Recipe: Hummus

It's the first day of Summer and a scorcher here in the city. High 90°s with heat indexes of 100°+!
Luckily I bought pita chips on sale at Costco a few days before and always have cans of chickpeas, garlic, a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, and salt in the pantry. Tahini (sesame paste) and lemon juice in the refrigerator allows me to whip up some hummus for those days when it's just too hot to cook something and you feel like you are in the deserts of Egypt. I find it is cheaper to make this rather than buying it at the supermarket and it is REALLY easy to make. Plus, you don't have all those extra additives and preservatives in it.

Now what is hummus you may ask? It's a Middle Eastern appetizer dip made with said ingredients and according to Wikipedia:

Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the chickpeas. Depending on the recipe, hummus carries varying amounts of monounsaturated fat. Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets; like other combinations of grains and pulses, it serves as a complete protein when eaten with bread.

Hummus with pita chip

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)
• 1/4 cup of the liquid from the can of chickpeas
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (I find bottled is fine here)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

  Directions

1. Drain the chickpeas and set aside 1/4 cup of the liquid.
2. Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, crushed garlic, salt, and olive oil into a food processor and process until mixed and creamy. 
3. Add the chickpea liquid and blend for 3-5 minutes or until thoroughly mixed and smooth. 

You can serve this immediately at room temperature or chilled.

Note: When served chilled, the hummus will be a thicker consistency.

I make mine in a food processor but I suppose you can do it in a blender if you don't own one. You may have to stop occasionally and use a spoon to push the unblended ingredients down.

Recipe: Crispy Fried Tofu

I bought a carton of House Brand firm tofu from Costco (3 packages in the carton for about $4) and decided to make this simple and tasty Chinese appetizer.







Ingredients

2 squares of firm tofu
1/4 cup cornstarch for dredging
6 oz. Oil for frying

Directions

1. Heat oil in a 10" saute pan.
   
2. Drain tofu from packaging. Lightly pat dry with paper towels.
3. Cut tofu into 1" lengths or in half.
4. Dredge tofu in a plate of cornstarch coating all sides.
5. Carefully place coated tofu into the hot oil and fry until golden on all sides (I used chopsticks to carefully turn the tofu but you can use two forks).
   
6. Drain on paper towel lined plate.
7. Serve with soy sauce, and/or black vinegar (you can use balsamic) on the side.

Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup with Parmesan Croutons

Nothing could be simpler to make than this when you stock up on frozen winter squash and chicken broth when on sale.
Thanks to Birdeye for this easy recipe.



Ingredients



* 2 boxes Birds Eye® Cooked Winter Squash (12 oz)
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 1 cup Parmesan croutons
* Dried chives


Instructions

Combine squash and broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until heated through, about 10-15 minutes. Season with ground white pepper if desired.

Serving Suggestions

Garnish each serving with croutons and chives.

Recipe: Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Birds Eye frozen vegetables are on sale this week at $1 a box.
I noticed as well that College Inn canned broths are 99 cents each.
With this in mind, I thought, this would be great to takes these two sale items and put them together to make a butternut squash soup without the hassle of roasting a squash in the oven and all the time and work to prepare this soup from scratch (besides, winter squash is not always available all year!)
For about $4, you have soup for 4 people!


Ingredients

• 2 boxes Birds Eye® Cooked Winter Squash (12 oz)
• 2 cups chicken broth

Cooking Instructions

Combine squash and broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until heated through, about 10-15 minutes. Season with ground white pepper if desired.

*If you would like to turn this into a cream of butternut soup, just stir in a 1/2 cup of cream, half & half, or milk before serving.

Garnish with toasted pine nuts for crunchy texture and/or chopped chives for color.

Recipe: Chicken Livers with Onions

Ever wonder what to do with the livers that come in that bag sometimes found in the cavity of the chicken? You can save them all in a small plastic container freezing them until you have about 1 pound and make this dish. If you are lucky to buy a chicken that has a lot of livers in the bag, you can immediately make this dish as you are roasting the chicken (Check out my lemon roast chicken recipe) and serve this as an appetizer!

• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 c. finely sliced onions
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb. chicken livers
• 3/4 c. flour
• 4 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. ground sage
• 2 tbsp. red wine or cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a non-stick skillet and add the onions, salt, and pepper. Saute (toss and stir) over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the onions are browned and soft. Remove onions from pan and put on a plate.

Pick over the chicken livers and remove any tough veins/sinew attached to the livers. Cut the livers in half. Put them on a new plate and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour on both sides of livers to coat well. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in the non-stick skillet over high heat.

Cook the livers, turning the livers as they brown (about 2-3 minutes each side). You may have to do this in a couple of batches depending on the size of your skillet. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, cooked onions, sage, salt, and pepper. Cook, shaking the skillet and tossing the livers so they will heat throughout. Add the vinegar; stir and blend well for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.