Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Hummus

There are a few words that spawn thoughts of Birkenstocks, patchoule, and memories of an annual event in my hometown called the Forest Fair. One such word is "hummus." I love hummus.

It wasn't something we ate in my family. Ever. And, I'm pretty sure, though not positive, that my father is mistrustful of it. (Sorry Dad, if I'm wrong!) I know my husband looks at hummus as hippie-food and isn't entirely comfortable turning his back on it... as we all well know, that vegetarian stuff is dangerous. Ha!

I really love hummus. It's such a delicious dipper, a good source of protein, and is delicious plain or with add in flavors.

Given my family history with hummus, I've had to strike out on my own to learn how to make it. Once again, Google is a good friend. The best recipe I've found is actually here on e-how. I use it frequently -- and I haven't played around at all with other recipes, it's just that good.  I have, however, played with all of the different flavors to create different varieties.

Pasilla chile hummus. Chipotle in adobo hummus.

And the latest (and best!), sun-dried tomato and basil hummus.

It's fast, it's easy, and it can be a dip, a sandwich spread and so much more!

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Hummus
recipe modified from E-How


1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
juice of 1 lemon (3-4 tablespoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
4-6 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes
6 basil leaves

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you achieve the texture you want.

Place in a serving bowl and enjoy.

Serve.
Enjoy!

Lentil Chili (Vegetarian): Recipes on a Budget

I just love lentils! 

I've been craving them for the last week or so. So last week (before the great Facebook fandango), I posted on my wall asking for your favorite recipes. The lovely Rhonda Cunningham-Phillips responded with this fantastic lentil chili.


I planned to make it several times, but finally did it tonight! And wow! What an amazing dish.

As Rhonda says, "This is a great vegetarian chili to prepare than standard chili because lentils cook quickly." 


It's thick and tasty and... the piece de resistance -- vegetarian, yet it keeps the meat eaters happy! Not to mention, it's really fast!

Though we've only made/had once time, this chili is easily a favorite of mine. Quick, delicious and healthy! I'm in love.

Lentil Chili

modified from a recipe by Rhonda Cunningham-Phillips

INGREDIENTS:
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped
1 small Jalapeno or cayenne pepper, minced
1 TBSP. olive oil
3 cups brown lentils
6 cups water
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. thyme
3/4 cup tomato paste
1 small can V-8 or tomato juice
2 TBSP. red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 large Red Bell pepper, chopped (I omitted due to lack of availability)
2 stalks celery, chopped (I doubled due to the lack of bell pepper)
Salt & pepper to taste

You can also add some toppings: grated cheese, green onions, sour cream, cilantro or parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:
Saute' garlic, onion, and hot pepper in oil. Add lentils, water and spices. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes in a covered pot until the lentils are tender. Add tomato paste, juice, vinegar, sugar, red pepper, and celery. Add salt, pepper, and additional water if needed. Simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Serve with brown rice.

YUM! 

I'm proud to enter this into Miz Helen's Chili Cookoff!

Basil Dijon Egg Salad: Recipes on a Budget

I just love hard boiled eggs! LOVE them.

I'm always looking for great recipes using them. When you dice them up and add a few things, it makes them seem much more substantial.

Have you come across this product? Kraft Sandwich Shop Horseradish-Dijon Mayo. We first found it when we were buying sandwich materials to take picnicking. It's particularly fantastic when you have limited space, and great on sandwiches, as a dipping sauce, etc. It's companion piece -a Chipotle Mayo is great dipper for quesadillas. YUM

Back to my hard boiled eggs. I was looking for some tastyness while making a meal for one (1)... which means you can't add a whole lot of ingredients. This egg salad resulted, mostly because this may is PERFECT for a great egg salad. It resulted in part also because I  have a fabulous basil plant that stares at me all day and begs to be eaten.

It really does "Erin, Erin..." I hear the little voice.
Ok. Maybe not.
But I did need to eat some basil!

Egg salad is a great way to enjoy hard boiled eggs, get a good dose of protein with relatively low fat and low calories. I started making this recipe a lot when I first started using Advocare's products. It's a FANTASTIC recipe... and I hope you enjoy!

Basil Dijon Egg Salad

1 hard boiled egg, diced
1 tbsp Kraft Sandwich Shop Horseradish-Dijon Mayo
4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1/2 stalk celery, diced
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Voila. Lunch!
A great mixture of soft and crunch with some great flavor.


Note: Kraft didn't provide me with any product and this post is in no way sponsored by them. My opinions (and poor photography) are my own.

