Sunday, April 12, 2026

Sprouted Spelt Everything Bagel Crackers

Crunchy, flavorful and more-ish, these sprouted spelt everything bagel crackers are a lovely snack on their own or served with a spread or dip. 

Food Lust People Love: Crunchy, flavorful and more-ish, these sprouted spelt everything bagel crackers are a lovely snack on their own or served with a spread or dip.

I usually try to bake or cook well ahead of the publish date for Sunday FunDay posts because the hosts plan the theme months in advance. This week, it didn’t happen because I misread the theme! 

“Make a recipe using sprouts,” the title said. Sooooo, I duly bought some Brussels sprouts and got busy. Then just a couple of days ago, I read the whole description which was “Using sprouted grains / legumes.” Oh, no! Back to the drawing board. Fortunately, I already own sprouted spelt flour. 

After the debacle that was trying to get the big cracker off the pan once baked, I wasn’t sure I was even going to share this recipe. But I put the plate between my husband and me on the sofa yesterday and before I knew it, the plate was almost empty! These crackers are good, y’all. Follow my updated method and you’ll love them too! 

Sprouted Spelt Everything Bagel Crackers

This recipe was adapted from one in the New York Times magazine from way back in 2008. That recipe itself was adapted from one created by Eli Winograd at Hungry Ghost Bread in Northampton, MA.

Ingredients
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup or 120ml cold water
1 1/2 cups or 180g sprouted spelt flour
Generous sprinkling everything bagel seasoning mix

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. 

In the measuring cup, dissolve the salt in the cold water. Add the water to the spelt flour and stir until combined. 


Knead the dough a few turns until a ball forms.


The original instructions said to flour an overturned 12-by-17-inch cookie sheet and use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough on top of it - using as much flour as needed to prevent sticking - until the dough covers the sheet from edge to edge. Which is what I did. (See below.) I am here to tell you that this is NOT A GOOD PLAN.


Never mind my photo. Here is what you REALLY NEED to do: Roll this dough out on a piece of nonstick baking parchment or a silicone pan liner. Otherwise, as I mentioned, the dough will stick to your pan and you will struggle to release the middle bits once it is baked. 

Using a spray bottle filled with water, spray the rolled dough to give it a glossy finish. If you want neater crackers, you can also score the dough into grids. Otherwise, we are just going to break this sucker apart into chaotic shards once crispy. 

Sprinkle with an elegant sufficiency of everything bagel seasoning mix. Some people prefer more, some less. For once, I won’t tell you how to live your life. 


Bake in the preheated oven until the big cracker is crisp and golden and snaps apart, 20 to 25 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through. Check frequently to make sure it doesn’t overcook and burn. Ovens heat unevenly and these crackers are thin! 


Since you did the right thing and rolled the dough out onto a nonstick sheet of baking parchment or a silicone pan liner, the only thing left is to break into pieces and serve. I promise, the crackers will disappear in no time.

Food Lust People Love: Crunchy, flavorful and more-ish, these sprouted spelt everything bagel crackers are a lovely snack on their own or served with a spread or dip.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes using sprouted grains or legumes. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe. Check out the links below. 

 
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.



Pin these Sprouted Spelt Everything Bagel Crackers!

Food Lust People Love: Crunchy, flavorful and more-ish, these sprouted spelt everything bagel crackers are a lovely snack on their own or served with a spread or dip.

.

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Blistered Padron Pepper Salmon Cream Cheese

This Blistered Padron Pepper Salmon Cream Cheese is the perfect schmear for your bagels, a little bit spicy, a little bit fishy and a whole lot of creamy!

Food Lust People Love: This Blistered Padron Pepper Salmon Cream Cheese is the perfect schmear for your bagels, a little bit spicy, a little bit fishy and a whole lot of creamy!

This recipe was created when I had several blistered Padron peppers leftover after a snacky lunch and some cooked salmon leftover from dinner the night before. 

Making a schmear for bagels probably wouldn’t have occurred to me but I had just come across bagels in my nearby supermarket (in the Channel Islands, no less) that claimed to be the real deal. Boiled then baked for that genuine New York chewiness. You know I had to buy a bag if only to say, nope, these are not good; at least I tried.

I don’t know if it’s that I’d been overseas for too many months or if the bagels were really boiled then baked but they were pretty good! And they were excellent with this schmear. 

I am sharing this recipe today because it would be perfect for an Easter weekend brunch and it is better made ahead so the ingredients have time to meld. 

Blistered Padron Pepper Salmon Cream Cheese

I give the amounts I used below but you can use them as a guideline. Have a few more peppers or a little less salmon? The combo will still be delicious. Likewise, this recipe is easily doubled or trebled. 

