Snickerdoodle Hummus

Dessert hummus …What…. Yes it is a thing. And I am addicted. However I cannot bring myself to buy it at $5.99 for an 8 ounce container. Also most dessert hummus recipes have a lot of sugar (raw, cane, blah…whatever kind it is). Sugar is generally the second ingredient which means more predominant than other ingredients. Next time sweet pumpkin??! Chocolate ? Keep posted for more. I love beans…sneaking them in one recipe at a time.

This recipe yields (2 1/2 cups):

20 servings (two tablespoons = one serving)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I used Aldi)

1 can of chickpeas rinsed and drained well (1 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon ground Vietnamese cinnamon (penzeys)

1 teaspoon of ground flaxseed (bob’s red mill)

1/8 teaspoon of baking soda

1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt (I use diamond crystal)

1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter (I am a fan of jif)

7 packets of Trivia (stevia)

1 vanilla bean, paste, scrapped and bean pod discarded

2 teaspoon of high quality vanilla extract

Directions:

Place everything in the food processor and process until smooth and desired consistency. Enjoy with fruit (grapes, apple slices, banana chunks, pear slices, strawberries), or graham crackers, honey wheat pretzels… The list goes on or on wasa aircrisp crackers (my favorite).

Herbed Heirloom Tomato Salad

IMG_1197There is nothing quite like fresh tomatoes out of the garden in the summer time.  I love this fresh salad. It is so quick and easy the fresh herbs and fresh lemon do all the hard work. This salad was prepared to go with homemade pizzas for friends after a long workweek.

Ingredients:

8 cups of heirloom grape and cherry tomatoes (variety of color makes the salad vibrant)

1/2 Large Shallot; thinly sliced with mandolin

petite handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped (about a1/8 of a cup)

Petite handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped (about a1/8 of a cup)

1 1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Lime Juice, 1/2 of a lime juiced (about 1-2 tablespoons)

Kosher Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions: 

Quarter the large tomatoes and half the medium tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Add the prepared shallots, toss in the chopped herbs, pour the vinegar & lime juice over the top of the vegetables, salt and pepper to taste. Let the salad sit for a half hour to marry flavors. Enjoy !

Zippy Shrimp Salad

 

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Every year my family travels to Topsail Beach in North Carolina. We have been traveling to this special location for the last 20 years. We rent an Oceanfront beach house for the week. This year my dad turned 60 years old so we were able to celebrate his special day on the beach!!  I look forward to this vacation every year. It is the only place I never want to leave. My favorite part of vacation is making new memories and creating new dishes inspired by the local finds. I love going to the farmers market in Wilmington at the Popular Grove Plantation and getting inspired by the fresh local ingredients. There are plenty of fish markets as well on and off the island.

Preparing this shrimp salad was so much fun with the fresh seafood. We purchased large shrimp with the heads still attached since the cost was nearly double for the shrimp to already be prepared shelled, deveined and heads removed. We boiled up shrimp one night with old bay for dinner and with the leftovers created this salad to snack on for lunch the next day. This salad goes great with crackers, on a bun, over a salad of mixed greens or by the spoonful.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lime juiced (about 1-2 tablespoons of juice)
  • 1/2 cup miracle whip
  • 1 cup plan greek yogurt or (mayonnaise)
  • 2 Tablespoons of dijon mustard
  • Fresh cilantro chopped (petite handful)
  • 2 stalks of celery (chopped finely)
  • 2 pounds of cooked large shrimp (heads and exterior shell removed, after cooked cut in half [optimal size about the size of a nickel]) *****
  • Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions: 

Place the first 7 ingredients in a resealable container and mix. Add the shrimp and stir. Let the ingredients marry overnight in refrigerator for best results.

****If you have fresh raw shrimp and need to prepare bring a large stock pot of water to boil and cook the shrimp for 4 minutes. Season the water with a generous amount of old bay seasoning; strain and place shrimp over ice and let cool completely before adding them to the cream mixture.

Fire Roasted Baba Ghanouj

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I was never the biggest fan of eggplant (other than eggplant parmesan). However this recipe will have you coming back for more. My boyfriend and I roast the eggplant, onions, and garlic right in the fire. It is absolutely amazing and super easy to throw into the food processor.

Fire Roasted Baba Ghanouj

  • 3 medium eggplants ( have tried all the varieties)
  • 2 medium yellow onions
  • 1 garlic bulb (only will be using 3 cloves of garlic for final product)
  • 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt

Tools for the Job:

Food Processor

Fire Pit

Heat Protective Gloves

Tongs

Directions:

Wearing heat protective gloves, place the garlic bulb & onion (skin and all) in the fire coals. Allow to roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes have elapsed rotate the onions and garlic bulb. Add the entire eggplant in the fire coals. Allow the eggplant to roast for 10 minutes and rotate with tongs using heat protective gloves. Allow for the eggplant to cook another 10 minutes, then pull all the vegetables from the fire and place on a sheet pan to cool for at least 20-30 minutes. Remove the skin from the onions and toss into the food processor. Scoop out the eggplant meat and place it into the food processor. Lastly peel 2-3 cloves of garlic into the mix, salt to taste. Puree using the pulse function on the food processor. Enjoy the dip on pita chips, carrots or I like to add it to my tortillas.

