Coconut Curry Hummus

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Hello! Absentee Kristy here. I’m still around and cooking, although nothing notable in the past busy year! When I started this site, it was with the intention of “I can make that!” If I found something I loved at restaurants or elsewhere, I wanted to be able to make something similar at home and share with everyone. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with coconut curry hummus – so much more interesting than just plain hummus! At $4.99 a pop for a small container, I’m also obsessed with saving money.

I set off to replicate this delicious snack so here’s my take on it.

Coconut Curry Hummus

1 15.5oz can of garbanzo beans, drained

1/4 c. tahini

2 T. olive oil

1 T. agave syrup

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed

3 T. dried, shredded coconut

1 t. kosher salt

juice from 2 limes

1/2 t. turmeric

3 t. curry powder

1 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. ground ginger

Crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne

Directions; In food processor, blend tahini and lime juice for 1 minute or until fluffy. Drizzle in olive oil and agave syrup. Drain beans and heat in microwave for 1.5 minutes on high, stirring once or twice. Add them to the tahini mixture along with remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and fluffy. Taste test and add more salt, curry or lime juice until it’s to your desired taste and texture. Add pinch of cayenne or pepper flakes if you like it spicier. Refrigerate then enjoy with pita chips, carrots, or spread on sandwich wraps.

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1-1/2 to 2 lbs Brussels sprouts

4 T. olive oil

1 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning

2 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces

½ lemon

Wash the sprouts and trim the base of them off, then cut in half. In a large bowl, toss them with the olive oil, steak seasoning, bacon and zest from the lemon. Spread evenly into shallow baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour (stirring around halfway through) until tender on the inside, but crispy and browned on the outside. Remove from oven and toss with juice from the ½ lemon. Serve warm alongside the Sunday Supper Roasted Chicken.

Sunday Supper Roasted Chicken

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I’m discovering that as life gets busier, it gets harder to make time for the simple things such as sitting down to a nice family dinner. I enjoy nice home cooking, but rarely have the luxury of time during the week, so I try to do bigger meals on the weekends and hope for leftovers.

Here’s an easy favorite to throw in the oven and let cook while you do other things. The recipe below is a combination of a few favorites, and I use different herbs almost every time, depending on what I have in the kitchen. Try your own combinations, you won’t go wrong. The best part is that your house will smell amazing and you can tell all your guests that it’s your secret recipe! Try pairing it with oven-roasted Brussels sprouts that you can cook at the same time. The roasting process makes the flavor of the sprouts very mild. Even my mom, the biggest vegetable pusher (who ironically hates Brussels sprouts) ate them!

Sunday Supper Roasted Chicken

(1) 5-6 lb. whole roasted chicken

1 large lemon, sliced

1 t. dried parsley, sage, or thyme

1 large fennel bulb OR medium onion, cut into eighths

Several sprigs of fresh rosemary or fresh sage leaves, rinsed well

1 T. butter, melted

1 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Discard the neck and giblets from inside the chicken and rinse it thoroughly in cold water, including inside the cavity. Dry it with paper towels and place on cutting board to prep. On the breast side, loosen the skin from the meat and slip in a few of the lemon slices, dried parsley/sage/thyme and/or sprigs of rosemary. Put half of the fennel bulb or onion chunks in the cavity, along with the remaining lemon and fresh rosemary or sage. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side down. Mix the melted butter and olive oil together and brush over entire bird. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put the remaining fennel/onion and herbs around the chicken in the pan.

Put pan in oven, uncovered, and bake for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Baste with juices every ½ hour. The chicken is done when it’s tender and meat thermometer reads 180-185 degrees in the thickest part of the breast or thigh. If chicken looks too brown partway through, cover lightly with foil. Remove lemons from cavity and let sit covered for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving with the fennel and onions. Serves 4-6.

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Autumn Clam Chowder

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When fall arrives along with football and cold & flu season, there’s nothing better than a cup of hot chowder. I have tried many different potato soup, clam chowder and other hearty recipes, and settled on this combination as my favorite – it has the best of all flavors and it’s easy to spice it up more or less to your personal tastes. I happened to have a fresh crab for the last pot, so I added the meat in at the last minute for a bit of extra seafood flavor.

