Simply Hummus

Another thing I wanted to try immediately with the new food processor is hummus. I am obsessed with it and my favorite kind is Sabra Hummus. I think I did pretty good to recreate it - thanks to the Cuisinart! I plan on trying variations of it in the future, I saw a recipe the other day for Curry and Black Bean Hummus that both looked good! Stay tuned - I will post if I try them!

Ingredients:

2 cans reduced sodium garbonzo beans (drained, reserve liquid)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper (if you like it to have a little kick)

Directions:

Throw it all into the magical food processor and blend until smooth. Add the reserved liquid from the garbonzo beans if you want to play with the consistency. Serve with veggies or Stacy's Pita Chips, my favorite. So easy, healthy and delicious!

Festive Feta Spread

Trisha makes this dip for Bunco and it is awesome and it is from Weight Watchers, so it is good for you!

Link to Recipe

Ingredients:

7 oz roasted red peppers, packed in water, drained
1 pound(s) 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, two 8-oz blocks, softened, cut up
4 oz reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
1 large garlic clove(s), peeled
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3 Tbsp dill, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup(s) dill, fresh, whole sprigs
10 1/2 oz baked low-fat tortilla chips

Instructions:

Slice off a 1 1/2-inch piece of roasted pepper to use for garnish; wrap and refrigerate. In a food processor, combine remaining roasted peppers, cream cheese, feta cheese, garlic and black pepper; process until smooth. Add chopped dill; pulse until evenly distributed.
Scrape mixture into a serving bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 5 days) to firm up slightly and for flavors to blend.
To serve, smooth surface of dip with a spatula. Arrange dill sprigs on top in a circular fashion to form a “wreath;” cut reserved piece of roasted pepper into tiny “berries" and place on wreath. Or create any other decorative pattern you desire. Yields about 3 tablespoons of spread and 8 chips per serving.

Notes:
This recipe can be cut in half to serve 8, but it keeps so well (up to 5 days refrigerated) that it makes sense to make the whole batch to have on hand for unexpected holiday guests. Serve with pita wedges, whole grain crisp breads or crackers and/or raw vegetables. (The dip alone is 2 POINTS values for 3 tablespoons.)

Artichoke Dip

1/2 c mayo
1/2 c sour cream
1 c shredded parmesan cheese
1 (14 oz) can of artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
1/2 c minced red onion
1 T lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Mix mayo, sour cream, cheese, and onion in a bowl. Add in artichoke hearts, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Put mixture in a shallow dish and bake for apx. 20 minutes or until slightly brown on top. Serve with King's Hawaiian bread broken into pieces.

**If you are doubling, DO NOT double the onion or the lemon juice. Also, buy two of the loaves of bread when you double the recipe.

Creamy Buttermilk-Avocado Sauce

Elizabeth said they made this over the weekend and used it as a sauce for grilled shrimp!

Yield Makes about 1 2/3 cups

Ingredients

1 cup buttermilk
1 ripe avocado, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Process buttermilk, avocado, parsley, chopped green onions, and fresh lemon juice in a food processor 30 seconds or until smooth. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Store in refrigerator covered with plastic wrap directly on surface (to prevent discoloration) up to 2 days.

Southern Living, MARCH 2009

Spinach Dip Crisps

Becca brought this to Alex's party last weekend and they were a big hit!

INGREDIENTS

1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen chopped spinach
24 wonton skins (about 3 1/4-inch squares; from 16-oz package)
1 can (7 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise or salad dressing
3/4 cup finely shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese blend

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Cook spinach as directed on box. Drain; set aside to cool.
2. Place 1 wonton skin in each of 24 ungreased regular-size muffin cups, gently pressing skin into bottom and up side of each cup (points of wonton skin will show above cup edge). Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until top 1/4 inch of wonton skins are golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, squeeze all excess water from spinach; place in large bowl. Stir in green chiles, mayonnaise and 1/4 cup of the cheese; mix well.
4. Spoon about 1 tablespoon spinach mixture into each wonton cup. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon remaining cheese. Bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and filling is hot. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm.

From the Pillsbury website: Stephanie Lau-ChenMountain View, CA Bake-Off® Contest 42, 2006

Jalapeno Popper Spread

I have only made this once, but it is really good and really does taste like a Jalapeno Popper! Elizabeth also tried it and thought it would be good to spread on a bagel - I agree!

PREP TIME: 10 Min
COOK TIME: 3 Min
READY IN: 13 Min
YIELD: 4 cup (32 servings)

INGREDIENTS

* 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
* 2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
2. Microwave on High until hot, about 3 minutes.

FOOTNOTES

*
Baked Variation
*
If you would like to brown the cheese, bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 30 minutes.

Allrecipes.com