Hankering

Occasionally, I get a hankering for a specific kind of food and that's all I want to eat. Lunch and dinner can sometimes be the same exact thing if it's what I'm truly craving. I've had this type of obsessive love over this Greek-inspired Barley and Chickpea Salad with Tzatziki Dressing I've been making myself for lunch (and dinner) for the last two weeks.

Whenever I've tried to veer from this, I find myself feeling unsatisfied. Like something was just missing from my day. Obviously, this salad recipe isn't a revelation of ingredients (chickpeas, cucumbers, olives, oh my!), but the dressing....the dressing makes it. It's super simple and delicious.

Greek-Inspired Barley and Chickpea Salad with Tzatziki Dressing

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: salad chickpeas grain olives

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Ingredients (1 large lunchtime salad)

Tzatziki Dressing

• 3/4 c plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp lightly packed fresh parsley, torn into pieces
• 2 1/2 tbsp lightly packed fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Barley and Chickpea Salad

• 2 cups washed salad greens
• 1/4 c barley
• 1/3 c chickpeas
• 1/4 of a large cucumber, sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped kalamata olives
• 5 - 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients of the dressing to a small blender or food processor. Blend until combine (just a few seconds).

2. Toss all salad ingredients together, adding salt and pepper to taste.

3. Toss dressing with salad and enjoy!

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Fruit of the Month Club

Have you ever seen the Everybody Loves Raymond episode where he buys his parents Fruit of the Month Club? And, in typical Marie and Frank form, they act as though he has order stinkbugs to their house on a montly basis. "It's a club??!! Oh, my god! What do I do with all this fruit?"

In seems as though, at some point every summer, people turn into Marie and Frank Romano over their zucchini. I notice the prices on the zucchini get cheaper and cheaper as the summer gets on. Except no one is buying....because zucchini has taken over their gardens or their friends' gardens or their friends' friends' gardens and people can't seem to give it away fast enough. It can become so unweilding, that may parents decided to skip the whole zucchini craze in their garden this season.

Which I am sad about. Because I happen to love zucchini!

It also so happens that the only way people ever think of using zucchini is in a baked goods. Zucchini Bread. Zucchini Muffins.  Not so good for the diabetic.

Instead of producing muffin tray after muffin tray (which you know I'm totally down with too), I've started to use shredded zucchini as the main base for many of my salads. This has become my new favorite salad, complete with Pickled Red Onions (recipe to come)!

Shredded Zucchini & Kale Salad

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: raw salad avocado beans kale zucchini summer

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Ingredients (1 large lunchtime salad)

Shredded Zucchini and Kale Salad:

• 3/4 - 1 c shredded zucchini
• 1 cup shredded Tuscan Kale
• 2 medium-sized carrots, sliced
• 1 ear of corn, kernels removed from the cob (you can use leftovers!)
• 1/2 c garbanzo beans
• 1/4 - 1/2 cubed avocado (depending on your preferences)
• 1 - 2 spoonfuls of Pickled Red Onions (recipe to come), or raw red onions

Lemon Basil Dressing:

• 1/3 c rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• zest of half the lemon
• 1 large handful of basil
• 1 garlic clove
• water if needed for consistency

Instructions

1. Add all chopped veggies into a bowl.

2. Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a food processor or mini-blender, adding water if you prefer a thinner dressing.

3. Add dressing to salad, toss, and eat!

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Last of the Snow Days

We had this random snow day last week. It was barely any snow at all, yet the schools closed, alternate side street parking was suspended, everyone acted as though this was the Blizzard of the Century. By mid-day, the snow had melt off my car all by itself.

However, I took advantage of the weather and called into work. No one wants to come out in bad weather anyway. At least, that's how I justified it.

I also took advantage of the fact that this is probably my last opportunity to make a gigantic batch of warming chili before Spring is underway and the craving for fresh veggies and salads overtakes any desire for something hearty. Plus, this was a recipe I could whip up using what was already in my pantry, not having to venture into the "snowstorm."

Smoky Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Quinoa Chili

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: soup/stew avocado beans quinoa sweet potato

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Ingredients (A lot of chili)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, diced small
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp Smoky Chipotle and Paprika spice (you can just do one of each separately if you have it)
• 2 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into small cubes
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 c cooked quinoa
• 2 can black beans (15.5 oz), drained
• 4 cups water or broth, plus more to thin if desired
• 1 ripe avocado, diced

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and salt; saute for 5 minutes or until onions become translucent.

