Easy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

As you know we are lovers of hummus. I like to try a new recipe every few weeks. When I came across this one I thought it was perfect as I had a few red peppers in the fridge that needed to be used soon.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 ounce) can Chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup roasted red peppers (If you need instructions take these)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

In an food processor combine garlic, chickpeas, tahini, and lemon juice. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add roasted peppers and basil; process until the peppers are finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer hummus to small bowl, cover and chill until you are ready to serve.

Black Bean Hummus

I recently posted a recipe for White Bean Pesto Hummus which my family loved. We are big fans of hummus so I figured I would see what else I could do with hummus. I googled and found that the hummus options are endless. So be prepared for many more hummus posts. This recipe is really just a compilation of many different recipes. I took a picture of this one but it wasn't pretty so use your imagination.

1 15 Oz Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbls. Olive Oil
2 Tbls. Water
2 Tbls. Lemon Juice
1 Garlic Clove
1 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 Cup Parsley, chopped

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree for a few minutes until smooth.

White Bean Pesto Hummus

I made this White Bean Basil Hummus or as we renamed it White Bean Pesto Hummus tonight. I didn't have fresh basil on hand so I used 2 cubes of the frozen basil. I am not 100% sure what the measurment is for the cubes as they are not fresh however 2 cubes added a lot of basil flavor so I wouldn't use more. Rather than use fresh lemon juice I used the equivilant of lemon juice from the bottle. Everyone loved this and ate fresh veggies with it. The picture isn't so pretty but trust me, this is a keeper. I don't see why you can't make this exact recipe with chickpeas...perhaps I will do that next time.

1 Can Cannelini or Northern White Beans, rinsed and drained
2 cubes Frozen Basil
1 Small Garlic Clove
1 1/2 Tbls. Lemon Juice
2 Tbls. Tahini
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 C. Olive Oil

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth letting it go for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Quinoa Edamame Salad With A Twist

I got this recipe for Quinoa Edamame Salad from my sister. I believe it originated as a rice recipe which she converted to quinoa, which you can do with most rice recipes. I have made it many time with edamame and love it however my husband isn't an edamame fan so I substituted chickpeas and now he eats it too. Either way you can't go wrong.

1 C. Quinoa, rinsed
2 C. Chicken Broth
2 Carrots, shredded
1 Can Chickpeas, drained OR cooked edamame
1/8 C. Soy Sauce
1/2 Tbls. Sesame Oil

Place quinoa and broth in a pot. Bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Mix in carrots, chickpeas or edamame, soy sauce and sesame oil. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Curried Chickpea Salad

Isn't it pretty??? Well it is tasty too! This recipe for Curried Chickpea Salad is simple and easy.

2 cans Chickpeas, rinsed well and drained
4 tsp. Olive Oil
1-2 small onions, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2-4 Tbls. Cilantro, chopped
1-2 T Lemon Juice
Sea Salt to taste

Drain chickpeas into a colander placed in the sink, then rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears and let chickpeas drain while you cook the onions.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onion, turn heat to medium-high and saute onions until they are lightly browned and starting to get crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Stir frequently while the onions cook, and don't let them get too browned. When onions are lightly browned, stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper and cook 2-3 minutes more, until the spices are fragrant and slightly toasted.

Add the drained chickpeas and cook 2-3 minutes more, stirring so the spices and onions are well-distributed in the chickpeas. Then stir in chopped cilantro and lemon juice and cook 3-4 minutes more. Turn off heat and season to taste with sea salt.

Let the mixture cool, then transfer to a plastic container with a snap-on lid and let salad chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve cold or at room temperature, tasting and adjusting the flavor with more lemon juice and sea salt before serving if desired.

Mexican Quinoa Salad

I found this recipe for Mexican Quinoa Salad on The Girl Who Ate Everything site. It was guest blogged from My Green Diet. Does that make this a 3rd generation recipe? Please look at their picture as it is much better than mine.

