Hummus

I think hummus is just scrumptious, but the thought of making it from scratch has always intimidated me. I think it's the unfamiliar flavor profile.

A few days ago, however, I put on a brave face and decided to give it a whirl? Why? Well, even though I love hummus, but am not particularly fond of the plain, boring, canned chickpeas I had in my pantry.

After doing some research, I concocted the following recipe. It was actually quite easy and was also very delicious. Win, win!

Ingedients:

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 can of chickpeas (reserve 1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid - more liquid will result in thinner, creamier hummus)

4 TBSP lemon juice (fresh is best, but from concentrate will do in a real pinch)

2 TBSP Tahini (sesame paste - not only can you find this at most gourmet food stores, but some grocery stores carry it, too)

3/4 - 1 tsp salt

1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 - 3/4 tsp cumin

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender (or do as I do and use a bowl + an immersion blender).
2. That's it! See I told you it was easy! Serve with pita squares or pita chips, crisp bread, zucchini or celery sticks, red pepper spears... you name it! If you want to make it more authentic, garnish with a little olive oil drizzled on top.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

This is a easy and yummy dip. I heart it.

2 8 oz cream cheese
1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers (drained, do not use the marinated kind its yucky)
1 clove of garlic
1/2 c. parmesan cheese (please don't use the powder stuff)
1/4 cup parsley (you can use dried, if so only like 3 T.)

Blend all together in food processor until smooth and creamy. Now dip veggies, bread, crackers or whatever! Enjoy!

Bleu Cheese Dressing... From Scratch!

I have my fantastic mother-in-law to thank for this easy and super yummy recipe. As an added plus, with only five ingredients and two simple steps, this dressing is the definition of "easy-peasy." This is great as a salad dressing or a tasty dip for veggies (or plain potato chips, if you want a less healthy dipping option ^_^).

You can vary the amount of Bleu cheese if you want more mild or more potent Bleu cheese flavor.

Ingredients:

16oz container of Light Sour Cream

approx. 3/4 cups crumbled Bleu cheese

approx. 3/8 tsp. garlic powder (or to taste)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Blend the light sour cream and 1/2 cup of the Bleu cheese in a blender.
2. Empty dressing into a bowl and add remaining 1/4 cup Bleu cheese crumbles, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, stirring with a spoon to combine.

Spinach Dip in a Bread Bowl

I used to make this for pot lucks at the office all of the time, before I started my daycare business. Everyone loved it and it is so easy to make. It is great for serving at parties, and it is sure to please every spinach lover out there. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix
16 ounces sour cream
3 green onions, chopped
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
2 loaves round peasant bread (you could make your own, if you are so inclined)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine soup mix, sour cream, and green onions. Strain excess water from spinach and add to dip mixture. Stir to combine.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
3. Slice a circle around top of bread, remove inside, and cut into bite sized pieces.
4. Fill bread bowl with spinach dip. Cut other bread loaf into cubes and serve with dip.

That's it! I hope you all love this dip as much as I do. =)