2. Add the sweet potatoes and spices. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently so spices do not burn.

3. Add the black beans, water or broth, and tomato. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium, add diced sweet potatoes. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

4. Add quinoa to chili and let cook for an additional 10 minutes.

5. Spoon chili into bowls and garnish with avocado. Enjoy!

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Consider This Your Warning

Below is a recipe that contains chocolate. It also contains beans. 

Yes, I know. You were all hoping I would get over this "beans in baked goods" thing, but I'm not yet. And these brownies were good! Damn good. So good, in fact, an entire tray was eaten in one night.

No Flour Black Bean Brownies

by Bonnie Graham

Cook Time: 15 - 18 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert vegetarian beans coconut oil

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Ingredients (9 brownies)

• 1 1/2 c canned black beans
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 c quick oats
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp sucanat
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c to 2/3 c chocolate chips
• optional: more chips, for presentation

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Combine all ingredients except chips in a good food processor, and blend until completely smooth.

3. Stir in the chips, then pour into a greased 8×8 pan.

4. Bake 15-18 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before trying to cut.

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Almight Chickpea, Part 3

Had I realized in my initial post about chickpeas, where I compared myself to that of a Native American using all the parts of the animal, that I was instructing Jerry to soak 2 1/2 POUNDS of chickpeas, I would not have been so liberal in my language use. TWO AND HALF POUNDS of chickpeas has got to be the equivalent of three water buffalo in Native American terms!

My apologies to any Native Americans I may be offending....that happen to be reading my blog. Please don't skin me. :) No, no, I'm just kidding. Geez, you have your land pilfered while genocide to your people occur and you lose your funny bone!

Anyway, back to my "water buffalo." With a pledge to use every chickpea and plenty of recipes to use them in, I set out to create yet another interesting dessert using the Almighty Chickpea. I'm lovin' this "put beans in your dessert" thing we've go going on here. It just feels healthier to me for some reason.

Never mind that I probably wouldn't have made a dessert if I hadn't made TWO AND HALF POUNDS of chickpeas, but whatever.

On that note, I give you the Snickerdoodle Blondie.

Snickerdoodle Blondie

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: bake food processor dessert breakfast low-carb beans cinnamon

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas
• 3 T nut butter
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• heaping 1/8 tsp salt
• 5 packets of Truvia (or 3/4 cup brown sugar)
• 1 T unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 2 and 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• a pinch cream of tartar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Blend all ingredients until very smooth, and scoop into a greased 4 greased ramekins

3. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Blondies will seem slightly undercooked when you take them out, because they’ll firm up as they cool.

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Almighty Chickpea, Part 2

For this next installment of way too many recipes including chickpeas, I take inspiration from my favorite falafel place, Mamoun's.

If you have never been to Mamoun's, get your ass on a plane, train, magic school bus, whatever, and get to one immediately.

Maybe it's because I'm a New Yorker. Maybe it's because Mamoun's reminds me of cutting school as an obnoxious adolescent, wandering in and out of the St. Mark's tattoo parlors and sex shops....umm, I mean bookstores. Hi Mom! Whatever it is Mamoun's. Is. Awesome.

As a teen, I never traveled any where without at least $10, maybe even $20 in my pocket! With a budget like that, a $2 falafel sandwich was probably all I could really afford.

Lucky for me, it just happens to be the best damn falafel sandwich I have ever eaten!

A Mamoun's has just opened up here in Jersey. Seeeeee! Some people do actually want to come to Jersey. Jerry and I were making it our weekly date place (big spenders) despite it not exactly being the healthiest (or most diabetic-friendly) meal.

I decided that with 14 tons of chickpeas in our fridge, I'd try to "health up" our falafel. Of course, this nothing in comparison to our beloved Mamoun's, but I try.

Baked Falafel Patties

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: food processor side snack entree vegetarian beans cilantro tahini Mediterranean

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Ingredients (7 -8 patties)

• 1 1/2 c garbanzo beans
• 1 small onion
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tspcoriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 - 3 tbsp whole wheat flour, depending on consistency
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Add garlic cloves to food processor and process into smaller pieces.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor. Run processor, but leave the mixure fairly lumpy.

