Homemade Hummus

Ever since I discovered how to make hummus at home, it's been a staple in our refrigerator. We've been making a lot of it lately, and I have to say, it hasn't gotten old. I don't follow a recipe, so it's slightly different each time I make it, but always good. I start with two cans of garbanzo beans, which I rinse and drain. 

To that I add a heaping scoop of tahini, salt, fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 a lemon) and paprika. Most people would also include garlic, but I'm not always in the mood for garlic-y hummus, so lately I've been leaving it out. I put all the ingredients in the Cuisinart and slowly add olive oil until the consistency is smooth and creamy. I then sprinkle paprika on top to make it look nice. And that's it. I dip vegetables in hummus, I use it as a spread on sandwiches, and of course pita chips are wonderful dipped in hummus. Because hummus is made of garbanzo beans, it's packed with fiber and protein, which tend to give it staying power.

What I was most delighted to discover this weekend was that my daughter enjoyed it too. On Sunday she asked me for hummus and sugar snap peas, and I just about fainted on the spot. She didn't love the sugar snap peas, but she certainly had fun with the hummus!

Cauliflower Soup

I love cauliflower. I like it roasted, steamed, pureed, and clearly, I like it as a soup. My husband--not so much, which is okay because whenever I make it, I get it all to myself. So when I discovered a recipe for cauliflower soup that seemed simple enough, I had to try it.

I've heard from a few people who tried the Tortilla Soup I posted about a few weeks ago (and loved it!), so I want to share a lnik to this Cauliflower Soup recipe from Smitten Kitchen that I discovered about a year ago. It is so easy and so good! I really don't think you can mess it up. This recipe taught me that restaurant-quality soup can be made at home without slaving over the stove all day. If you're in the mood for soup, try this. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Happy New Year

We rang in the new year with a wonderful home-cooked meal, including two new-to-us recipes, so of course we had to take photos and share them here.

We started with one of our tried and true favorites: pork cutlets with mustard cream sauce. While we've made it many times before, this time we used much thicker loin chops and, without being too boastful, we cooked them to perfection. I don't know if we can do that again, but we did it on new year's eve. They were tender and delicious. 

Next came a new recipe for us, courtesy of Ellie Krieger's new book, Comfort Food Fix. Scalloped Potatoes Au Gratin. The potatoes stole the show (until dessert). Tender, creamy and delicious. Garlic and thyme infused the dish and added a touch of elegance. We cut the potatoes in our Cuisinart using a blade we'd never used before, decreasing the prep time immensely. We think part of the reason the dish was so great--aside from the recipe--was that the potatoes were cut so evenly. 

Asparagus rounded out the meal, simply roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.

The pièce de résistance, that I'm still patting myself on the back for, was our key lime pie. I'd never tasted key lime pie until about a year ago, but it was love at first bite. The tanginess of the lime is so refreshing after a meal. Add to that the comfort of a creamy filling that's wrapped into a graham cracker crust, and you've got yourself a dessert worthy of recognition. Having never made a graham cracker crust before (it's so easy!), let alone an entire key lime pie, this was a gamble on new years, and it turned out amazingly well. I truly felt like an accomplished home cook after this meal, and the dessert was half the reason why. 

Homemade whipped cream.

Wishing you a happy, healthy new year!!

**The only recipe I can link to online is for the key lime pie. Here it is. Enjoy.**

Tortilla Soup

I love a good tortilla soup. But I'm picky about my tortilla soup. I like the kind that is thick and tangy with a bit of a bite to it. Unfortunately, not all tortilla soup fits that description. There are brothy tortilla soups (not the same), smoky tortilla soups (not for me), and all sorts of tortilla soups done not to my liking at all.

So when a friend of mine sent me this recipe from Martha Stewart, I decided to try it. Much to my delight, I love it and so does my husband. In fact, he made a pot of it this afternoon for lunch, and added a bit more lime juice than suggested, which resulted in the best batch we've made to date. The recipe calls for a cup of crushed tortilla chips, which basically disolve in the soup--especially if you leave it in the fridge overnight to let the flavors marry, like we do--which sounds gross but is actually wonderful. It makes the soup a bit thicker and heartier.

I will say that what makes this soup really sing are the garnishes. A hefty dollop of guacamole and sour cream plus some shredded cheese make this soup ever so delicious and comforting on a cold night. I can't emphasize enough how easy this is to make. Serve it with warm crusty bread and butter and you've got yourself a meal.

Thai Chicken Curry

The weather in Los Angeles today was magnificent. I was lucky enough to spend part of the day with my daughter and some friends at a park, and by the time I got home I felt like cooking something as fresh as the weather. 

What I landed on was an old favorite from the Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast series. I think the secret to this recipe is the fresh lime juice. It really brings the dish to life. I will say that it doesn't look nearly as good as it tastes, but if you're in the mood for something light, fresh and full of flavor, this will not disappoint.

I've also been eating a lot of lasagna and meatloaf lately (thank you make-ahead dishes that can go straight to the freezer!), so I was craving something different. Here it is.

Thai Chicken Curry

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast: Weeknight

2 limes

1 1/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Salt and pepper

3 Tbsp canola oil

3/4 of a bag of frozen green beans, cut

1 1/2 Tbsp thai red curry paste

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk**

2/3 cup chicken broth

1 Tbsp asian fish sauce

Brown rice

Grate 1 teaspoon zest from the limes, and squeeze 1/4 cup juice. Set aside. Cut the chicken into strips and season with salt an pepper. In a frying pan, warm the oil. Add the chicken and cook until golden. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add the green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the chicken.

Stir the curry paste into the pan over medium-high heat. Stir in the coconut milk, broth and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer and stir until well mixed. Stir in the reserved lime zest and juice.

Return the chicken and green beans to the pan and stir to combine. Simmer until the chicken is opaque throughout. Serve over your favorite rice.

**Be sure to shake the can of coconut milk very well before opening it.