Never enough hummus.

My 5 years as a vegetarian introduced me - no - married me, to the chick pea. It's an incredibly versatile bean, full-of protein and flavor. A full grocery shop isn't complete without a few cans of organic chick peas. I should really buy the fresh peas, but canned can be low in sodium and much faster when you're on the go.




I have played around with several hummus recipes over the years, including this quick and easy version : Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.

Ingredients:
1 can of organic, low-sodium chick peas
1 tbls extra virgin olive oil
2 tbls tahini (you can find this in the kosher aisle)
3 tbls fresh lemon juice
1 red pepper (roasted in EVOO)
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp red pepper flakes
dash of sriracha (to taste)

Directions:
Rinse chick peas and pour into food processor
Add olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, chopped garlic and herbs
Chop red pepper and roast in pan with 1 tbls olive oil
Add roasted pepper
Blend until garlic and peas are smooth and creamy
Enjoy with veggies or use as a substitute for dressing on salad.

 So the end result looks a bit like mush, but take my word for it - it's quite yummy.

Lemon Poppy Bread

I haven't quite conquered the world of bread, but I have mastered the art of lemon poppy seed muffins, breads, cookies, etc. Lemon Poppy Seed bread is much less intimidating than other breads and probably one of the easier, more delicious desserts. 

I followed a pretty easy (and not so healthy) recipe - so it tasted even better. woops.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread :

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup  milk

1 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons  poppy seeds

13 tablespoons of unsalted butter (brace yourself...)

Lemon Syrup:

1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. 
• Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan. 
• Line bottom of the pan with parchment paper & butter and flour the paper. 

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. 
• In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer (which I find to be just as efficient), beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds until combined. 
• Add the softened butter and half the egg mixture and mix on low speed until moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about one minute (while this sounds tedious, it gives the bread its cakey, delicious texture and it is so worth the time). 
• Add the remaining egg mixture in two batches, beating about 30 seconds after each addition. 
• Pour batter into the pan - bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

• When bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire cookie rack. 
• Pierce the loaf all over with a toothpick or fork and then brush the top with about half the lemon syrup.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring sugar and lemon juice to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. 

• Cool loaf in the pan for about 10 minutes then place onto a cookie rack. 
• Brush the rest of your syrup onto the bottom and the sides of the loaf - don't go hog wild with the syrup, or it will really be too sweet (yes, there is such a thing).
• Cool the bread completely before wrapping.

 

Makes 1 delicious, sweet loaf. 

What does summer mean to you?

To me, summer means warm nights, cold beer and sweet corn on the grill. The last few nights have finally given me a sense of summer. The key to making it last? Be outside every night (even if you've worked a long day). Make sure to eat on the porch, buy fresh fruit and veggies and grill your chicken. This week was filled with frisbee golf (my first experience - not exactly a spectator sport), kickball followed by a BBQ at the lake and a delicious dinner cooked by T and enjoyed on the porch with roommates.

This Frisbee golf course was quite beautiful...

And the sunset wasn't so shabby either...

 


The best part of summer?

Half day Fridays. That's right. Leaving at 2 pm on a Friday just because. It really is the best feeling in the world.

Today was a short day of work, followed by dinner and drinks on the deck. If only every night could be so wonderful. We were missing the sweet corn, but the cheesy reggae and delicious beer made up for it.

Pizza Madness.

What do you do without a rolling pin? (yes, we are still college kids at heart)! You use a wine bottle. And what do you do without canned tomato sauce? You find the homemade stuff that was canned so long ago that you totally forget it was there. :)

When friends get together in masses, the  best thing to do is make some pies. Of course, the men sat in the living room and the ladies (and little baby) made the pizzas. I have to admit, we did well. We made 3 pies in total, using only 2 whole wheat doughs between them.

These pizzas were topped with homemade sauce, fresh mozz, feta with herbs, crumbled tofu, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and olives. It was delicious and made for great leftovers the next day.

Last minute toppings go on...

And.....voilà! 

Coconutty goodness.

As a kid, I hated coconut...to put it lightly. Coconut was one of those things that I'd already decided upon by age 5. But somehow, that decision changed sometime in the past year or so. I now love everything coconut. Funny how our taste buds change as we age.

My inspiration for the coconut shout out?

Coconut water. No, not because it's "trendy" but because it is refreshing and healthy. I first tried coconut water at a natural foods expo in Boston. I was a little aprehensive about the whole concept, but quickly changed my mind after tasting a sample. This stuff is delicious.

Happy to have opened my world to the coconut.

                                                             
Just a tip: if you like coconut, try Liberte Coconut yogurt.
Liberte is a full-fat Mediterannean yogurt that tastes a bit like heaven. I add a couple tablespoons to my bowl of plain greek yogurt, to give it a touch of coconut. Unbelievable. Not too sweet. Juuuuust right. :)

Beach style.

T and I visited CT last weekend for a weekend with family and friends. We were lucky to have perfect beach weather on Sunday afternoon. To the beach we went, with bags filled for a picnic and plans to relax...all day.

We set up camp with a few towels, umbrella & a pile of goodies.

 We had grilled chicken, chips with guacamole and salsa, hummus and vegies, and a delicious bottle of white wine.

We finished our beach day with an amazing bowl of pinkberry frozen yogurt. This was our first trip to pinkberry and we used the excuse of "market research." Fair? I think so.
T tried the salted caramel yogurt with fruit and chocolate and I had the coconut yogurt with mango and granola. It was so refreshing and hit the spot! If only we had one at home. hmph. A girl can dream.

Always room for dessert.

 As kids, we didn't know what canned whipped cream was. I remember being incredibly jealous of my friends with "cool" parents, who bought the ready-whip whipped cream. It wasn't until I was older that I realized why my mother always made REAL whipped cream. Real whipped cream made fresh with sugar is one of the most amazing things a gal can eat.

This way a fresh fruit tart with a twist. It was made with a pastry crust, filled with a lemon meringue and topped with fruit. And of course, a side of Mom's whipped cream.