4. Form into small balls, about 1 1/2″ in diameter and slightly flatten.

5. Place onto an oiled or parchment lined backing sheet.

6. Bake for 15 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned (since it’s baked, only the part actually touching the pan will be browned and crispy).

7. Serve with pita, hummus, tahini sauce, tomatoes, lettuce and hto sauce!

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Almighty Chickpea!

I've been on a bit of a bean-buying kick.

Maybe it's my new love of the pressure cooker. Maybe it's because I want to see how many Whole Foods bags can fit into one cupboard. Or maybe I'm really just a sadist because I keep feeding Jerry tons of beans week after week!

Whatever the reason, I am definitely on a bean kick! However, after a certain point, one runs out of creative things to do on a daily basis with beans. Shocking, I know.

Well, not this time, my friends! I came armed with a crapton (excuse the expression) recipes to use up the dried chickpeas that sitting in my pantry.

No chickpea will go unused! I am like a Native American using every part of the animal! And you're going to reap the benefits with numerous, delicious chickpea recipes. I know you're excited!The first recipe that I will grace you will is the intersection of my "I can make that" philsophy and my obsession with all things hummus! Have I shared this obsession with you? When it comes to hummus, I just can't help myself! If there's hummus anywhere in my vicinity, you can bet that there's a gob of it on something I'm eating (or on my finger, depending on the day).

You can only imagine my delight when I saw that Trader Joe's is making a Hummus Salad Dressing. Hummus on my salad? Yes, please! I was so excited I dropped that bottle in my cart and went on my merry with chickpeas dancing in my head. It wasn't until I got home that I realized I paid $2.99 for what is essentially thinned out hummus. What?!? I know!

Well, take that Trader Joe's! I'm makin' my own hummus salad dressing! Grrr...

Knock-off Hummus Salad Dressing

by Bonnie Graham

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Keywords: sauce vegetarian beans tahini smoked paprika

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup chickpeas
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 - 3 tbsp water (depending on desired consistency)
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a blender, puree until smooth.

2. Season to taste with additional salt/pepper if desired.

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To Carb or Not to Carb?

That is (most often) the question.

On my home from work the other night, as I sat in two hours of traffic because some jackhole in a tractor trailer decided to take on an overpass on the Bronx River Parkway, I thought about what I would make myself for dinner. I ran through the list of ingredients in our fridge, playing with the different, satisfying combinations that could be my meal. I remembered that we had flour tortillas.

Hmm...flour tortillas, flour tortillas....I can make a burrito! Yes, a veggie/bean burrito with sour cream and melted cheddar cheese. Sold, my friends!

Then, the question that almost always comes next...how well did I eat today and is it worth the carbs?

Sometimes, yes, it really is worth the carbs. That piece of cake? That cup of fro-yo? Definitely worth it.
That whole wheat and flax tortilla? Meh, not so much.

Having already decided on a Mexican-American style meal, I needed to re-group....focus...plan out my other options. Making dinner is serious business in these parts! That's when I decided on the Burrito Bowl Salad. Basically, I was taking everything that I would have stuffed into my burrito, tossed it into a bowl, and ate it with a fork instead of my grubby, little hands.

It worked out quite well. No additional insulin required. Yay me!

Burrito Bowl Salad

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: salad vegetarian beans tempeh tomato

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Ingredients (1 big-ass salad)

• 1 1/2 c black beans
• 1 c fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 c red scallions, sliced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1/2 c low fat cheddar cheese, shredded
• handful of mint (or cilantro or parsley), chopped
• 1/2 package of tempeh, sliced into 1/4' pieces
• 3 tbsp of taco seasoning, divided (preferred Trader Joe's)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 c sour cream

Instructions

1. Toss your sliced tempeh with a little bit of oil and 2 tbsp of taco seasoning, or enough to coat. Heat frying pan over medium heat and add tempeh slices.

2. Toss all ingredients, except for the remaining taco seasoning and sour cream, into a bowl.

3. Pan fry tempeh until a light golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together sour cream and remaining taco seasoning. Use this as your dressing.

5. Add cooled tempeh and enjoy your "burrito."

* Indicates that produce was grown locally throughout NY, NJ, and PA.

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Itchy and Scratchy

Did anyone else religiously watch Friends and memorize every episode that was ever aired? Do you remember the episode where Phoebe and Charlie Sheen, her love interest at the time, get the chicken pox together? And to stop them from scratching, the "friends" duct tape oven mitts to their hands?