Ingredients
2 1/2 oz or 70g blistered Padron peppers (I used about 7)
4 1/2 oz or 126g cream cheese
2 1/2 oz or 70g cooked salmon (Mine was pan-fried)
Fine sea salt to taste

Method
Sear the peppers in a hot nonstick skillet until they are blistered. Toss or stir frequently. (This was all the peppers I blistered as part of our snacky lunch. As above in the ingredient list, I used seven for this recipe.) Set aside to cool. 


Put the cream cheese in a bowl and leave to come to room temperature. 

Remove any bones or skin from the salmon and break it into flakes with your clean hands.


Remove the stems and chop the Padron peppers well. 


Add them to the cream cheese and stir until well combined. 


Fold the salmon into the peppery cream cheese.


Add a sprinkle of salt, if needed.


Serve with fresh bagels. Or with crackers. If you don't eat it with a spoon. 

Food Lust People Love: This Blistered Padron Pepper Salmon Cream Cheese is the perfect schmear for your bagels, a little bit spicy, a little bit fishy and a whole lot of creamy!

Enjoy! 

Happy Easter to all who celebrate! It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes for Easter that can be made ahead. Many thanks to our host, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the links below. 

 
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.



Pin this Blistered Padron Pepper
Salmon Cream Cheese!

Food Lust People Love: This Blistered Padron Pepper Salmon Cream Cheese is the perfect schmear for your bagels, a little bit spicy, a little bit fishy and a whole lot of creamy!

.

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle

Tender on the inside and golden brown on the outside, this ricotta gnocchi à la poêle is a wonderful, protein-full dish, easily dressed up to suit any palate.

Food Lust People Love: Tender on the inside and golden brown on the outside, this ricotta gnocchi à la poêle is a wonderful, protein-full dish, easily dressed up to suit any palate.

I’ve made gnocchi with polenta and with potatoes but the most tender kind of all is made with ricotta, which as a bonus, adds protein that the other two methods do not. 

If you think gnocchi must be boiled, let me introduce you to a method I first learned in France. Anything cooked à la poêle simply means it’s been pan-fried over a reasonably high flame. In other words, it’s been seared in a hot pan to protect the insides from drying out. 

Once the gnocchi are cooked, dress them with your favorite sauce or seasonings. Below I give the method, as per our idol Jacques Pépin, for gnocchi persillade, tossed with a mix of minced flat leaf parsley and fresh garlic. 

I don’t know that he ever made gnocchi persillade but I have made pan-fried frog legs adapted from his recipe, finished with parsley and garlic and they are divine. Perhaps I’ll share that recipe someday! 

Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle

This recipe makes enough to feed five or six people. Since we are not that many, I tried to freeze some in rolls wrapped in cling film but, once thawed, they needed way more flour to make them easy to roll out again and cut into pieces. Next time I will cook them all à la poêle before freezing them. I’m thinking that will work better. I’ll update this post when I do.

Ingredients
For the ricotta gnocchi:
8 ¾ oz or 250g ricotta, with any visible liquid poured off
2 cups or 250g 00 flour plus extra for rolling
1 large egg

For frying: 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the persillade:
2 cloves garlic
Several stems flat leaf parsley, leaves only

For adding the persillade:
1 tablespoon butter, divided

Method
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1 cup or 125g of the flour and the egg and stir to combine. 


Knead the dough with your hands, adding flour until you have a smooth elastic dough that is soft but not sticky. You may not use it all. It all depends on the moisture in your ricotta. (For this batch I only used 1½ cups or 188g flour.)


Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 


Separate the ball into 8 or so pieces. Working one at a time, roll out on a floured work surface into a long, even roll.


Use a knife to cut the roll into ½ in or 1 cm pieces. 


Press the pieces with a floured fork. 


Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, drizzle in the olive oil. Add the gnocchi being careful not to crowd the pan. I only cooked two rolls for these photos and did it in two batches. 


Pan fry for about three minutes or until browned on the one side. 


Turn and pan fry for an additional 3-5 minutes on the other side. Remove to a plate and continue cooking the rest of the gnocchi in batches. 


Meanwhile, remove the parsley leaves from the stalks and mince the parsley and garlic cloves. 


To make the persillade, mix the minced parsley and garlic together. 


Once all the gnocchi are browned and you are ready to serve, put them all back into the hot pan. Add in the tablespoon of butter, separated into three.


As the butter is melting, add in the persillade aka the parsley garlic mix. 


Stir and pan fry for a few minutes to cook the garlic a bit, wilt the parsley and heat the ricotta gnocchi through. 


Spoon straight on to plates or into a serving dish and serve hot. 

Food Lust People Love: Tender on the inside and golden brown on the outside, this ricotta gnocchi à la poêle is a wonderful, protein-full dish, easily dressed up to suit any palate.

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 7th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter G. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the G recipes below:


To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.



Pin this Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle!

Food Lust People Love: Tender on the inside and golden brown on the outside, this ricotta gnocchi à la poêle is a wonderful, protein-full dish, easily dressed up to suit any palate.

.