I opened it. It tasted fine. Well, except for a distinct, slightly metallic aftertaste. Oh lord I am going to die, aren't I? Anyways, I suggest getting a fresh jar of pumpkin butter, for your own safety, and making these chickpeas. They are delicious. Like little bits of pumpkin pie!

Roasted Pumpkin Pie Chickpeas

Inspired by the hilarious Paint and Tofu

Serves 1...okay...2

1 15 oz. can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed well
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp. erythritol (or sugar)
1 Tbsp. pumpkin butter

Preheat oven to 375 F.

First, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Dry them off very well with a few paper towels. Do not skip this step. I'm watching you. Then place them in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl mix together the oil and the pumpkin pie spice. Drizzle over the dried chickpeas, and toss to coat evenly.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out the chickpeas and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.

Once the time is up, place the chickpeas back into the medium bowl and coat with the sugar and pumpkin butter. Scatter them back onto the baking sheet and continue to bake for 15 minutes.