Appetizers
Baked Falafel with Spicy Tahini Sauce
My husband and I are big fans of Falafel. We love traveling to Israel and we LOVE mediterranean food. When I found this recipe for baked falafels, I knew I had to try it!!! I looked at a few recipes and combined the best of the bunch and came up with this one. I absolutely loved the fact that I did not have to fry these and they came out crispy and spicy. The texture was great and the consistency was really good. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did. This will become a regular addition to our list of favorites.
Baked Falafel
1 (15oz) can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup chopped red onion
3 -4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup fresh parsley (you can use ¼ cup dry parsley herbs)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon cumin
1 ½ teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon zatar or sumac
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoon oat flour or oat bran
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place foil on a cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray.
Combine garbanzo beans, onion, garlic, oil, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, coriander. Salt and cayenne into a food processor or a Vitamix. Pulse until combined, do not pulse too long or it will be like hummus-you want it chunky. Mixture will be dry and chunky. Scoop out into a bowl, add the baking soda and oat flour and stir until combined. Form small patties with dough and place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes and then flip each patty and then bake another 10-12 minutes. Serve with Pita bread, hummus, shredded cabbage or other greens, sliced cucumbers, carrots, avocado and any other veggies you would like. Spread some delicious spicy …
Pumpkin Harvest Hummus
This Pumpkin Harvest Hummus is absolutely the perfect snack to have on hand to take to a “Fall Festival-Harvest Party” or to have on hand when friends stop by. Serve with carrots, cucumber slices or any other of your favorite raw vegetables. We also love to steam broccoli and cauliflower for dipping. Put out a bowlful and serve with pita chips when friends come by. I made some for a party last week and it received rave reviews so I thought I would share it with you.
Ingredients
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
2 Tablespoons Tahini
2-3 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
⅓ teaspoon cayenne (ground red pepper)
1 ½ teaspoon cumin
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 Tablespoons water (if needed to thin as you blend)
Put all ingredients into a Vitamix or blender and mix until pureed to the consistency of hummus. Use a bit of water to thin it out if you think it is too thick. Pour into an airtight container and chill until ready to use. Serve with carrots, cucumbers, pita chips or pita bread. It also makes a great spread for your pita pocket veggie or turkey sandwich (with a bit of cranberry sauce, lettuce and tomato).
- 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- 2 Tablespoons Tahini
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅓ teaspoon cayenne (ground
Salsa a Family Favorite for Memorial Day BBQ
Memorial Day is this coming weekend and I know that many people are already planning their Memorial Day BBQs. We have 2 BBQs coming up this weekend and I am definitely going to whip up a batch of this fantastic salsa. Whether you are having Mexican food, BBQ chicken, ribs or burgers, this salsa is delicious as a side appetizer or condiment for whatever you are grilling.
Salsa Recipe
1-28 oz can Hunt’s tomato sauce
1-3 oz can El Pato tomatillo sauce
4-5 large tomatoes chopped
1-2 large red onions chopped
2 cups chopped cilantro
Depending on how chunky you want your salsa will determine whether you want to chop the vegetables by hand or chop them in the cuisinart. If you want a moderately chunky style salsa, chop the tomatoes and onions and cilantro by hand and stir together with the tomato sauce and tomatillo sauce. Let sit for at least an hour in the refrigerator and serve with tortilla chips, or cut up vegetables.
This recipe was shared with me years ago when I took my youngest daughter on an overnight camping field trip to the 49er’s Gold Country with her 4th grade class. The young adults that ran the 49er’s campground did all the cooking on outdoor grills and they served this fantastic salsa at breakfast, lunch and dinner. They were willing to share their basic recipe and through the years our family has made this recipe (with a variety of modifications) for all sorts of family events. It has become an all time favorite!
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Simple, Delicious Homemade Guacamole
This weekend is Super Bowl Sunday which means lots of yummy food! Chips, salsa, and guacamole are staple football game foods – so this year, WOW your friends with this delicious homemade guacamole that is sure to impress! And, you don’t even have to skimp on your New Year health goals with this recipe! Avocados have so many health benefits – check out a few here from Best Health. If you are devoted to stay committed to your health goals, try this recipe with your favorite veggies instead of chips!
Now, I have to give credit where credit is due – I always have my husband make this recipe because it is so delicious when he does! However, tonight was the first time we actually measured out the ingredients together (I’m a recipe follower and he’s more of a wing-it kinda guy in the kitchen), and it was the best guacamole we have ever had! He likes adding more kick to his (see the optional ingredient below) but he knows I like it better without so he usually won’t add it if he knows I want some.
If you are making this recipe for a larger group, I would definitely double (or triple) it, as I’m guessing it will go fast 🙂
Ingredients:
4 Large Avocados
1/4 Cup Pace Salsa
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
One Lemon
(Optional) Tapatio Sauce (Add to taste)
Directions:
- Cut open avocados, remove pit, and add insides to a large bowl. Mash up.
- Add all other ingredients to the mashed avocados, except for the lemon, and mix together.
- Cut the lemon in quarters and squeeze one quarters worth of juice into the bowl (Make sure no seeds fall into the guac). Mix and add more to taste but do not add
Pumpkin Harvest Hummus
I hope and pray that each one of you felt the peace and joy that comes with stopping to be grateful for all the blessings we have in our lives. Our Thanksgiving celebration was an amazing experience as we reflected on our year and shared about all that we are thankful for. As we head into the Christmas season, we will all be invited to many potlucks, hors d’oeurve parties and probably have many friends stop over for a spontaneous visit. This Pumpkin Harvest Hummus is absolutely the perfect snack to have on hand to take to a holiday party or to whip out and serve with carrots, cucumber slices and pita chips when friends come by. I made some for a party last week and it received rave reviews so I thought I would share it with you.
Ingredients
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
2 Tablespoons Tahini
2-3 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
⅓ teaspoon cayenne (ground red pepper)
1 ½ teaspoon cumin
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 Tablespoons water (if needed to thin as you blend)
Put all ingredients into a Vitamix or blender and mix until pureed to the consistency of hummus. Use a bit of water to thin it out if you think it is too thick. Pour into an airtight container and chill until ready to use. Serve with carrots, cucumbers, pita chips or pita bread. It also makes a great spread for your turkey sandwich (with a bit of cranberry sauce, lettuce and tomato).
Bean Dip
Bean Dip is a great thing to make for a party, to take to a friend’s house, or just to enjoy on your own. As I was making this bean dip, I was thinking about how important each layer is to create the overall taste. Yes, analyzing a bean dip. Seems a little weird. But when you are making food for other people to join in and fellowship together while eating, you really think about how much more there is to it. Food brings people together. And people have all sorts of stories, all sorts of characteristics, all sorts of “layers” that takes time and investment getting to know them. And each layer is important. It is a part of who they are, where they came from, or how they have grown. Taking out one layer or one part of the story may leave a piece missing.
So here’s the bean dip recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Put all ingredients in a 9×13 pan in this order (smooth out to make flat layers)
- 2 small/ 1 big can of refried beans
- Mix together 1/2 cup of mayo and 1/2 cup of sour cream
- 3.1 small can of diced green chiles
- 1/2 cup of salsa
- 2-3 cups of cheddar cheese
- Olives on top (optional)
Cook for 30 minutes and enjoy with a bag of tortilla chips!
- 2 small/ 1 big can of refried beans
- Mix together ½ cup of mayo and ½ cup of sour cream
- 1 small can of diced green chiles
- ½ cup of salsa
- 2-3 cups of cheddar cheese
- Olives on top (optional)
- Preheat oven to