I began making this recipe on Thursday evening. I cooked the quinoa and made the dressing. On Friday I completed the prep but completely forgot that I had made the dressing. As I was adding the lime juice I thought to myself that I had made a salad dressing the night before that had similar ingredients. It wasn't until all the ingredients were in the bowl that I realized that I had already made this dressing. So I went ahead and made another cup of quinoa so that I could double the recipe and use all the dressing. I posted about my error on facebook which prompted a lot of requests for the recipe. I commented that after we tasted it and determined if it was good would I share it. The results are in-we really liked it and our guests did too.

The only change I made was I didn't use red quinoa as I didn't have any. I do think it looks pretty in their picture and may have to get my hands on some. I used bottled lime juice and I counted the tomatoes as I hate when recipes give you a measurement for something that you'd rather count. Also, take note that the original recipe says it serves 2-4. I am guessing they mean as a main dish because as a side dish it serves more than that- probably 6-8.

(Also, if anyone knows why blogger keeps rotating my photos or can give me a solutions it would be greatly appreciated)

1 C. Quinoa, washed and drained
2 C. Water
1/4 C. Olive Oil
3 Tbls. Lime Juice
3/4 tsp. Cumin
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes, (optional)
1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
12 Cherry Tomatoes, cut in quarters
5 Green Onions, finely chopped
1/4 C. Chopped Cilantro
1 Avocado, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the quinoa and add to a saucepan with the water, cover, bring to boil and reduce to simmer - cook until all water is absorbed. 10-15 min. Turn off the heat and leave it alone for 10-15 minutes. Remove lid, fluff with a fork and pour into a large bowl. Add black beans, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and avocado.
Separately, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, cumin and red pepper flakes. Add salt and pepper.
Toss dressing with quinoa mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
This salad can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

Simple Split Pea Soup

I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers website years ago. It originated as a crock pot recipe- just toss all in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 2 hours.

Simple Split Pea Soup:

12 Oz. Bag of dry Split Peas*
1 Clove Garlic(I use the frozen)
2 Carrots, cut into chunks
1 Onion, Diced
8 C. Chicken Broth*

Put all ingredients in large pot and simmer on low for 2-3 hours until smooth. You may need to add water when you reheat as the peas absorb the water.

This is always a hit and I often double or triple the recipe.

*I use either 500 grams of split peas with 10 C. broth OR I double and use 1 Kilo split peas and 20 C. broth and double everything else.

Chili

Tonight I made chili for dinner. I based it on this recipe I found for Four Bean Chili.
I made a few changes however. I could not find pinto beans so instead I used a can of Spicy Chili Beans. I also didn't include the meat so it was vegetarian. Lastly, I did not prepare it in a crock pot but in a pot on the stove. So I present to you my version of

Four Bean Vegetarian Chili:

1 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Large Onion, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1-15 Oz Can White Beans, rinsed and drained
1-15 Oz Can Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
1-15 Oz Can Chili Beans, rinsed and drained
1-15 Oz Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1-28 Oz Can Chopped Tomatoes with Juice
2-15 Oz Cans Tomato Juice
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tsp Salt
Grated Cheddar Cheese

In a large pot over medium heat heat oil and saute onions for 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute another minute until the onions start to caramelize, then remove and place in a crock pot. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir to combine. Cover and simmer the chili for 2-4 hours on low. Top with cheese and serve.

My husband and I loved it. My kids- not so much. Part of the problem I think was that it was slightly spicy. Not sure if that was because of the chili powder or the chili beans. When it was reheated the next day it was not as spicy. The other problem is that my kids don't like to try new things and this was way outside their comfort zone. Perhaps I tried this too early. I am not giving up though-I will try this one again(perhaps with meat next time). I highly recommend it with the cheddar mixed in. Also, my kids enjoyed mixing in the cheese and watching it melt.