Hearth & Soul Hop

Friday Potluck #53

Happy... OCTOBER?

How is this possible? Tis the season to be sure. Temperatures are cooler here, with the first snow showers forecast this weekend. I've been wearing flip flops BECAUSE of the weather, and suffered chilly little piglets as a result. I just know that opportunities are limited... between now and the arrival of warmer temperatures. So I'm being brave.

I always used to know what month it was based on what was selling in the stores, but since Halloween candy made its annual debut the first week of September this year, I'm suspicious that the seasonal aisle may *not* be the best indication. Just hazarding a guess here.

This past weekend was food preservation fest 2011. I actually wrote 2012... I don't actually know when I am.

From left to right: Sugar Pumpkin, Mini Blue Hubbard, Banana Squash,
Purple Finger Potatoes, and some kind of Spaghetti Squash.

I loaded up on squash this weekend. Did you guess? I still have the sugar pumpkin, just waiting to be made into cookies and pumpkin cheesecake cups... and actually, everything except the banana squash.

The banana squash really is as big as it looks. 23 pounds.

My friend Olivia offered her hands for scale. What do you do with 23 pounds of squash? You halve it, then you halve it again... and again! Then you add a tablespoon of butter to each eighth with a little salt and pepper, and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until soft. After cooling, you remove the skin, dice into 1-2" cubes and store in freezer bags. Between this monster, the two spaghetti squash (not pictured) that I cooked and the pound of garlic that I minced with olive oil and preserved, I used up about 1/4 of my available freezer space. I might have to get more squash next weekend too... I can't help it!

Anyway, what are your food preservation plans this fall?

On to Friday Potluck.

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Just a few quick and easy rules for joining the party:

1. Link directly to your recipe (not your main blog).

2. Only one recipe per blog each week.

3. Be sure, in the linked blog post, to link back here to Friday Potluck @ EKat's Kitchen using the button above or text.

4. Have fun, do some visiting and enjoy!

If you want to get updates on my posts, and any promotions I'm running, please follow via Google Friend Connect (in the bar to the right).

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1. Light Tortilla Soup, R. Pepp. Quesadilla

2. Praline Cheesecake

3. Blue Cheese & Apple Salad

4. Sesame Pecan Chicken

5. Cornbread Recipe

6. Dill & Cheese Beer Bread

7. Quick and Easy Chicken Pot Pie

8. How to Make Italian Bread Crumbs

9. White Choco-cherry Cookies

10. Shrimp Almost Alfredo

11. Gluten Free Apple Crisp and Applesauce

12. Crock-Pot Stuffed Peppers

13. Cincinnati Sloppy Joes

14. Zombie Cupcakes Book

15. HEALTHY RICH CHOC/CAROB PUDDING (DFSFopt

16. homemade applesauce

17. Video: Pecan Crusted Apple Crisp

18. Sea Salt Soiree Chocolate Souffle

19. Chicken Thighs & Fennel

20. Tasty Desserts

21. Crab Puffs

22. Pesto Salad

23. Pineapple Upside Down Cornmeal Cake

24. CrockPot Cheesecake w/ Cookie Crust

25. Pumpkin Pancakes

26. Applesauce Cinnamon Quick Bread

27. GF Chocolate Butterscotch Cupcakes

28. Caramel Apple Croissants

29. Run DMT

30. brazil nut pesto cream & heirloom tomato

31. Apple Pie in a Jar

32. End Of Season Soup

33. Dhemz

34. Flavored Agar / Jelly

35. Apple Crisp

36. Spinach and Beans

37. Grilled Chicken Salad

38. Japanese Apple Salad

39. Chipolte Sloppy Joes (Veg)

40. Buttery Bread Machine Rolls

41. pumpkin mousse

42. Pimento Cheese Spread

43. Losing Creek Farm - Fried Baked Potato

44. Smooth Bean Soup

45. Apple Crumble

46. Hamburger Soup

47. Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

48. Granola Bars - Crazy Awesome

49. White Bean Dip - peachkins

50. Pecan Pie Muffins

51. HOMESICK TEXAN ~ Pork Tacos & Cookbook

52. Apple Cake in the Crock Pot GF

53. The Well-Fed College Student: Stone Soup

54. Creamy Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dip

55. Lemon Orzo Soup

56. Chicken Lo Mein with Peanut Sauce

57. Flatbread Pizza Margherita

58. Boiled Peanuts with Chinese Five Spice

59. Malkys Apple Kugel

60. Roasted Cauliflower and Tomatoes

61. Chocolate Cake Batter Cookies

62. Linguine with Parsley Sauce

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