Hummus

A couple of years ago, I posted a recipe for wanna-be hummus. This is another version that is even easier. It's super yummy and has tons of flavor. You could use it as a dip for veggies or pita bread, or you could put it on a sandwich or wrap. I used it on Middle Eastern Pita Pizzas (recipe coming soon!).

Ingredients:
1 can great northern beans
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
parsley

Drain beans, but reserve 2 tablespoons of the liquid. Then, in a food processor, blend all ingredients (including reserved bean liquid) until smooth. Spoon dip into a serving dish, and enjoy!

What's your favorite dip?

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Cream Cheese Tuna Spread

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My mom recently moved, and she got rid of a lot of things to prepare for that. She gave me several of her cookbooks, one of which is called California's Lite 'n Easy Recipes. That is where I got this recipe from. It's in the appetizers section, but I doubled the recipe so we could eat it as a light lunch. My kids loved it. It would also be a great thing to serve at a party.

The only things I did differently from the recipe was I added finely diced red bell pepper and used green onion instead. You could add in any combination of veggies, sweet relish, parsley, etc. And if you really want it to be low-fat, use fat-free cream cheese.

Ingredients:
1 can water-packed tuna, drained
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine tuna and cream cheese, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Then add in the other ingredients. Chill for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve with crackers, in pita bread, in crescent rolls, etc.

Do you like tuna? When you buy canned tuna, do you prefer it packed in oil or water?

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Roasted Red Bell Pepper Dip

This is another recipe I got from Taste of Home magazine. It's very simple but tastes great. And it can be jazzed up very easily to be even more yummy -- roast the garlic before adding it to the dip, pour in some of the liquid from the jar of bell peppers, add cumin or other spices.

I made this a couple weeks ago when my in-laws were visiting, and they kept telling me over and over how good it was. We were sitting around our coffee table playing a rip roarin' game of Clue, and we all just sat there eating instead of playing. Yes, folks, it's that good. :) Even my kids gobbled it up, which surprised me!

Ingredients:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup pepper jack, grated
1/2 cup jarred roasted red bell peppers, chopped (or roast your own -- recipe coming soon!)
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine cream cheese, garlic and sour cream until blended. Stir in cheese. Gently fold in bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Serve with crackers, pita chips or veggies. Or spread it on a sandwich. It would be killer on a turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich. M'mmm.

What's your favorite thing to make when company comes?

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Garlic Mayonnaise

This mayonnaise makes a delicious spread for sandwiches. It adds a really great zing as opposed to plain old mayo or Miracle Whip. The original recipe was one that I got from Food Network off the show Everyday Italian, but I've changed it up by adding a little lemon juice. I think that makes it taste so much better.

I'll share my favorite sandwich recipe tomorrow. I also use this same recipe as a dip for sweet potato fries (recipe to come in the next few weeks!), and it's equally as fantastic.

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 cloves garlic, turned into a paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Just combine all ingredients into a bowl, and voila! You don't have to turn the garlic into a paste if you don't want to. Sometimes I just add minced garlic to the mayo. It just depends on how spicy you want it. It's much more mild if you do paste the garlic, but I also love biting into the minced garlic sometimes as well. Either way, it's delish!

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Honey Butter

I found this recipe on Food Network's website. I can't remember which show it was from now. I think it was Paula Dean. But anyway, as always, I have modified the original recipe. The original recipe called for walnuts, which I normally omit. If I remember correctly, it also called for granulated sugar, which I changed to powdered sugar because I just hated the gritty consistency the granulated sugar gave when I made it the first time.

You really can't get any simpler than this recipe - there are only 3 ingredients, and it comes together in like 10 seconds. It is absolutely delicious!

4 ounces (8 tablespoons) butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Let butter come to room temperature (about 20-30 minutes on the counter should be fine). Top butter with honey and powdered sugar, and mix until well combined.

Serve it over toast, waffles, pancakes, crepes, biscuits (recipe coming tomorrow!), etc. Heck, I've even just dipped my finger right in and eaten it plain. You will, too. Don't even deny it.

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