Thursday, September 17, 2015

Sunflower Sesame Seed Brittle Chew and a Food Truck


My sister came to visit and on the last day we drove her to the airport in Eugene Oregon. On our way we stopped by Tam’s Place; a Vietnamese food truck. The food is locally sourced and Tam (the owner) makes everything from scratch. She is at the same place every day except Sunday. The tables are decorated with fresh flowers and condiments. My sister and I split the tofu broken noodle plate and it was the best tofu that we ever had. I think the tofu was grilled and served with some kind of Bonita flakes, fried vegetable rolls, shrimp, noodles and a magical secret sauce that we poured over everything. My husband had the banh mi and he felt the same way, so delicious.


Also, while my sister was here we prepared this sunflower sesame brittle chew. While this was completely different from what we had grown up on as kids we both loved the flavor. I substituted honey for the brown rice syrup and our batch turned out more chewy than crunchy. Not sure if I used too much honey, or if I should have baked for a longer period of time. But I did end up baking them 10 minutes longer anyway. The brittle is salty and sweet and reminded me a little bit of a Larabar but way better.


Recipe has been slightly adapted from “My New Roots”, by Sarah Britton.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups sunflower seeds
½ cup unsweetened coconut
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup dried cranberries (can substitute raisins, apricots, dates, blueberries)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons coconut oil
½ cup honey or brown rice syrup

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all the ingredients except the coconut oil and honey in a medium sized glass bowl, mix well.


Melt coconut oil and add honey, whisk until completely mixed. Pour wet liquid over dry and combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Spoon onto the prepared baking sheet. Smooth out and even edges. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. (I baked 10 minutes longer and my brittle was still very chewy).

Store in a sealed container 10 to 14 days.

Cheri Savory Spoon
Cheri Savory Spoon

Mysavoryspoon was first started in 2010 as a way to journal recipes that I had collected from cookbooks, magazines, family and friends. Most everything was savory, using legumes and whole grains. Along the way I discovered a love for baking. Now a couple times a month you might see some type of sweet pie or treat.

82 comments:

  1. We have no food trucks where we live. The local government has banned them at the request of the restaurants. It ain't fair!

    I love your brittle, how clever.

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    1. Hi Maureen, I think that food trucks bring more people to an area, that is a good thing. But I have to tell you this truck is owned by young woman who is so generous and gfited.

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  2. I will have to pin this for the future.
    Thanks for sharing
    Julie
    Gourmet Getaways

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  3. Hi Cheri,
    Got no food trucks where I live. Vietnamese food ... tofu & fried veggie rolls looked so tasty.
    The sunflower sesame seed brittle looked so yummy too ! I'm so hungry now !

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  4. The only truck I usually see over here is to sell farmer produce, mostly potatoes. The seedy brittle looks fantastic!

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  5. Your seed chew looks yummy, Cheri!
    Love food trucks..you are so lucky to have them. They are banned in my county! :(

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    1. Oh that is a shame Barbara.....they are many food trucks in Portland and Eugene.

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  6. I so love food trucks! These seed chew look absolutely yummy, Cheri. :)

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  7. sounds like the food truck does good business.

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    1. Yes this one does for sure, have a great week-end Theresa!

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  8. These food trucks sound amazing, the seed chew sounds so good!

    theglowwithin.com

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  9. What a great food truck find! I would be thrilled to try some of what you had - yummy. So nice your sister got to visit. Also love this sound of this brittle. Printing! Have a great weekend.

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    1. Thanks Tricia, I always have a great time with my sister and we usually end up baking something together.

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    2. Thanks Tricia, I always have a great time with my sister and we usually end up baking something together.

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  10. A chewier brittle sounds good to me! And we love Vietnamese food - the spring rolls are my son's favorite but so many great items.

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  11. My grandmother used to make a similar one with caramel, butter and sesame seeds. This sort of stuff is impossible to stop eating once you start!

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    1. Hi Coco, that sounds delicious, yes I agree very addictive.

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  12. The brittle looks and sounds amazing - yum! I love food trucks.. it looks like you guys had some tasty food.

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    1. Thanks Pam, I bet you have some great food trucks in Portland.

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  13. The seed chew sounds so good! i LOVE IT!

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  14. Wow, your visit to the food truck sounds amazing. What a find, eh? I love the description. You certainly know how to make me hungry! The sesame seed brittle sounds delightful. I like the idea of it being chewy rather than the traditional hard ones. Will try after I visit the dentist next week. Probably not something to eat with temporary crowns in ones mouth. Thanks and have a lovely weekend. D

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    1. Hi Dena, I liked this chewy, but crunchy would be good too, Chris noted below that rice syrup would probably make this more crunchy. Take care.......

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  15. Sounds like a great food truck! And the brittle has to be delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

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  16. I love the salty/sweet combination. This looks really good Cheri! Food trucks are so much fun. Have you ever been to the ones that are in downtown Phoenix on Fridays? My mom and I did that one time, and we had a great time. The food at the one you went to sounds great!

