The Joys of Hummus!

Hummus with olive oil and pine nuts

Hummus!

So, what IS hummus and where did it come from?
The word "hummus" comes from the Arabic language and is defined as a "dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chick peas (garbanzo beans) blended with tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon juice, olive oil, salt and garlic".  It is popular in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world.

**Hummus can be served as a dip with pita bread, crackers, chips, fresh vegetables or even as a spread on sandwiches or wraps!**

Hummus Variations
Chef's have done amazing things with this very basic hummus recipe! From using different beans as the base to switching up the oils and citrus and playing with adding different herbs and spices to give it a whole different flavor profile.  This is definitely a basic recipe that you can get creative with.   

Basic Hummus Recipe
Ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 - 15oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• water (if needed for smoothness)

Directions:

1. Add the garlic cloves, chick peas, salt, tahini and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor (preferred) or blender.
2. Process until a paste forms. Then, with the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
3. Add water by the teaspoon until the mixture is smooth. Don't add too much or your mixture will be too thin.

*Your hummus should be thick and smooth when done. Refrigerate until ready to serve. When serving spread the hummus on a plate or in a bowl, drizzle more extra virgin olive oil on top, dust with paprika and sprinkle with fresh chopped flat leaf parsley, if desired!

And now, some variations...

For the variations, use the basic recipe above, but "swap out" ingredients or add ingredients as described below...NOTE: always drain and add your beans!

Edamame Hummus
Use cooked edamame (soy beans) in place of the chick peas.  

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Use the basic recipe above but add 3/4 cup roasted red peppers to the ingredients. You can roast your own or use the jarred version - just remember to rinse and dry the jarred ones before adding them to your food processor.

Avocado Hummus
Use the basic recipe above but add 1 ripe avocado that has been cut into cubes and use LIME juice (2 limes) instead of lemon juice. You may also wish to add some fresh chopped tomato - if you add the tomato, you probably won't need to add water to the mix.


Pesto Hummus

Use the basic recipe above but omit the tahini and add 1 cup (packed) fresh organic basil leaves, 1/4 cup pine nuts and 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese.


Greek Style Hummus
Use the basic recipe above, but add 2/3 cup kalamata olives (OMIT the salt from the basic recipe, you can always add some in later if needed), 1 tsp fresh organic oregano, small handful of fresh organic flat leaf parsley, 1/2 cup Feta cheese and 1/4 cup Greek Style yogurt.


Italian Style Hummus
Swap out Cannelini beans for the Chick peas. (white kidney beans) Also, omit the tahini and add 2 ripe Roma tomatoes that have been chopped, 1/2 cup EACH packed fresh organic basil AND flat leaf parsley, 1 tsp fresh organic oregano (or 1/4 tsp dried), 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese.


Black Bean Mexican Style Hummus

Swap out Black beans for the Chick peas. Swap out lime juice (2 limes) for the lemon juice.  Omit the tahini. Add 2 ripe Roma tomatoes that have been chopped, 1/2 cup fresh organic cilantro, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 cup chopped red onion or scallions and 2 tsp hot sauce (optional).

Now it's time to get creative!

Come up with some of your own variations

and share your ideas in the comment section below

or on our Facebook Fan Page...

Apple Picking Time

I have fond memories of apple picking as a child. Combing the orchards with my parents and filling our bushel with the bounty of apples that the trees produced.  We spent hours collecting apples and then enjoying some of the apple farm's goodies...fresh pressed apple cider and cider donuts! I could have eaten a dozen of those donuts by myself...then we headed home with our treasure ready to make homemade applesauce, apple pies and canned cinnamon apples.  I can't even begin to describe the smells that filled the house as we participated in the yearly family ritual!

Apples!

 When fall arrives the fruit aplenty are apples...so many different varieties are available to us today and there are so many wonderful recipes that we can make with these versatile fruits.

Although there are more than 7,500 varieties of apples worldwide, the following are the top nine varieties grown in Washington State. The Red Delicious apple is the most famous and accounts for 30% of the apples grown in the state - it is also the most exported apple to other countries of the world.

Red Delicious                    Golden Delicious                    Gala

    Fuji                                  Granny Smith                        Braeburn

Honeycrisp                        Cripps Pink                           Cameo

Some of my favorite apple recipes...

Apple Butter

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• Zest and juice of 2 large lemons
• light brown sugar -see directions for how much to add

Directions:

1. In a large, deep pot place the apples, water and cider. Cook over medium-low heat until apples are very soft and falling apart.
2. Using a potato masher, smash apples until they are smooth. (If you own a food mill or potato ricer, they would work even better)
3. Add the spices and the lemon zest and juice. 
4. Add 1 cup of brown sugar - taste and add more in 1/2 cup increments until the mixture is as sweet as you'd like it to be.
5. Continue to cook the mixture over LOW heat 3-4 hours until it is thick and dark brown.
6. Cool and place into containers to refrigerate.  (See Note below)

NOTE:  The apple butter will keep in a covered container for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.  If you're not going to use it all in that time, pour it into HOT sterilized jars and seal tightly - these will keep at room temperature for an extended period of time. As long as the seal "pops" when opened, the apple butter is ok to eat.