Autumn Clam Chowder

(2) 6.5 oz. cans of minced clams

3-4 slices of bacon, cut in half

3-4 medium potatoes, cubed

1 med. onion, chopped

1 t. chicken bouillon

2 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. dried, crushed thyme

(1) 15-oz can fire roasted or southwestern style  corn, drained

1 fire-roasted red pepper, chopped

2-4 T. jalapeno peppers (jarred), chopped

salt & pepper to taste

2 c. milk

1 c. half-and-half

2 T. all-purpose flour

Strain the clams into a measuring cup, saving the juice. Set the clams aside and add water to the juice until it equals 1 cup, then set aside. In a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. To the bacon drippings, add the onions and cook few minutes until soft. Add the clam juice, potatoes, thyme, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling, then cover, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft. Mash them lightly.

Whisk together the milk, half-and-half, and flour. Add to the potato mixture and increase heat back to medium. Cook and stir often until slightly thickened and near boiling. Stir in the clams, jalapenos, red pepper, clams, crumbled bacon and corn. Bring the mixture back up to boiling and until everything is heated thoroughly. Serve in large mugs or bowls, sprinkled with more chopped peppers or shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

Autumn Clam Chowder 2

Root Beer BBQ Sauce

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Every so often, I find myself searching for recipes to use up random things that are in my refrigerator or cupboard (is it just me?!). This time, it was root beer. I bought 2 liter bottles for summertime root beer floats when I had friends visiting recently. We used about half of one bottle, and a week later, suddenly there were two opened bottles in the fridge. Still not sure why, but that’s for a different article.

I remembered seeing recipes over the years for spare ribs and BBQ pork made in a crockpot with cola or root beer. I found many variations for Root Beer BBQ sauce online, and combined a few to make my own. I also added in a few more ingredients for my own taste (and to use up even more random findings, like tomato sauce from last year’s garden since the new crop is almost ready…!). This recipe is easy but does take awhile to cook, but it doesn’t take much attention, so it’s easy to have on the stove while you’re doing other fun summertime things.

Root Beer BBQ Sauce

2-liter bottle of root beer (not diet)

1 c. red wine or apple cider vinegar

1 c. tomato sauce

½ c. ketchup

½ cup mustard (regular yellow or deli style)

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. hot sauce

2 T. molasses

2 T. brown sugar

juice from ½ lemon

1 t. each kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 can tomato paste

1 t. liquid smoke

3 T. cold butter

In a large pot, boil the root beer down until it’s about 1-1/2 cups and more concentrated, about an hour. Add in the remaining ingredients and simmer for another 45 minutes or hour until it’s slightly thickened and the acidic vinegar taste is cooked out. Add in the liquid smoke and butter at the end to finish it off. Serve with your favorite summer grilled meat. Note: any ingredients or measurements in this can be changed to suit your individual taste. For example, more tomato paste for a thicker sauce, less vinegar for less tang, or more brown sugar and liquid smoke for sweeter, smokier flavors, and of course more or less salt & pepper.

Picnic Potato Salad (German Style)

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German potato salad

There are many different variations of German potato salad, most are served warm and feature the same basic ingredients. I created this one from a basic recipe and a few tweaks I’ve tried over the years. I usually make this on the morning of our annual family reunion picnic (for a bunch of Germans!) and serve it warm, but it’s also very good cold and is pretty hearty – in case you’re traveling. If you’re serving a large group, I recommend making a double batch, but do it one portion at a time, and you’ll need a very large bowl to toss everything together in.