Meeeee too! Total soul mates!

I had a Friends moment this week. Our lives are so similar!

Prior to our trip to Cape Cod, Jerry decided to roll around in poison ivy, just to make that 5 hour drive extra special! His itch only intensified as the days past until I was certain I was going to find him in the kitchen in full-on Saw position, debating which leg to cut off first. It eventually culminated in Jerry being in so much pain, he could barely stand and us making an emergency trip to the local Urgent Care Clinic, where we learned that Jerry had a serious infection. 

One of the most annoying/endearing things about Jerry is his ability to morph into a 5 year old at any given moment. Whether it be to show you his boogers or to ask for help because he isn't feeling well, his child-like nature sucks me every time!

I spent the majority of Thursday with my sick man/child, threatening to cut his hands off if he didn't stop scratching and preparing his favorite comfort foods. I made his requested meal of scrambled eggs and Heinz beans (because, apparently, he becomes Charles Dickens when he's sick) for lunch, but dinner was going to be something we could both enjoy, soup! Because who does't enjoy soup in the middle of a heat wave?!

I'm not usually one to make meat, but for my little/big guy, I made the exception.

Chicken Meatball Soup for the Poison Ivyed Soul

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: soup/stew tomato grain chicken

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Ingredients

Chicken Meatballs Ingredients

• 1 package lean ground chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 1/2 slices of bread, broken into smaller pieces
• 1/2 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp fennel seed
• 7 basil leaves, ciffonade
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper, to taste

Soup Ingredients

• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 -3 garlic cloves
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 cup cooked wheat berries (or preferred grain)
• 1 cup cannelli beans
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 handful parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Heat non-stick pot with olive oil over medium-high heat. With wet hands, roll chicken meatballs and drop into hot pot. Cook meatballs in batches. Be sure not to crowd the pan.

3. Flip meatballs to ensure even browning. Don't worry about the meatball being cooked all the way through as you'll be adding it to the soup later.

4. Once you have finished browning your meatballs, put them to one side. In the same pan, over medium heat, add onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and add in some of your spices. Let soften.

5. Add carrots. Season with another sprinkle of spices. Saute a few minutes.

6. Add tomatoes, grains, and beans. Sprinkle in the rest of your seasoning.

7. Allow soup mixture to come to a simmer, then add broth and parsley. Mix well.

8. Once broth has been added, add chicken meatballs back to the pot.

9. Allow pot to come to a low boil then reduce heat to maintain a simmer.

10. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or whenever your carrots are at a desired tenderness.

11. Remove oven mitts so eating can commence!

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Guessing Game

I'll give you three guesses as to what is the base of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough recipe.

Are you thinking?

Come on! Play my game!

Okay, fine, do you want me just to tell you? It's less fun that way, but I can.

It's chickpeas.

Hello? Are you still there? Have you clicked out of this post yet?

As someone with a sub par pancreas, I'm constantly looking for healthier, lower carb ways to satisfy my sweet tooth. A few months ago, there was a bit of a craze in the blogosphere (listen to me, blogosphere! I'm so cool!) over dessert hummus.

Now, I'm pretty much down for anything hummus, but I wasn't so convinced that dessert hummus was for me. As I saw more and more dessert hummus recipes crossing the blog posts of some of my most trusted bloggers, I decided to give it a try.

When I first made this recipe, I asked Jerry to taste test it without telling him what it was. Which is actually quite a challenge in a relationship where torturing each other is a bit of a sport. He immediately asked for a second spoonful and couldn't guess that chickpeas was the main ingredient. Success!

The rest is history, my friends. Literally. We polished off this dip in less then 24 hours. And you should too.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chickpeas or white beans
1/8 tsp salt
scant 1/8 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 c nut butter of preference (I used almond butter)
up to 1/4 cup milk of choice, only if needed
2 tbsp honey
3 packets Truvia
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Optional: 2 to 3 tbsp oats - makes for a thicker, more textured dip

Method
1. Add all ingredients, except for chocolate chips, to food processor and blend until very smooth. 
2. Mix in the chocolate chips.
3. Eat with a spoon straight from the food processor. 

***Update: I made this recipe again, using canned white beans and peanut butter. Results were ah-mazing! Even better then the first batch. I think the white beans are more mild in flavor and are more well masked by the other flavors. You should make this!!

Love is in the Air

Ah, love is in the air here in Jersey.