 

Vanilla Bean Hummus

I tried a new twist on hummus two weekends ago! I was able to sample a few dessert hummus flavors and I think I ate the whole 8 ounce container of the vanilla bean in a weekend. I was out of town and I’m not sure you can locate the brand locally so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

Yields 18 servings 2 tablespoons

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of drained chickpeas

1/8 teaspoon of baking soda

1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon Milled flaxseed

1 1/2 vanilla beans, the paste

1/2 teaspoon off ground Vietnamese Cinnamon

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

7 packets of truvia or sweetener of you choice)

1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions:

Place the first 9 ingredients in the food processor and purée to cream. Gradually add the almond milk until you reach the desired creamy texture to your liking.

Refrigerator for a few hours or overnight for optimal taste.

Spicy Garlic Scape Hummus

I may be going overboard with the garlic scapes. But when they are bountiful why not. They are only here for a short while.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of tahini

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 1/2 cup white beans (cannellini), reduced sodium (rinsed and drained)

1/2 cup chopped garlic scapes & the immature bulbs (optimal)

1 tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning blend

1/2 of a lemon juiced and the zest

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

Directions: 

Place all the ingredients into the food processor and pulse until smooth.

 

Special notes: 

I recommend letting this hummus marry overnight in the refrigerator. The scapes can make the hummus spicy at first after the ingredients marry overnight the heat decreases.

 

This hummus goes well with pita chips, crackers, on tortillas with some extra fresh cut vegetables like kohlrabi, English cucumber, and carrots.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Spring is the time of year for garlic scape season. They are popping up at all the local farmer’s markets. In the past I never used the scape of the garlic shoots. After I learned about their use I couldn’t believe I had wasted the beautiful greenery all these years. This recipe is just one way to enjoy the garlic flavor goodness.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pine nuts

3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Roast pine nuts in a sauté pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes (until fragrant).

2. Place all the ingredients into the food processor (except for the olive oil)

3. Start the food processor and gradually add in the olive oil. Continue pulse until combined about 20-30 pulses.

This pesto is tasty with bread, veggies, pasta, pizza, or just on your fingers.

Enjoy!

Vanagon Travel Trail Mix

I made this batch of trail mix for a special trip to Ohio Pyle. Weekend road trips are one of my favorite things to do to explore a new adventure or check out a new trail.

This year I vow to check out more new trails and, seek out more experiences.

Ingredients:

1 cup banana chips

10.5 oz bag of M&Ms

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

3/4 cup craisins

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

12 ounces of yogurt covered craisins

5 ounces of Sesame seed bran sticks

5 ounces roasted edamame (soy nuts)

Directions:

Mix it up and place in a sealable bag. Enjoy on a long trip.

Key Lime Ice Box Pie

Key Lime pie is tart and refreshing! This is a lighter twist made with Plain NonFat Greek Yogurt & Neufchatel Cream Cheese. I prepared this dessert for a special office birthday. Nothing says happy birthday better than a homemade baked sweet treat.

Crust Ingredients:

52 vanilla wafers (I used Aldi’s brand)

3 tablespoons of granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

5 Tablespoons of unsalted butter,melted

Filling Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) pack of Neufchâtel Cream Cheese, softened (room temperature)

1 can (14 once) sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 tablespoons lime zest

1/3 cup key lime juice

1 cup Greek plain Nonfat yogurt

Additional ingredients:

Whipped cream for additional flare

 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 convection or 350 traditional.

Place the vanilla wafers, salt, and sugar into a food processor & secure the lid. Pulse the ingredients until finely course. Slowly drizzle the butter into the food processor. And pour the blend into a 9 inch pie plate. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Place the pie into the oven and bake until golden (this took about 20-23 minutes ).

Remove the pie crust from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

In the meantime, prepare the filling. In a stand mixer place the cream cream and beat with paddle attachment until smooth. Add in the condensed milk and mix well until incorporated. Add the lime juice and zest and slowly incorporate, finally add in the greek yogurt and mix until smooth and silky.

Once the crust has cooled pour the batter into the prepared pie crust and place in the refrigerator overnight. I recommend covering the prepared pie with press and seal or saran wrap.

Right before serving pipe whipped cream.

Fresh whip cream topping

Ingredients

1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 heaping Tablespoon of confectioner sugar
1 tsp of Pure Vanilla extract

Directions:

Beat cream in cold metal bowl until soft peaks form, add sugar and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread/pie evenly over cool pie.

Oatmeal Craisins Cookies

I’m on a craisins kick! Why not? Really you could use any dried fruit you prefer. Craisin add a pretty hue. This recipe was inspired by a Bob’s Red Mill Recipe that originally called for nuts, I swapped out the almonds for chocolate chips. I think white chocolate chips would go good here as well

This recipe yields: 32 cookies using a number 40 scoop ( 2 Tablespoons)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (aka two full sticks)  (room temperature/softened but not too soft)

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1 cup Raw sugar or brown sugar

2 extra large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract ( I prefer penzeys vanilla)

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour  or Graham Flour

1 tsp baking Powder

1 tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

3 cups Old fashioned Rolled Oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate (pick your favorite)

1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees convection (standard oven 350 degrees). Parchment paper line two 1/2 sheet baking pans.  Set aside.

2. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream butter, salt, and sugars together. Add in eggs, one at a time and follow up with vanilla. Mix until combined.

3. In a seperate medium to large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Gradually add to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.

4.  Fold in oats, craisins, and chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.

5. Use ac cookie size 40 scoop to drop cookies onto parchment paper. I only placed 6 cookies to a 1/2 sheet pan.

6. Bake for 16-17 minutes and allow to cool on pan for 1-2 minutes. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to completely cool off.

****Bonus trick….Place the dough in the refrigerator overnight or for a good hour before scooping & baking. This helps them hold their shape.