The Best Hummus

I've never made my own hummus before because you can pretty much get it at any store, but I went for it.  The good?  It was amazing!!!! The bad? I will never buy store-bought again and I'm forced to make my own now.  You have to go the extra step and peel the chickpeas to make this as smooth as butter- I promise it only takes a few minutes.  And, I got Tessa involved and she loved to help!  This recipe is from the Ottolenghi cookbook, which is kind of a huge deal around these parts... it is bonafide stuff.  You have to let it rest for a while, to let the flavors come together, before it reaches optimal deliciousness.

courtesy

The Best Hummus

From Smitten Kitchen

Makes 1 3/4 cups hummus

1 3/4 cups drained chickpeas (from a 15-ounce can)
1/2 cup tahini paste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
2 small cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3/4 teaspoon table salt, or more to taste
Approximately 1/4 cup water 

Olive oil, paprika, pita wedges (brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with a combination of sesame seeds and sea salt), and/or carrot sticks [optional] to serve.

For canned chickpeas: Peel your chickpeas. I find this is easiest when you take a chickpea between your thumb and next two fingers, arranging the pointy end in towards your palm, and “pop!” the naked chickpea out. Discard the skin. 

In a food processor (I used my blendtec), blend the chickpeas until powdery clumps form, a full minute, scraping down the sides. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt and blend until pureed. With the machine running, drizzle in water or reserved chickpea cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you get very smooth, light and creamy mixture. I find I need about 4 tablespoons for this volume, but you may need slightly more or less.

Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt or lemon if needed. I do recommend that you hold off on adding more garlic just yet, however. I find that it “blooms” as it settles in the fridge overnight, becoming much more garlicky after a rest, so that even if it doesn’t seem like enough at first, it likely will be in the long run.

Transfer the hummus to a bowl and rest it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, longer if you can. To serve, drizzle it with a little olive oil, and sprinkle it with paprika. Serve it with pita wedges or carrot sticks.

Saucy Lentils and Veggies

Ok, I know this isn't the most exciting recipe title.  I combined two different recipes to make a meal...because two side dishes count as a full meal in my house! The first is a recipe for lentils in a sort of tomato sauce, and the second is roasted veggies.  The recipes are meant to be separate, but I stirred them together (after cooking separately) and it made my mouth sing! I loved it so much, that I made it twice in one week!  (My kids didn't love the roasted veggies, if I'm being honest- but what kid does?!  They were forced to eat a serving anyway.  And, they really liked the lentils!).  This is a great, fantastic, healthy meal that you can store in the fridge for several days and have it for lunch for the whole week- or thats what I did (saves you from that lunchtime rut)!  Also, I got these recipes from an IG account, "gotorecipes" that is super good- you HAVE to follow her!!

**Slight Edit: I just re-made this and served it over rice (as pictured above) and then went out on a limb and added avocados sprinkled with salt and pepper....soooo good!

Saucy Lentils
Adapted slightly from "gotorecipes"

1 yellow onion, diced 

1 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes with liquid

1 bunch thyme leaves (or tied with a string)

1 lb. bag lentils

3 cups vegetable broth (can use chicken broth too)

(Optional)

Rice, cooked

Diced avocados, sprinkled with s&p

In large pot, sauté onion in olive oil until soft with salt and pepper until golden brown. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, tomatoes with liquid, thyme and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover until liquid is absorbed, about 35 minutes (stir occasionally). Remove thyme sprigs before serving, if used. 

Roasted Veggies

Adapted slightly from "gotorecipes"

Carrots, diced

Sweet potatoes, diced

Thyme (fresh or dried)

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Brown sugar 

Maple Syrup

After dicing veggies to same sizes, sprinkle brown sugar and a couple of teaspoons of syrup along with the rest of the ingredients together (just season to liking). Spread evenly on foiled-lined pan and cook at 425F for about 30 minutes.  Once done, you can combine with the above lentils for a delicious combo.

Skillet Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

This is an easy last minute meal if you are feeling like comfort food or an easy "gourmet" side

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

• 3 1/2 cups water, plus extra if needed
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 12 ounces (about 3 cups) elbow macaroni
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
• 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
• Ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring 3 1/2 cups water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, the macaroni, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until the macaroni is tender and the liquid has thickened, 9 to 12 minutes.
2. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk, the cornstarch, mustard and hot sauce together in a small bowl, then stir into the skillet. Continue to simmer slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
3. Off the heat, stir in the cheddar and Monterey Jack, one handful at a time, adding water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce (I didn’t need any additional water when I made it). Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

NOTES

Ham and Pea Variation: Follow the recipe, adding 4 ounces deli-style baked ham, diced medium, and 1/2 cup frozen peas to the skillet with the cornstarch mixture in step 2.

Oven-Bakes Parmesan Rosemary Fries

I don't know who else saw these on OBB but I decided to make them tonight for sunday dinner and they were mm mm good! The only ingredient I had to go get was some fresh rosemary but other then that they are relatively and easy make. And I would definitely recommend getting the fresh stuff. Also, put the pan on a rack closer to the top if you like them crispier.

Ingredients:

4 medium Russet potatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 1/2-2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish if desired
Canned Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (lightly crumple it if you want to; that will help ensure even browning) and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Cut each potato into 8 wedges and set aside ( you can also cut them like you do for this recipe). In a large, wide bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, corn starch, and rosemary. Add the potato wedges and toss to coat them evenly with the olive oil mixture. Spread evenly over the prepared foil and bake in the preheated oven for  about 40 minutes or until the fries are golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. If desired, sprinkle with additional rosemary and salt. Serve immediately.

Baked Potato Wedges and Fry Sauce

photo from favfamilyrecipes.com

I really loved the flavoring of these wedges.  The parmesan cheese made all the difference.  And fry sauce....yum!  We used the bbq sauce instead of the ketchup!

Baked Potato Wedges

Recipe from favfamilyrecipes.com 

4 to 5 small potatoes

olive oil

Johnny's Seasoning Salt (or any kind of seasoning salt)

Parmesan cheese

Scrub potatoes well, slice into wedges and place in a large plastic bag.  Add a little olive oil and toss to coat then transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet with the skin side down. Sprinkle potatoes generously with seasoning salt and parmesan cheese. Bake at 450-degrees for 30-35 minutes (or until cooked through and golden brown). Do not stir while cooking.  Serve with ketchup, fry sauce, or ranch dressing.

Fry Sauce

1/3 c. ketchup (if you want to make it more like Red Robin you can substitute BBQ sauce)
2/3 c. mayonnaise
optional: 1 tsp mustard (just for a little added zip)
(If you want it like In-n-Out's special sauce: add some pickle relish)

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Eat with fries or chicken nuggets. Enjoy (I know you will)!