Besides all the kitty love we got going on....

Yes, that is our cats, arm and arm.

...there's another kind of love in this apartment. A sweet love that only grows stronger with each passing day. A love that, I am certain, will last a lifetime.

That would be the love of my new kitchen! It. Is. Awesome.

I always knew that Jerry had a superior kitchen to my large but limited kitchen back in Astoria. For starters, his has a dishwasher! A dishwasher! I've never actually owned a dishwasher before! Plus, there is a lot of nice counter space and a set-up for an easy work flow. I can wash something in the sink, chop it on my cutting board, and drop it in the frying pan all without moving more then two steps to the left or right.

Since moving in, it feels like I have been non-stop in the kitchen. Having a dishwasher is certainly encouragement to cook more! A combined pantry of two fat kids doesn't hurt either!

Inspired by the love of my new kitchen, I thought I'd share a few more things with you that I'm currently obsessing over. Don't worry, there's a recipe at the end of this post. 

From L to R: Parchment paper, PB2 Peanut Flour, Smoked Paprika,
Golden Roasted Flax Seeds, Pressure Cooker

1. Smoked paprika - Have you ever used this before? Because if you haven't, you need to go out and buy some this instant! Really. Go now. I can wait.
2. PB2 Peanut Flour - For someone like me, who eats spoonfuls of peanut butter straight from the jar, this product is awesome! It has 85% less fat then regular peanut butter but still adds great PB flavor to many dishes. I'm diggin' it.
3. Trader Joe's Golden Roasted Flax Seed -  So good. Just opening the package, you can immediately smell what makes them so good. I've been using these bad boys in everything from granola to salads. 
4. Parchment paper - I've been using parchment paper like crazy, mostly for all my baking.
5. Pressure Cooker - It's taken me a while to start using my pressure cooker, but now, I'm addicted. In household where we literally have 25 pounds of grain dominating our cabinet space, it's definitely coming in handy. 

My last obsession is of the food blog variety. Oh She Glows is a healthy vegan blog with really awesome recipes. Even though I'm not vegan, I like to pretend I am. Despite my affinity for diary and the occasional plate of BBQ, I eat a mostly plant- and grain-based diet in my day-to-day life. Angela's blog actually makes me consider turning full vegan. She makes it look that good and easy. 

So easy, in fact, I made an adapted version of her "Perfect Veggie Burger," non-vegan style.

Nutty Veggie Burger

Makes 7 to 8 burgers

Ingredients

½ c onion, diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 eggs

1 c oats, processed into flour

1 ½ bread crumbs (I processed 3 pieces of TJ’s sprouted grain bread until fine crumb)

1 c grated carrots

1 c cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed and roughly pureed

½ c sunflower seeds

½ c golden flax seeds

1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 ½ tbsp soy sauce

1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp. oregano

salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350.  

2. Process each ingredient separately in a food processor, adding each ingredient into a large mixing bowl as you go, stopping at the sunflower seeds. Those don’t go through the food processor.

3. Mix all of the ingredients until thoroughly combined.

4. With slightly wet hands, shape dough into patties. Pack dough tightly as this will help it stick together. 5. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake for 25-30 mins (15-17 minutes on each side) until golden and crisp.

For alternate cooking methods, you can pan-fry or place on the grill. For grilling, pre-bake the burgers for about 15 minutes in oven before placing on a pre-heated grill until golden and crisp on each side. These would be great to feed a vegetarian for a Memorial Day BBQ.

Party Foul

Here I am, yammering away about steel cut oats and knee injuries, completely forgetting about promised party recipes from my Goodbye Astoria Farewell Party. Silly me. 

One of the recipes that received the biggest compliment at our recent party were my two hummus(es?). People were surprised that they were actually homemade, because let's be honest....most homemade hummus suck balls. It's true. They do. Usually, homemade hummus doesn't have the right flavor or consistency compared to the ones you buy in the store.

Truth be told, I am addicted to hummus! Addicted! I can finish off an entire container...by myself...in one sitting. No lie. If it was possible to do lines of this stuff, I would. That's how much I need it!

Jerry had recently uncovered the "secret" to good homemade hummus, which is a shit ton of tahini sauce. I put "secret" in quotes, mostly because I already knew this to be true. I've just been too chicken to add the amount of tahini necessary to obtain true hummus flavor. One reason for my fear is because tahini can be a little pricey. The second reason is because I'm always trying to watch the fat and calories that goes into my food. Tahini tends to be higher on the fat and calorie side of things.

