Taco Hummus

We love hummus. Taco hummus is hummus on an entirely different level. This recipe is GREAT! And I didn't even have all of the ingredients on hand. As I was eating some of this, I was thinking that it would even be a great replacement for meat in tacos! The kids really liked this too. The original recipe is from Savory, Spicy, Sweet, I have altered it a bit because I was out of tahini, paprika and onion powder---but I didn't miss those things. I did have to add a little more olive oil and some water to get to the right consistency.

Taco Hummus

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, liquid reserved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for drizzling
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
water (as needed to get the right consistency)

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until creamy. Serve with pita chips, veggies, corn chips or even on toasted bread.

Cottage Cheese Cookies

Dear Self, Please refrain from putting strange things in your cookie dough. First the chickpeas, now cottage cheese? Really? Oh, wait...they were both delicious. Carry On. Sincerely, Self.

Cottage Cheese Cookies
1 c. butter
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. almond extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1c. cottage cheese
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and white sugar, until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the almond extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the cottage cheese and pecans. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls then roll the balls in the confectioners' sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing.

Potato Leek Soup

I went to see Julie & Julia with my Mom, sister and very best foodie friend. We all thoroughly enjoyed the movie and my dear Mother recently made Julia Child's Potato Leek soup(Potage Parmentier) and insisted that I do so as well. This was delicious and very inexpensive! I served this soup with the Blackberry Glazed Salmon below, but it would have also been awesome served with some crusty bread.

Potato Leek Soup

1 lb potatoes, peeled & diced

1 lb leeks , chopped and rinsed

4 TBS unsalted butter

Salt & Pepper

4-6 TBS Heavy Cream

2-4 TBS minced chives

1. Simmer the potatoes and leeks in salted water (water should be about 2 inches above potatoes and leeks) for 40-50 minutes, until soft.

2. Puree the veggies (in water) with an immersion blender - I had to used a regular blender, but now an immersion blender is on my list. Add the butter in bits; then add salt & pepper to taste. Stir in cream.

3. Pour into soup bowls and sprinkle on chives
138 calories, 3 g protein.

Blackberry Glazed Salmon

fast. easy. healthy.
Here is a recipe for an elegant dinner that is ready from start to finish in literally 15 minutes.

Blackberry Glazed Salmon
4- Salmon steaks
2 T. blackberry jam (I like habenero blackberry jam!)
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Preheat broiler. Mix jam, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic in bowl. Spoon glaze over salmon and broil for approximately 10 minutes (depending on thickness of steaks) until the meat flakes and is no longer translucent. Voila!

French Onion Pasta

Wow. This is truly excellent. The whole family loved this recipe from Stephanie at Stephanie Cooks. This one is going onto our list of regulars! The best thing is that it is so delicious and so cheap!
Next time, I will double the recipe so we have enough for leftovers:)

French Onion Pasta

2 c. of uncooked rotini pasta
1 c. chicken stock
1 packet of Lipton's Onion Soup mix
1 scallion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 cup of Marsala wine (I just used Sherry)
4 tablespoons of light cream
1 tablespoon of flour
1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon of EVOO

Directions-
Cook pasta and keep warm. In a saucepan, heat the EVOO. Add the scallions and garlic, stir continually until soft and fragrant. Add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any pieces of onion. Add the stock and soup mix packets, allow to cook on low for about 20 minutes.
Whisk in flour, whisking continually until well incorporated and thickened. Add the light cream, mix well. Add the pasta to the sauce, stir well. Pour into an oven safe dish. Top with the mozzarella cheese. Set it under the broiler until the cheese is golden.

Chocolate Chip-Chick pea Cookies!

Jessica Seinfeld is a genius! I have been wanting to try this recipe for months, but kept chickening out! Her cookbook Deceptively Delicious is definitely a keeper. I have had much success with this cookbook. This recipe might just be the best yet! I did make one minor change---instead of 2 cups of chocolate chips, I did 1 cup mini-chocolate chips and 1 cup butterscotch chips. The butterscotch and chocolate flavors work perfectly with the nutty quality of the chick-peas. You must try this!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies (with chick-peas)
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. margarine
2 large egg whites
2 t. vanilla
1 can chick-peas, drained and rinsed
2 c. chocolate chips (I highly recommend 1 c. mini-choc. chips, and 1. c. butterscotch chips)
2 c. flour
1/2 c. oats
1 t. soda
1/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350. Cream sugar and margarine. Beat in egg whites and vanilla. Add chick-peas and chips. Stir well. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir well. Drop dough onto pan and flatten slightly with spoon or fork. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until golden.

Pear-Pecan Blue cheese Salad

Attention. This is the best salad ever. What’s that you say? You don’t like blue cheese? You do now. Eat it.

Pear-Pecan-Blue cheese Salad

Mixed greens

toppings:

blue cheese (gorgonzola is my favorite)

candied pecans (store bought or homemade)

2 pears, chopped

1/2 c. maple syrup

Sweet, light salad dressing: A maple vinaigrette would be ideal–I just make my own!

Warm 1/2 c. maple syrup in small pot. When syrup is hot, dump pears in and stir occasionally, until pears begin to soften. Remove from heat and drain. Serve salad topped with pecans, drained pears, blue cheese and vinaigrette. Pass out from deliciousness.