Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is one of those things that I could eat just about every day. Actually, I DO eat it just about every day.  I usually eat either hummus, carrots, and crackers for lunch...or I eat a vegetable sandwich with hummus used in place of mayo or mustard. I pack my Hubs a vegetable sandwich almost everyday in his lunch too.  He would have never gone for it if he had been asked if he would like one, so being the kind wife I am...I just snuck it in there one day.  To my surprise he loved it, and now he asks for one all the time. Yep, my husband begs for a veggie sandwich. Be jealous :)

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tahini paste (this is ground sesame seeds and you can find it easily in most grocery stores)

1/4 fresh lemon juice

3-4 strips of roasted red peppers from a jar

1 garlic clove, pressed or grated

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor, adding water 1 tsp at a time until you reach the consistency you love!

Like I said before, I eat this all the time on just about anything.....You can serve it with veggies, crackers, on sandwiches, etc...

Enjoy!

Black Bean Summer Salad

        My girlfriends and I were talking about this recipe at the park the other day, and it got me in the mood to make it.  I make this just about every week during the summer.  It is healthy, cheap, totally easy to make, and oh-so-tasty!  There are many variations of this recipe, mine is a simple one, but it has SO much flavor you would never know it is so simple.  To most people, this would be considered a side dish, but in our house, we eat it as a meal.   It is really filling (did you know corn is considered a carb?!?!?)  and since it has veggies in it, I consider it perfectly acceptable as a meal :-)

Black Bean Summer Salad

2 Cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 Can corn, drained

2-3 large tomatoes, chopped

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Mix all ingredients together and set aside

Dressing:

 2 tbsp white vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

juice of 1 lime

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp pepper

 whisk together dressing and pour over salad, mix.

Enjoy!

 

Roasted red pepper pasta sauce

As most of you know, I love a good vegetarian dish! I am not really a big fan of meat, so whenever I come across a great meatless pasta sauce, I usually give it a try.  I had never tasted a roasted red pepper sauce, but I had heard amazing things, so I decided to give one a try.  I am soooo pleased with the results! 
The first one that caught my eye when I started looking up recipes was the red pepper pasta sauce from the Pioneer Woman Cooks website, (my idol)....but hers just seemed a bit to heavy for what I was in the mood for.  So I kept looking and couldn't really find just the right one, so I took ideas from all of them and created my own! 
I am happy to report that the taste and texture was exactly what I thought a red pepper sauce should be :-)  The only change I will make next time, is to make a LOT more!

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

~ 1  12oz jar Roasted red peppers 

~ 1  14.5oz can diced tomatoes

~ 1  medium white onion, diced

~ 4  cloves garlic, minced

~ 1 tsp dried basil

~ 1/2 tsp salt

~ 1/2 tsp pepper

~ 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

~  2 tbsp olive oil

Drain red peppers and chop to about 1 inch pieces

Drain about 1/2 of the juice from the diced tomatoes
Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 4 min

Add garlic and saute for another 2 min

Add red peppers and tomatoes(with about 1/2 of the juice),  remove from heat

Add mixture to food processor or blender and then add spices (basil, salt, pepper, and brown sugar)

Blend just until creamy with a bit of texture left

Serve over your favorite pasta

Enjoy!

 

Frozen Hot Chocolate

Here in Utah we drink a lot of hot chocolate from about October through March-ish (sometimes mother nature tends to give us "hot chocolate weather" in April or May). But a lot of places around here serve frozen hot chocolate all year round.  I had never actually tried it until moving to Utah....I had heard of it, just never actually tasted it. Its super good, so when I a came across a recipe for a homemade version in a recent issue of my Every Day with Rachel Ray  Magazine, I thought I would give it a go.  I changed up the recipe quite a bit. My family tends to like white chocolate much better than good ole fashioned milk or dark chocolate (they take after their father...I do not claim any part of the dark chocolate haters), so I made mine with semi-sweet and white chocolate.  I am actually really happy with the way it turned out, though I am not a white chocolate lover, it did make it nice and creamy.  My kids and I pretty much demolished it right out of the blender, so I guess that pretty much speaks for itself....it was GOOD!