Luckily, I had Jerry there to push me past my hesitation. And by "push me past," I really mean completely take over all hummus making! However, with our combined efforts, we made some pretty kick-ass hummus.

On the left is original hummus.
On the right is chipotle pepper hummus. 

Original Hummus

Ingredients
1 - 2 garlic cloves
1 can chickpeas, reserve 3 tbsp of liquid from the can
1/2 c to 3/4 c tahini, to taste (this is sort of a taste judgement call)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
The zest of one lemon
1/4 tsp paprika and chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
water, if needed to reach desired consistency

For Chipotle Pepper Hummus, add 1 - 2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, to taste.

Method
1. Add garlic cloves to a food processor. Process until garlic is cut up into small pieces.
2. Add all of your ingredients, except olive oil, to food processor. Begin to process, slowly streaming in the olive oil as you go.
3. Stop processor to scrape down sides occasionally to ensure all bits and pieces get incorporated.
4. Once desired consistency is obtain, top hummus with extra olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.

Cooking for a Crowd

Maybe it's the Italian in me, but whenever a large group of people get together, I feel a need...nay, a duty to bring food with me! I have to feed people! It's a compulsion, really! Whether its cupcakes or another diabetic-friendly dish (because, you know, cupcakes are so diabetic-friendly), you can be sure I'll have a plate covered in saran wrap in my hands.

This duty intensifies if I've had a hand in organizing said large grouping. This past weekend was no exception.

Friends and I are headed upstate to attend the annual New York TAP Festival. TAP Fest is a two-day beer festival on Hunter Mountain, where you get plenty of samples from local breweries and usually some deep-fried grossness. And corn dogs. I can't forget the corn dogs! People have almost lost limbs trying to get those corn dogs! Or at least wasted 30 minutes stalking the wait staff as they left the kitchen with them. Ahem, Jerry.

This was our second year renting a house for 20 people! Yes, 20 people! Since the planning for TAP Fest started in February, I have been devising what recipes I wanted to make this year! When cooking for a group of 20, your recipes need to be two things: good and cheap!

I wanted something that would feed a crowd, excite me more then just regular hamburgers and hot dogs (two things that are not part of my usual food repertoire), and help me clean out my pantry in preparation for my upcoming move. I decided to make a Vegetarian Three Bean Chipotle Chili. Recipe to follow.

And you can't have chili without cornbread! Look for this recipe in an upcoming post.

I decided I needed to contribute to breakfast as well. I made steel cut oats in the slower cooker. Yes, I am a dork and brought my slow cooker with me.

This isn't the actual oatmeal that was served, but you get the idea!

Lastly, it wouldn't be full weekend of fun without cupcakes! There's nothing particularly special about these Red Velvet cupcakes. Except for the obvious! That they're cupcakes!!! Which is pretty damn special. Oh, and I replaced the water called for in the recipe with buttermilk. It gives them a slightly more authentic feel.

Here's a shout out to my friend, Lilia, who made some kickass 'shrooms and onions to top our burgers with. Maybe she'll be so kind as to do a guest post and tell you how they were made.

Three Bean Chipotle Chili - vegetarian
Obviously, this recipe makes a crapload of chili; feel free to adjust to your needs. It also went really well as a hotdog topping. Which we would defeat the whole vegetarian thing, but just sayin'.

Ingredients
1 large red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large green peppers, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup TVP
3 tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tbsp oregano
4 - 5+ chipotle peppers in adobe, chopped
2 tbsp adobe sauce from peppers
2 tbsp liquid smoke
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans black beans
1 can black-eyed peas
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste

2 - 3 cups vegetable broth, depending on how thick your mix is
salt and pepper, to taste

Method
1. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
2. Add the peppers, carrots, and onions. Saute for about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper.
3. Add TVP, cumin, and oregano. Saute a few minutes longer.
4. Add beans, tomatoes, chipotles, adobe sauce, and liquid smoke.
5. Add can of tomato paste and pour veggie broth over it to help break it up. Mix into the chili well.
6. Let chili simmer on stove top for about an hour to an hour half, stirring often to prevent the bottom of the chili from scorching.

Alternately, you could also complete through step 3 and then add everything to a slow cooker. Set on the low setting for about 3 - 4 hours.