Chickpea burgers and Tahini Dressing

This recipe came from a health website, I made some critical changes to give the "burgers" some flavor. This is a great healthy vegetarian dish, it will remind you of a light falafel and is really delicious! Serve with onions, lettuce, sprouts, banana peppers, hot sauce, tomatoes, corn, whatever you like in your pita.

CHICKPEA BURGERS & TAHINI SAUCE
1 19-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed (1 and 1/3 of a can - Make hummus out of the leftovers and serve with the pittas)
4 scallions, trimmed and sliced
1 egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
3 cloves garlic
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 6-1/2-inch whole-wheat pitas, halved and warmed, if desired
TAHINI SAUCE
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini, (see Ingredient note)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt

To prepare burgers: Place chickpeas, scallions, egg, flour, cayenne, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides, until a coarse mixture forms that holds together when pressed. (The mixture will be moist.) Form into 4 patties.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook until golden and beginning to crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes more.

To prepare sauce & serve: Meanwhile, combine yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Divide the patties among the pitas and serve with the sauce.

Velbekomme!

• 
  

My Sister's Hummus

One of my favorite people in the world, my sister, recently posted her recipe for hummus on her blog. We made it during our sleepover this week and it was so. good. So good.

I've been snacking on it with snap peas and naan as much as my little, dieting heart desires. :)

Here ya go!

our sun dried tomato hummus.

Hummus Recipe:

1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans -- drained

freshly squeezed juice from 1 lemon (approx. 1/3c of lemon juice...or to taste)

1/3 c of tahini

1/3c olive oil (may need more if it's too dry/thick after blending)

3-4 crushed cloves of garlic -- or more, shortly warmed on the stove (w/ olive oil) for extra potency this is the beginning point.

using a food processor, blend all ingredients & then, if lemon & garlic don't do it for you,

get creative with the flavors!

i always add:1tsp cayenne pepper -- give or take a little...usually give :)

lots of pepper

a little mrs. dash

some oregano

1/2 can sun dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers (which adds a little moisture = less olive oil)sometimes a little more lemon juice

& maybe a little sugar (like...a TINY bit)

blend together to desired consistency --i like it a little gritty, but some do not.i usually let it cool in the refrigerator & eat it on warm naan, on triscuits, with baby carrots, or spread onto a veggie sandwich!

Mmmm...

ChickpeasAreSuperNastyUnlessYouBlendThemUp,

Mrs. B.

Classic Tomato Spaghetti

Here is a Classic Tomato Spaghetti Recipe from Jamie Oliver (taken from the GOOP website). I've made this 3 times and it has taken me all 3 to make it edible. No joke. This recipe needed HELP.

Here we go...

Serves 4-6

3-4 cloves of garlic - I love garlic!

2-3 fresh red chile (sweet red peppers) depending on the size

A small bunch of fresh basil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound dried spaghetti

Olive oil

2 x 14-ounce cans of diced tomatoes

Parmesan cheese

1) Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely slice your chile (halve and seed it first if you don’t want the sauce too hot). Pick the basil leaves off the stalks and put to one side. Finely chop the stalks.

2) Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions.

3) Meanwhile, put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 2 good lugs of olive oil. Add the garlic, chile, and basil stalks and give them a stir. When the garlic begins to brown slightly, add most of the basil leaves and the canned tomatoes. Turn the heat up high and stir for a minute. Season with salt and pepper. Drain the spaghetti in a colander then transfer it to the pan of sauce and stir well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Top with parmesan.

It's quite tasty, I promise. And easy!

Bon Appétit

Katie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This is an old classic of mine.. As soon as I see those Rhubarb at the market, I want to make this pie. It is actually my own recipe that I have perfected over the year and I am now at the stage that I feel comfortable sharing it.

You need:

Crust:

Two egg yolks (dont throw away the whites)

2 cups flour

10 tbsp Butter (softened)

0.65 cup sugar (sorry, this is just the perfect amount)

1 tsp Baking powder

1 tbsp milk

Filling:

4 stalks of Rhubarb

half a standard size pack of strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

Mix all the crust ingredients except milk by hand, you will have to press into the dough to get it all mixed. When you feel like it is mixed good, add the milk little by little to create a coherent and just sticky dough. Roll into a ball and refrigerate for 1 hour.

