Black Bean Hummus

We went to a restaurant recently that had black bean hummus and it was really good.... so we found a recipe that was equally good and want to share it with you all in case you might enjoy trying it. It is great with warmed up pita bread. Black Bean Hummus Prep Time: 5 Minutes Ready In: 5 MinutesYields: 8 servings "This hummus comes with raves attached to it. What we like is that everything goes into the food processor and is swooshed into a fabulous consistency. Only the Greek olives and paprika, sprinkled on the top are done by hand." INGREDIENTS: 1 clove garlic 1 (15 ounce) can goya black beans soup; 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon paprika 10 Greek olives DIRECTIONS: 1. Mince garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Add black beans with liquid, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, tahini, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add additional seasoning and liquid to taste. Garnish with paprika and Greek olives.

Gael's easy pizza

Gael's easy pizza

First I brush olive oil on the crusts (esp. the edges)

& toast or bake them a few minutes,

so they'll get crispy.

Ingredients Tomato sauce (crushed Italian tomatoes or sliced fresh tomatoes) spinach (lightly steamed is best), mushrooms chopped/sliced (cooked in olive oil & garlic is best), marinated artichoke hearts, slices of mozzarella cheese, then bits of fresh garlic

Italian herbs (Oregano & Marjoram)--- salt to taste.

It is a great tasting pizza.

Let me know what you think.

Kelsi's Hummus

Kelsi and I wanted some hummus and looked through three different cookbooks and then created this....it tasted great. 1 can garbanzo beans drained 1/4 cup sesame tahini 1/4 cup olive oil 1/8 cup water 4 small cloves of garlic (minced by garlic press) 1/8 c. chopped sweet onions or scallions 1/2 - 3/4 c. chopped parsley 1/4 tsp. salt dash pepper dash of tamari 1. tsp cumin 1 tsp dill weed We put all the ingredients in a food processor and mixed until smooth. Kelsi heated the pita bread in the toaster and it was a perfect snack.

Our Spaghetti Sauce

Jar of spaghetti sauce. Prego chunky garden or Classico basil 1 tsp. anise 2 tsp. dried basil or 2 Tbs. fresh basil 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp parsley 1 tsp tarragon 2 cloves garlic pressed 1 medium chopped onion 1 tsp. sugar 1/2 lb. mushrooms chopped 1 tsp braggs or worchester sauce or tamari Saute onion in olive oil, add chopped mushrooms, garlic, spices and add spaghetti sauce. Cook on medium and then low heat. This recipe takes an ordinary spaghetti sauce and gives it more flavor and sweetness. It's easy.

Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes

We liked this Alton Brown recipe so much that we made it twice in one week right after discovering it. It is "unbelievably easy" according to Eliah and it is delicious, according to both of us. We always make a lot and then eat the leftovers for several days, and they keep well. They actually get more chipotle flavored over time, which is fun. It's especially great in the winter, when sweet potatoes are one of the only fresh and locally grown foods we can find at the store. It could probably be made vegan by subbing olive oil or margarine or something for the butter, though we haven't tried that yet because butter.

Greek Potatoes

Sorry for the bad cell phone pic; my regular camera was out of batteries and I didn't have any fresh ones handy. These potatoes are probably the single most requested recipe by Kara, and they are totally delicious. And so easy! Like the recipe says, it's about ten minutes of prep and about an hour and a half in the oven. I usually don't bother to peel them, because I like the skins, and peeling is work. Here's the recipe at Recipezaar. Kara calls them "messy potatoes" because they tend to leave the pan they bake in a bit hard to clean, although the new nonstick Chicago Metallic stuff we got at Costco yesterday cleaned up easily enough.

French toast

This is my favorite french toast recipe of all time. It comes, if I remember correctly, from Cook's Illustrated. Though thick-sliced challah is best for French toast, you can substitute high-quality, presliced sandwich bread. Flipping challah is easiest with tongs [though a spatula works fine], but a spatula works best with sandwich bread. To speed the cooking of large quantities, heat two or more skillets to brown a few batches at once. To vary the flavor of the batter, add three-quarters of a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or one-half teaspoon of ground nutmeg with the dry ingredients, or substitute almond extract for the vanilla. [In my opinion, it is by far best without these variations.] Makes 4-5 challah slices (3/4 inch-thick) or 6-8 sandwich slices 1. Heat 10- to 12-inch skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat: 1 large egg lightly in shallow pan or pie plate; whisk in 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted then 3/4 cups milk and 2 tsp vanilla and finally 2 tbsp sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and 1/4 tsp salt, continuing to whisk until smooth. Soak bread without oversaturating, about 40 seconds per side for challah or 30 seconds per side for sandwich bread. Pick up bread and allow excess batter to drip off; repeat with remaining slices. 2. Swirl 1 tablespoon butter [I don't usually use quite this much] in hot skillet. Transfer prepared bread to skillet; cook until golden brown, about 1 minute 45 seconds on first side and 1 minute on the second. Serve immediately. Continue, adding 1 tablespoon butter to skillet for each new batch. Good topped with just about anything (butter, syrup, honey, powdered sugar, jam, peanut butter, fruit); also good plain.