All Day Burritos

Yesterday Danya picked a recipe out of the Kosher by Design Kids in the Kitchen cookbook that she wanted for dinner. It was for Bean, Rice and Cheese Burritos. I felt like this was a good chance for me to take a recipe that wasn't so healthy and make it a little healthier. I started last night by making my own refried beans using pinto beans. I didn't take a picture but be glad as they weren't pretty. Then I went a little too far and made my own whole wheat tortillas. They were very tasty however it was a lot of work, hard to do and my stove was a bit too hot so they all got a little too crispy which made them hard to wrap.

Next time I would just buy whole wheat tortillas. However, if you are looking for a challenge, or own a tortilla press, I recommend this recipe. The recipe called for white minute rice and I substituted it with brown rice. So what should have been a simple recipe became an all day process. In the end they were really good.

Josh, Danya and I liked them a lot. Jordy took an itsy bitsy bite and said yuck and Nadav said "no, no, no" as I tried to hand it to him but neither of those responses were unexpected.

Here is my altered recipe.

Bean, Rice and Cheese Burritos

4 wheat tortillas
1 C. brown rice prepared with a packed of taco seasoning
4 Tbls. refried beans
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Spread 1/4 C. of rice, 1 Tbls, beans and 1/4 C. cheese on each tortilla. Roll each tortilla and wrap in foil. Place all the burritos in oven heated to 425 and cook for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

The Experiment Begins

The plan today was to ease the kids into healthier eating.  I cut up some vegetables and had them sitting on the kitchen table when the kids got home.  I figured I would just see what happens.  When Jordy came home from school and saw them he excitedly asked me if he could have some.  I said yes and couldn't believe it as he ate half the plate without requesting a chocolate sandwich.  While he was sitting there I pulled a loaf of whole wheat bread out of a grocery bag.  I had no intention of trying to get him to eat it as I have tried before and I know he doesn't like it.  I actually bought it to make bread crumbs for a recipe.  As soon as he saw it he asked if it was "brown bread".  I told him yes it was and took out a piece to show him.  Both he and his friend thought it looked good and wanted some.  His friend wanted it plain however Jordy wanted a chocolate and peanut butter sandwich.  Nonchalantly I suggested he just have peanut butter and he said ok.  He then ate the whole sandwich with a glass of milk.  So whole wheat peanut butter sandwich, vegetables and a cup of milk for after school.  Not bad!

When Danya came home she wanted to know what there was to eat.  I pointed her in the direction of the vegetables and she was ok with that.  She asked for salad dressing to dip them into which I was about to give to her when I saw the container of vegetable tahini.  I suggested that instead and she was game.  She finished the vegetables and requested more.  Later she returned to the kitchen when I was finished baking whole wheat popovers.  The recipe calls for them to be mini but I didn't have a mini muffin pan so I made them full sized.  I baked them for only a few more minutes than the mini's as they had popped.  I suggested that Danya put a little bit of jelly on top and she thought frosting would be better but I told her no, either jelly or peanut butter. In the end both she and Josh tasted them and enjoyed them with a little strawberry jelly spread on them.   
They didn't photograph well but they were cute.

On to dinner. Deciding what to make for dinner tonight was a bit of a process. I really wanted to find something that everyone would be willing to try and nothing to far out there. I settled on garbanzo burgers.

I renamed them falafel burgers or giant falafel for Jordy who doesn't like hamburgers. Everyone likes falafel so I thought we had a chance. Danya was upset that we wouldn't be putting french fries in the falafel like they do at her favorite falafel place. I had to explain that we don't always need french fries. Eventually she agreed and really liked the falafel-which I served in half pitas. Nadav wouldn't touch his but that isn't surprising. Josh and I both liked them and Jordy took a bite but was not happy about them being burger shaped and large rather than small and ball shaped falafel he is used to so he didn't eat them.

All the food I photographed today was the same color.

As we were in the middle of dinner we ran out of hummus. So I opened a can of chickpeas and made some. I only had vegetable tahini so the flavor was a little different and Danya didn't like it, which I thought was funny since she loves the vegetable tahini on it's own.

All in all not bad results for day 1.