 

 

German Potato Salad

5 lbs. of medium-sized red or Yukon Gold potatoes, cleaned & cubed

1 lb. bacon, cut into small pieces

1-1/2 lbs. smoked or German-style sausage, cut into pieces or slices

1/2 or 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

2/3 c. apple cider vinegar

3 T. bacon grease

2 tsp. celery salt (or 1-2 stalks of celery, finely chopped)

2 T. flour

1/4 c. sugar

1-1/3 c. water

1 tsp. dijon mustard

salt & pepper to taste

2 T. fresh chopped dill (optional)

1 fennel root, chopped finely (optional)

IMG_2922In a large pot, cover the chopped potatoes with salted cold water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are slightly tender, but don’t overcook. At the same time, saute the sausage slices in a large saucepan until browned. Drain and place in a large bowl. Drain the potatoes and add to the sausage in bowl when ready.

Cook the bacon pieces in the large saucepan until crisp. Drain off the grease and set aside 3 T. Saute the onion (and celery if you choose) in it until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, celery salt and stir well. Add the sugar, water, vinegar, bring to a boil, then boil 2 minutes or until thickened slightly. Stir in the mustard and pour over the potatoes, sausage, bacon and chopped fennel root in the large bowl. Add the fresh dill and toss until well coated. Serve warm. If you decide to serve cold later, cover and refrigerate. Toss before serving, and add a few dashes of the vinegar to moisten if needed. Makes 12-14 servings.

Sunday Crockpot Baked Beans

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1 lb. lean ground beef

1 c. chopped onions

3/4 – 1 lb. bacon, cut into small pieces

In a medium frying pan, cook the ground beef and onion together until browned. Drain off oil and put into large crockpot. In the same pan, cook the bacon until tender. Drain off grease and put in pot as well.

Add to the meat mixture:

(1) 15.5 oz can each of – garbanzo beans, lima beans, black beans, kidney beans (all drained & rinsed)

(2) 15.5 oz cans pork & beans

1 c. ketchup

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 T. chili powder (or to taste)

1 T. liquid smoke

3 T. vinegar

1 t. salt

dash of black pepper

Mix together and cook on low approximately 6-8 hours. Can substitute various types of beans if you have them. This recipe is great for using whatever you have in the cupboard!

 

Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto

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My original idea for this blog was to taste amazing food in restaurants and then try to simplify and replicate it at home. A few years ago, I had the most amazing asparagus & mushroom risotto at a friend’s wedding reception in beautiful Oregon wine country. I’m not even sure who the caterer was, but ever since then, I always order this dish if I see it on the menu, but none has ever compared. By combining a few recipes I found online along with a few special tips to make the risotto extra creamy, I now present you with my favorite version that is even better than I remember from the wedding reception! It makes a great small, filling meal or a wonderful side dish as well.

Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto

1 lb. fresh asparagus

(3) 14-oz cans low-sodium chicken broth

1 oz. dried mushrooms (a mix of porcini, crimini, shiitake, and oyster is delicious), cut into small pieces

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 T. olive oil

1 c. uncooked arborio rice

1/2 c. dry white wine such as chardonnay

1/2 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese

black truffle sea salt (regular salt also works) & fresh ground pepper

Clean asparagus and cut off any tough ends. Cut into 1″ sections and set aside. Put the rice in a strainer over a large glass bowl or measuring cup. Pour the broth over the rice to rinse the starch off. Microwave the broth 2-3 minutes until hot, then add in the mushrooms and set aside.

In a large deep frying pan, heat the olive oil and onion over medium heat until soft and slightly browned, stirring frequently. Carefully add in the rice (watch out for popping!) and wine. Cook it 2 minutes, stirring continuously, then reduce heat to medium. Strain the mushrooms out of the broth and set aside.

Gradually add the broth to the rice mixture, 1/2 cup a time until it is absorbed each time and before adding more. With the last portion, add in the asparagus and mushroom pieces. Cover and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. When all the liquid is absorbed and asparagus and mushrooms are tender, remove from heat. Stir in the cheese, and truffle salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately (in warm bowls is best!).

