lemon garlic hummus

I  bought tahini (Cooks Illustrated suggests Joyva or Krinos brands...the type of tahini can really make a difference!) a few weeks ago and I FINALLY tried making homemade hummus for the first time. It's so easy and so much less expensive than buying the store bought kind. Tahini (crushed sesame seeds) comes in a pretty big jar and you don't use much, so go ahead and "splurge" on tahini and you'll be able to make hummus for months!

Ingredients:
2 15 oz. cans no-salt-added garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
paprika to serve, optional
drizzle of olive oil to serve, optional

What to do:
Place beans and garlic in food processor and pulse 5 times. Add 1/2 cup water and remaining ingredients (except olive oil). While pulsing, slowly incorporate olive oil into mixture. Pulse until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Put into serving dish or bowl. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and sprinkle generously with paprika.

We enjoyed this for lunch on our porch with carrots, bell pepper, and cucumber....

What's your favorite type of hummus? Please share a great recipe if you have one!

kale is the new spinach

According to Mitch on Modern Family, "kale is the new spinach". That show cracks me up! It does seem like kale has taken its spot as the new "hip vegetable". Well, "hip" or not..it tastes great..and is super healthy. Kale chips. Kale salad. Steamed kale. Kale in soup. Yes, kale in soup. So I got a little over zealous with the whole turning off the heat thing and the making margs thing. I've had to scrape ice off my car a couple more times (hopefully we're finished with that!)...and our heat is back on. (my winter boots are staying in the closet though).  And I made soup again. I'm not complaning. I absolutely love soup.

This soup was so good. A new favorite of mine actually. We are substitutes in a CSA here...a local organic produce co-op... and I get giddy every time I hear that there's a sub spot open. I had lots of white potatoes, which I usually am not sure what to do with, kale, and more from the co-op so this soup was perfect.

Kale, Potato, and White Bean Soup

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, stems and rib removed and leaves chopped
6 cups water
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 can petite diced tomatoes with herbs
about 5 white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2.5 T Italian seasoning
2 T dried parsley
s & p to taste

What to do:
Get vegetables ready...washed, chopped, etc. Rinse and drain beans. Open canned tomatoes.
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Cook onion and garlic until soft, 3-5 minutes. Stir in kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in water, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, beans, Italian seasoning, and parsley. Simmer soup on medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Season with s & p to taste.

Enjoy!

p.s. I'm about to go get my sister from the airport!!
p.p.s. I think my cold is almost gone!
p.p.p.s. I get another box of goods from the co-op tomorrow. I'll post pictures. It really is so fun!

happy weekend everyone. :)

fresh breakfast

I ate a whole bag of popcorn yesterday.

There. I said it. (I may have done that a couple other times this week too...) I usually try to be careful about what I put in my body, but sometimes I crave pizza, popcorn, pasta, brownies, wine, etc...my bad.

Today I woke up and said, "Self, let's make some good food choices today..mm k?" Off to a good start with a good breakfast, a run, and a homemade smoothie for lunch...

This is one of those "not really a recipe recipes" so feel free to adapt to your liking! 
What I used:
one serving
3 scrambled egg whites (3 egg whites, a dash of milk, salt, and pepper...whisked and then scrambled)
about 1/2 cup chopped onion
2 mini sweet bell peppers, chopped
4 mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 grape tomatoes, halved (that was all i had left)
a huge handful of spinach...plus a little more

What do to:
Heat a little drizzle of olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Add onion and peppers and saute a few minutes. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach. Cook until tomatoes are heated through and spinach is wilted. Combine scrambled egg whites and vegetable mixture. Serve with a dollop of salsa.

Enjoy!

p.s. I think we're having pizza tonight ;)