Homemade Black Bean Hummus

Okay. This has got to be one of the easiest little appetizers that is so yummy and affordable! Mine is a slightly altered version of a recipe found in Cooking Light magazine.

Black Bean Hummus:

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 jalapeño (seeded and chopped roughly)

1 clove of garlic

juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. tahini

1 tbsp. cumin

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt & pepper to taste

Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor. Top your hummus with a sprinkle of red pepper and olive oil. For a little more flavor top with diced tomatoes and onions. I serve it with toasted pita chips sprinkled with cumin, red pepper and sea salt. You can also serve it with celery & carrot sticks, endive leaves, and cucumber slices.

Not Your Average Meatball

This past weekend was spent relaxing, hiking, eating, painting and soaking up the sunshine here in Nashville. On Saturday my mother suggested that we make turkey burgers for lunch. We then decided to make turkey meatballs with a dijon honey dipping sauce. We had enough left over for a healthy version of a favorite comfort food... spaghetti and meatballs for Sunday night. They were so good and an a great way to stretch a buck! We definitely have enough left over for dinner one night this week. Here's what we did...

Turkey & Mushroom Meatballs:

1 pkg. low fat ground turkey meat

1 pkg. white button mushrooms (diced small)

1 yellow onion (grated)

1/2 cup panko Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

2 tbsp. ketchup

1 egg

handful of chopped fresh parsley

handful of parmesan cheese

a few grinds each of salt & black pepper

a sprinkle of red pepper flakes

a pinch of herbs de provence

Combine all ingredients well. I started by using a spatula and then use my hand to make sure everything is incorporated. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and start rolling out your little balls. I like to make them fairly small so they are bite sized... smaller than a golfball. I guess about the size of a quarter. Bake them at 375º for 30 minutes or until golden brown. 

We made a dijon honey sauce for dipping or just drop them into your favorite marinara sauce and ENJOY!!

The Caipirinha (KAI-PUR-EEN-YA)

Recently some friends and I took a trip to a cabin for a weekend. We decided to relax, and make fun food & drinks to spoil ourselves for a couple of days. My friend Anna often raves about a special drink that the bartender at her favorite spot makes just for her. She asked for the recipe and shared the drink with us on our little trip. It was deliciously light and refreshing. Almost like a margarita, but it's brighter. It's made from a Brazilian liquor called cachaça. It was my first encounter with this stuff, but we thoroughly enjoyed our tasty beverages. Thanks Anna!

The Caipirinha:

2.5 oz. cachaça

1 oz. simple syrup

1 oz. fresh lime juice

limes wedge for garnish

Combine in a mixer with ice. Give it a good shake and serve over ice with a lime wedge.

Eat Your Shrimp & Veggies!

I made this dish the other night and it was such a happy accident. I sauteed cleaned and de-veined shrimp in a little olive oil with salt and pepper. Then added diced zucchini chunks, quartered mushrooms, and a diced Roma tomato. A little more salt & pepper and the juice of half a lemon. It was fantastic!

An Easy App

A beautiful veggie platter is easy to do, very affordable, and can be quite impressive. Arrange sliced carrots, celery, quartered mushrooms, zucchini slices, or any other combination of fresh slices veggies. I love to blanch whole green beans in boiling water for about 5 minutes and then transfer them to ice water, then blot them dry with a paper towel. I also like to use this method for broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, and new potato slices. For a special addition, wrap some of the veggies with sliced prosciutto.

Serve with your favorite dip. I make an easy curry dip by combining low-fat sour cream, curry powder, and dijon mustard.

Fancy Little Cake

I was making some cupcakes for my friend Anna's birthday last week and I had a little extra batter. I decided to play and see what I could do. I used 2 loaf pans and put a thin layer of batter in each pan on top of a piece of parchment paper, so it wouldn't stick. After they were cooked I cut 4 little square out of the cake, by cutting each loaf in half and stacking both half then trimming the edges. I made the top 2 squares a little smaller than the bottom 2. Then I iced it all up and added a few little decorative touches. Voila! I think I'll make these from now on for my friends. It makes for a much more impressive presentation.

Charred Artichoke with Curried Remoulade Sauce

My absolute favorite vegetable is the artichoke. I am always coming up with new recipes around this heavenly veggie. This one is pretty straight forward. I tried to copy an appetizer from Bricktops, a local restaurant here in Nashville, and I think it turned out pretty durn well if I do say so myself.

Artichoke:

Trim the artichoke by cutting off just the end of the stem, leaving as much of it as possible. Also trimming with scissors the tips of the prickly leaves. You can slice off the very end of the top, to get all of those tips that are snugged in tightly together. In a pot on the stove combine 4 cups of water, half a lemon quartered, 2 tbsp. olive oil and a pinch or two of salt. Bring this to a boil. Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise and then cut each half in half lengthwise again. Next, scoop out the little bristles inside and the smaller inedible leaves and discard those. Then add the 4 quarters to the boiling water and cover. Reduce the heat to medium and leave them alone for about 30 - 40 minutes. When the hearts are fork tender, remove them from the water and place on a baking sheet, inside up. Turn your oven on high broil. Brush them with a little more olive oil, and place them in the oven. Watch this very closely. It will happen fast. As soon as the edges start to brown, pull them out and they are ready to eat.

Remoulade:

Combine 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 4 tbsp. mayo, 2 tbsp. dijon mustard, a pinch of herbs de provance, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and a little salt to taste.