For leftovers, refrigerate overnight.  Reheat in the microwave or take a scoop of the risotto and press into a patty. Coat with panko or bread crumbs and fry in a small amount of hot oil until crisp.

asparagus & mushroom risotto

 

 

German Potato Dumplings

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I first had a knödel (potato dumpling) when a friend’s mom who was born and raised in Germany made them as an accompaniment to rouladen (German beef rolls). She used a ricer – a kitchen implement I had never seen despite my family being German, and potato farmers! It looks like a large garlic press and can be easily found online or at kitchen stores. It makes the potato dumplings just the right texture.

When researching knödel a bit online, I found many different names, recipes and variations from Europe including sweet dumplings with fruit filling, some using bread in the dough, and others with meat fillings. There was also a lot of debate about the best type of potatoes to use, adding other ingredients to whiten them or make them hold together better, and using cooked vs. raw grated potatoes. The recipe below is what I use based only on watching someone else make them. Normally, I use croutons as the center, but at this time of year, it’s a good way to use up a little bit of leftover stuffing. Try these for Thanksgiving dinner – they’re delicious with any kind of gravy or just butter on top. You can make them ahead of time and then just reheat them right before dinner time.

Potato Dumplings

6 medium russet potatoes

1-1/2 c. flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Croutons or leftover stuffing

IMG_0036Wash the potatoes and put in a large pot. Fill with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1-2” and a teaspoon of salt. Bring pot to boil and cook potatoes until tender all the way through, approximately 40-50 minutes. When done, drain off water and slightly cool potatoes so that you can handle them. Remove the peels, which should easily come off with the help of a paring knife. Put the potatoes one at a time into the ricer and squeeze into a large bowl with the flour in it. Make a well in the center of the potatoes and put the eggs into the middle. Slowly work the flour and egg into the potatoes until well mixed, being careful not to overwork the dough or it will be chewy when cooked.

Lightly flour your hands and take about ¼ cup of the dough. Form a little bowl with it, add a tablespoon of the stuffing or croutons (2-3 small or 1 large) in the middle. Take another ¼ cup of dough and press it on top being sure to seal all around and form into a ball. Lay on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper while finishing the rest.

In a large pot, bring water to boil and with a slotted spoon, slowly lower in four dumplings at a time. Boil until the dumplings start to float at the top, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from water, drain slightly, and set aside. Repeat until all are cooked. Serve warm with gravy or butter.

Makes approximately 12 tennis-ball sized dumplings.

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Hearty Lentil Soup

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Who doesn’t love a quick and easy soup when cold weather sets in? I found this lentil soup recipe from a now-defunct restaurant in my stash of old newspaper clippings – dated from 2001…ok, so I need to clean things out a little more often! I loved this soup at the restaurant and when I made it last 13 years ago. I thought I’d try it again and give it an update. So I dug out my crockpot to see if I could make it in fewer steps, and I looked around my kitchen for some new ingredients to add (like the nearly overripe tomatoes on the counter). Voila! It turned out perfect! I added my crazy cheese bread and it was a hearty, toasty and tasty supper – plus, the leftovers were perfect for lunch the next day.  Maybe if that restaurant had added a few extra garden-fresh ingredients, they would still be around!

Hearty Lentil Soup

1 T. butter

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. Italian sausage links

1 c. shredded carrot

1/2 c. diced onion

1/4 cup finely chopped leeks

1/4 c. finely chopped celery

1-1/2 c. uncooked lentils

4 c. low-sodium chicken broth

8-10 fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes, cubed

1 c. whipping cream

2 T. dijon mustard

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 c. finely chopped fresh spinach

salt & pepper, grated parmesan cheese to taste

In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil until melted over medium heat. Brown the sausage links on all sides, about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove sausages, set aside and cool. Add the carrot, onion, leeks, and celery to the remaining oil and cook until tender.

In the crockpot, mix the lentils, broth, cooked vegetables, tomatoes, chopped sausage pieces, and dijon. Cover and cook on high for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until lentils are cooked thoroughly. Add the vinegar, cream, salt & pepper, and 3/4 of the spinach. Stir, cover and cook 5 more minutes. Serve in soup mugs sprinkled with the remaining spinach and parmesan.

If you’re daring, try this with spicy Italian sausage for some real heat!

lentil soup