While you are waiting for the dough, cut the rhubarb into 1 inch pieces and quarter the strawberries. Stick the rhubarb and a couple of strawberries in a pot with the sugar and start to simmer, if you need a little help getting the "jam" going add a tsp of water. Stir, add strawberries little by little you are looking for a consistency that is thick the strawberries will start to turn to mush. If you like it chunky grab some of the strawberries and rhubarb pieces out of the mix while you leave the rest to simmer. Leave to cool.

Pre-heat oven to 400. Roll out dough save 1/3 for the top and place in pie dish, whip the egg whites until you get peaks and spread over the dough. Place in the oven for 7 minutes. When you get it out the egg whites will be light brownish in places. Add the filling and your latticed top.

Bake for further 20 minutes. Leave to cool slightly and serve with Vanilla ice cream, sour cream or whipped cream.

Velbekomme..

Basic French Toast

I know what you're thinking.....why is she putting up a French Toast recipe when everyone in America knows how to make French Toast. Can I be honest here? Before this morning, I did not know how to make good french toast. Any idiot can brown bread in egg batter (even me!), but I learned today, the flavor of the batter is key! It has been like 20 years, and yes I'm old enough to where that number could be accurate, since I have made traditional french toast. I do make a great flaky toast, which I'll post the recipe for on here eventually because it's a must-share! When I was a kid, I really had no idea what I was doing, and apparently neither did anyone in my family, because nobody told me the good way to make the batter.

We're breakfast people around here. I should say, my husband and I are breakfast people. Only at home though, we don't go out for breakfast since discovering it's so much better made in our own kitchen, rather then spending $30 on overdone eggs and bacon that is so crispy it crumbles at first bite. My kids don't eat much for breakfast. They stick to yogurt and the occasional scrambled egg. But they won't go near pancakes, french toast, or waffles. Whose kids are these? Their loss! So, my super sweet husband tells me the other day how much he loves french toast. And me being the person I am, I nearly got in the car right then to go get the stuff to make it for him for breakfast. I'm a husband pleaser, sue me. So, the next day, I got the proper bread at the market, specifically, French Toast Bread that is thick, soft, and truly divine if I might add. My regular grocery store doesn't sell thick bread of any sort (?), which explains why I've never made it before in the 7 years I've been with my husband. I had to go to another store nearby for thick bread, but it was worth it. This morning, I got out the bread and on the back of the bag? A recipe for, yes you guessed it, Basic French Toast. Made it according to the recipe, and it was absolutely heavenly. In love!

Here we go:

Basic French Toast for Dummies (yes I added in that last part):

This recipe makes 2 slices of thick toast, so double/triple/quadruple accordingly

1 egg

2 Tablespoons milk

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Butter

In a shallow bowl, combine the egg, milk and vanilla. Coat the bread. In a large skillet, melt the butter, brown the bread to golden brown. Serve topped with syrup, powdered sugar and fruit if desired.

Photographic evidence of this deliciousness:

I'll be making this again tomorrow. :)

Bon Appétit

Katie

Mozzarella & Tomato Salad Wrap

Mozzarella & Tomato Salad Wrap

Ingredients:

• Flat Out
• Romaine Lettuce
• Tomato
• Mozzarella
• Balsamic Vinegar

*You can buy them at Costco in a 3 pack.

Fill the Flat Out with Romaine Lettuce, chopped tomato, and cut up Mozzarella. Drizzle Balsamic Vinegar over the top and simply make it into a wrap! They are great for lunches!

Enjoy!!!

~Amy

Product Review

A month or so ago, I ordered this herb chopper from William's Sonoma:



Maybe it's just me, but I have a really hard time chopping herbs even with my nice, just sharpened, Wusthof kitchen knife. The thing cuts everything else with ease, but I struggle with herbs. So, I bought this herb chopper. It's fantastic. It's super easy to use, is dishwasher safe, and chops/minces fresh basil and thyme with total ease. I'm so glad I bought it. It's a kitchen must-have, unless you've somehow mastered the art of herb chopping with a regular kitchen knife. Found at William's Sonoma, $19.95.


Bon Appétit

Katie