Missy's Frozen Hot Chocolate

Two cups milk

1/2 cup of your favorite hot cocoa mix

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 oz white chocolate chips

1tsp vanilla 

about 24 ice cubes (I used two trays worth)

whipped cream

chocolate shavings for garnish

Combine milk and hot cocoa mix over medium heat just until it gets hot,

Add both kinds of chocolate chips, and stir until melted

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla

Pour into blender (if using a glass blender, wait until it cools a bit)

Add ice and blend until smooth.

Pour into dessert cups and garnish with whipped cream and chocolate

Enjoy!

 

Pasole

Have you tasted Pasole?  I think it probably my favorite soup.  It tastes like a tamale and an enchilada all mixed up in a delicious soup......

My friend Susy first got me hooked with her authentic, yummy version.  Mine is a little more "white girl trying to cook Mexican food"....but it is still good.  It is a simple recipe to make, but you would never know it because it has SO MUCH flavor!  Seriously, people will think you spent hours making it....

My version is made in a crock pot, but you could just as easily cook it on your stovetop.

Missy's Pasole

2 cans beef broth

1 can italian style diced tomatoes (do not drain)

1 Large can Hominy, drained

1 small can diced green chilies

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder 

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for two-three hours. 

Serve with lemon wedges and tortilla chips for the best flavor!

Enjoy! 

 

Creamy Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup....

I have been meaning to try and create a yummy homemade tomato soup for quite some time now.  Its one of my daughters favorite soups and she has been begging....

I poured over tons of recipes and couldn't find one to suit my fancy..so I created this one hoping it would turn out good and it did! I am a garlic fan (or fanatic if you will), so I was naturally drawn to the most garlicky of recipes. Don't be afraid of the amount of garlic the recipe calls for, it really added to the taste and wasn't overwhelming at all.

Oh, and please forgive my picture. I meant to take a more "finished" one, but my soup got gobbled up so fast that I didn't have time :)

Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup

1 tsp butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bunch of garlic, roasted

2 15oz cans of chopped tomatoes, drained

1 cup whole milk

1 cup vegetable broth 

~Roast garlic, set aside

~Saute onion in butter until soft (about five min)

~Pour tomatoes, milk, and broth into saucepan and heat until just warm

~Remove all cloves of garlic from the bunch and add to the tomato mixture

~Add the onion

~Pour the tomato mixture into a blender and blend until smooth

~Pour mixture back into saucepan and heat just until it starts to simmer

~Serve with hot rolls

~Enjoy!

How to roast garlic:

~Cut the top off of an intact bunch of garlic, exposing just the tops of the cloves

~Place in foil and twist the top closed

~Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min

~(Do this when company is coming so your house smells wonderful and they think you are an incredible cook)

~Enjoy in your favorite recipes 

Vegitarian Chili

This is a thicker chili with no meat. I have often thought that chili would taste much better without all the meat...and now I know that its true ;-)

Ok, ok..I know most people prefer chili with meat, but this meatless one is quite good. I basically made up the recipe using my basic meat-filled version (omitting the meat of course) and then took a few things from a handful of recipes that I liked parts of. It is starting to get cold around these parts...and chili served with my sour cream cornbread (recipe to come) makes my house smell delicious and as a bonus it tastes wonderful!

 

VEGETARIAN CHILI:

 

2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes

1 pkg chili seasoning

1 can black beans drained and rinsed well

1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed well

4 medium carrots, chopped small

1 yellow,green, or red bell pepper, chopped small (I used 1/2 green and 1/2 red)

1 medium onion, chopped fine

3 or 4 cloves of garlic chopped fine

2 stalks (are they called stalks?) of green onions, chopped all the way to bottom. (The onion-y part)

1 tbsp of butter

Sour Cream

~Add tomatoes, chili packet, and beans to pot

~Turn heat on low and bring to a simmer

~In a separate pan, saute the carrots, bell pepper, onions, and garlic in the butter for about 5-8 min..or until the carrots are slightly soft.

~Add mixture to the first pot and simmer on low for one hour

~Garnish with sour cream and green onions

~Enjoy!