Apple Pie Lavash Pizza

If you're watching your waistline but still love your apple pie, try this delicious yet health conscious dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet of whole wheat lavash bread
• agave nectar
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place lavash bread on a baking sheet.
3. Using a pastry brush, or your fingers, brush agave all over the surface of the lavash. 
4. In a mixing bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons of the agave, the cinnamon and ginger.
5. Add the apple slices to the bowl and toss to coat all of the slices with the agave spice mixture.
6. Layer the apple slices on the lavash bread, slightly overlapping them - cover as much of the lavash as possible. Exposed edges tend to burn.
7. If using, sprinkle the nuts over the apples.
8. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until the apples are soft and turning slightly golden brown.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Cut into squares and serve warm. 

This is really delicious served with a little scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt on the side.  You can also roll the apple pizza up and cut it into pieces like an apple strudel!

Please feel free to share your family apple recipes or ideas in the comments section or on our Facebook page!

Crostini and Bruchetta

Crostini and Bruchetta

Truly, two of my very favorite appetizers! Why?

Because you can get SO creative with them and they're always

simple, rustic and delicious!

Here is a little "primer"...

Crostini is Italian meaning "little toasts". They are typically thin slices of bread that are drizzled with olive oil, toasted and served warm usually with some sort of a savory topping. The topping may be added prior to OR after the toasting. These crispy and small toasts are sometimes fried or grilled and used as a garnish for salads (croutons) or soups. I like to use a long, thin baguette, sliced thinly on the diagonal for crostini.

Bruschetta is from the Italian word "bruscare" meaning "to roast over coals". These are also slices of bread, but often on the thicker side, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and "toasted" - then the bread slices are rubbed with the cut side of a raw garlic clove to impart the garlic flavor into the bread. It is then served warm with Bruschetta "topping" such as the popular tomato and basil salad that you might be familiar with. I like using thick slices of ciabatta bread for bruschetta. 

A Tale of Two Crostini...

Here are two of my favorite crostini recipes...they both use the same "base" but have different additives that make them unique. Both are simple and delicious and should be served immediately after being taken out of the oven - make sure to make a lot of them for a party..they always go fast!

Base Ingredients:

1 cup organic mayonnaise

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh scallions

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

**You'll need one whole baguette for this base recipe 

Artichoke Crostini

For Artichoke Crostini...add 1 - 15 oz. can of artichoke hearts in water (NOT the marinated ones) - DRAIN all of the water out, place the artichokes on a paper towel and squeeze the remaining water out - repeat this step until they are dry - chop coarsely and add to the base mixture.

Shrimp Crostini

For Shrimp Crostini...add 1 & 1/2 cups of cooked salad shrimp (very small ones - often called "shrimpmeat"). Rinse the shrimp and dry them in a paper towel, then stir into the base mixture.

**If you're making BOTH of the variations above, you'll want to make the base two different times in two different containers. You can also just use the base alone as a topping!

Directions:

1. Move your oven rack to 6 inches below the broiler and preheat your oven on the BROIL setting.
2. Slice your baguette into thin slices on the diagonal (about 1/8-1/4 inch thick). Place them on a baking sheet.
3. Top each slice generously with the crostini topping that you have prepared. (Once recipe of the topping should cover the whole baguette) 
4. Place your baking sheet into the preheated broiler - broil 4-8 minutes - keep an eye on them the whole time, they can burn quickly - remove them from the oven once they begin to slightly brown on top.
5. Serve immediately.

Quick and Easy Tomato Basil Bruchetta...

This simple and delicious "Italian Salsa", as I like to call it, can also be used for a topping over grilled fish or meats, as a potato "stuffer" or even slightly blended and heated and eaten as a soup! I love versatile recipes!

Ingredients:

Tomato and Basil Bruchetta

• 1 loaf ciabatta bread
• several fresh garlic cloves cut in half (for rubbing the bread)
• extra virgin olive oil (for the bread)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (for the bread)
• 8 ripe Roma tomatoes, most seeds removed, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 6-8 large fresh organic basil leaves, chopped
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 4-6 grinds black peppercorns
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the ciabatta bread on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices.
3. Using a pastry brush, coat each bread slice with the olive oil
4. Lightly sprinkle each slice of bread with salt and pepper. 
5. Place the slices in the oven and toast for 10 minutes.
6. While bread toasts, prepare the topping by mixing the remaining ingredients in a bowl. (You can make this ahead of time to let the flavors meld a little more if you wish)
7. Remove the bread from the oven - it should be crispy on top - while the bread is still hot, take a cut garlic clove and rub it over the surface of the bread. 
8. Serve the warm garlic bread slices with the topping.

I would LOVE to see some ideas and variations on crostini and bruchetta in the blog comments or on our Facebook page! Get creative and share!