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    1. Hi Shari, I have only once and we had our dog with us, so we did not stay long, very impressive though!

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  17. Your Brittle Chew sounds really good and healthy–I love all the ingredients in this!

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  19. I love finding treasures like your food truck. Vietnamese food always sounds wonderful to me, so fresh and vibrant! Your bars sound great too, I have found that rice syrup tends to give a bit more crunchiness than honey but they're both delicious.

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    1. Hi Chris, I thought that was the case because that's the only big variation that I made in the recipe. I love finding special little places to eat too.

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  20. Oh that sounds so good. Love chewy rather than crunchy and I really love sunflower seeds.I love food trucks, they are all over the place here in NYC. Sounds delicious.

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    1. Thanks Suzanne, I have only been to NYC once and I loved it, the food the people, everything!

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  21. Thanks for the recipe. The sunflower sesame brittle sounds really good!

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  22. The sunflower sesame brittles look and sound so good and crispy, a must try.

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  23. I love throne truck movement - it is such a great way for a family to own and manage a really cool restaurant! The brittle looks quite amazing - Mark loves them, so I have to give this a try!

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    1. Hi David, I think it might be kind of fun to have my own food truck but maybe not during the summer in Phoenix. Hope you like the brittle....

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  24. Sisters are one of Life's greatest gifts <3 How fun to share kitchen time and good-for-you snack food =) P.s. Bonita flakes atop tofu is a great Japanese favorite, too.

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    1. Hi Kim, you are so right about sisters, we are very close. I think the bonita flakes is what made the tofu so delicious. Take care!

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  25. I simply love brittle and this salty and sweet sesame brittle sounds amazing.. definitely gonna make this soon!! :)

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  26. Hmmm, I've tried to comment a couple times but it's not cooperating. Love your dish, Cheri and it definitely looks like a larabar. Loving the talent in food trucks, too. Such a treat!

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    1. Hi Robyn, you probably have some great food trucks in your area. Thanks!

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  27. i love the taste of brittle, but i'm always afraid i'll crack my teeth! sunflower seeds and sesame seeds might be a little less scary than peanuts or almonds. :)

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    1. Hi Grace, this is more of a chew instead of a brittle. But I certainly know what you mean.

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  28. Hi Cheri,
    I wouldn't mind visiting that food truck one bit. The way you describe the food sounds like my cup of tea. After stuffing my face I would come by your place for some of that amazing sounding Sunflower Sesame Seed Brittle. I would bring the Sunflower seeds because I have tons since my Sunflowers were especially huge this year!!!

    So nice you got to visit with your sister. I finally got to see my sister to this Summer. Sisters are ever so special.

    Thank you so much for sharing, Cheri...thank you for your sweet words on my blog too:) Hopefully, I will be back to regular blogging soon:)

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    1. Hi Louise, wow! your sunflowers sound amazing, I bet all your birds are going crazy. I agree sisters are special.

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  29. Cheri this look absolutely beautiful :)
    I lovr brittle !!

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  30. This brittle is perfect for me! We don't get food trucks where I live but having a good, reliable one near you is great :)

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    1. Thanks Tandy, yes we are really beginning to enjoy them.

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  31. I'd be at that food truck once a week if it were here :) The food sounds amazing as does your seed brittle. I love making snacks like this. I'll have to see if I can find brown rice syrup.

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    1. Thanks Susan, after I made this I found brown rice syrup at a Fred meyer in Oregon.

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  32. The brittle looks great, but I'll have you know that I could eat Vietnamese food every day of my life! I love it!

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    1. I could too Abbe, Vietnamese is my favorite type of food as well.

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  33. I'm obsessed with food trucks and I'm obsessed with brittle. This is MIke's post. ;)

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  34. Your meal at the food truck sounds fantastic! I'd love to have an option like that here. And, salty sweet brittle is the best!

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  35. Vietnamese food is beyond my capabilities but I'd love to try the brittle chew, thanks for sharing the recipe.
    Amalia
    xo

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  36. I am still yet to have my first food truck experience, but I am very excited. I hope they have something like this.

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  37. The food from the food truck sounds really good. I do like the sound of your chewy brittle and I think the honey would give the brittle a lovely flavour xx

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    1. Thanks Charlie, I think the honey made them more chewy than brittle like.

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  38. I have had some amazing food from food trucks - so creative usually! Love this brittle - a fantastic flavor combo!

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  39. I've always wanted to try this, I love all kinds of nut brittles!

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  40. Oh, Cheri! I have just turned into the green eyed monster after reading this post. I want that food truck near to my house!!
    The brittle sounds amazing, too. Healthy nut brittle ... what a joy!

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    1. Thanks Helen, we have already been there 3 times now.

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  41. That sunflower sesame seed brettle sounds awesome -and that's really cool your sister came to visit! Vietnamese food is absolutely delicious - and food trucks are the best, aren't they?

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    1. Hi Phi, they are the best, wouldn't it be fun to own one........

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