mad for rosemary-cumin hummus

The days have been dark and damp lately - a little colder, but not enough to cause a freeze, unlike New Hampshire.  It's harder to force myself out the door to walk on dreary days.  Which, of course, led to tighter and tighter pants.  I blamed the clothes dryer at first, until I faced the sad fact I was putting on a few pounds.  Probably all those cookies I keep making for my grandchildren:)

this is how I eat it:)

I've upped my excercise, swore off potato chips or Tostito's crispy rounds, but could never give up hummus, ever.  

I'd tried a few recipes, one of which was heavy on the tahini - nice, but it could taste a little strong sometimes.  Then I made Lovely Little Kitchen's recipe, which was easy and delicious, but I wanted a little more zip - herbs, hot sauce?  I tinkered and measured everything carefully, and to my surprise my measurements were almost the same as the one from Lovely Little Kitchen - just more lemon juice, lots of cumin, and some hot sauce.   Since I eat it straight from a small bowl, I wanted it to be fairly light, and that's what I got.  

The recipe:

Combine in your food processor:

1 can (15 or 16 oz) cooked garbanzo beans, aka chickpeas, drained (reserve 2 T. of juice)

2 tablespoons tahini

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons of the canned chickpea liquid

3 teaspoons ground cumin

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons rosemary leaves, chopped (do not include stems)

1 medium clove of garlic, peeled and sliced

4 drops of hot sauce - I use Frank's hot sauce, which is fairly mild

Mix in food processor until smooth.  Taste and serve with chips, or raw vegetables, or straight, as is while waiting for trick or treaters tonight!  Happy Halloween!

What I've been reading:

Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery (my NH friend)
The Book of Joy with The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu - wonderful book!

carrot and sweet pepper soup with cumin (for a cold)

I woke up with a cold yesterday, just like that.  Sneezles and wheezles and a stuffy nose, and a cough that interrupts my phone conversations constantly.  Food isn't very appetizing right now, so I've been making lots of soups.  This is my current favorite, which besides being soothing and delicious, is so pretty!  It's colorful, and I've convinced myself all the vitamin c in the carrots and sweet peppers will be good for what ails me.  I had no curry powder, so I used cumin, which blended nicely with the thyme and garlic, and the shots of hot pepper sauce.

I couldn't resist playing around with a little squeeze bottle of sour cream mixed with a little water to make a little squiggle on top of the soup - cute!


Carrot and sweet pepper soup with cumin:

2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 cup peeled and sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped scallions (the white part) or onions
1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sweet orange mini-peppers, de-seeded and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon cumin (or curry, if you prefer)
1 teaspoon ginger, or a slice of fresh ginger root
sea salt to taste

Add all the ingredients in a saucepan and place on medium heat.
Simmer the soup for approximately 30 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft.
Puree in a blender or food processor (I used my Kitchen Aid stick blender).
Serve with a bottle of hot sauce.

Enjoy these last-of-October days!

roasted parsnip fries with parmesan

I've always loved parsnips , a root vegetable similar to carrots, but with an earthy, slightly sweet flavor that tastes like autumn to me.  They're a pretty cream color, and should be used when they are not too big or fat, as the larger ones often have a woody core when harvested, that has to be trimmed off.

I often peel and slice them, like carrots, and simmer in water until soft, then drained, mashed, and sprinkled with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and butter.  But when I saw this recipe from BBC Good Food, I was intrigued and decided to try the high-heat roasting method they used.  The recipe called for rolling them in a cornmeal and grated parmesan cheese mixture, and roasting at high heat, which I did, but they needed another ten minutes or so to brown up and soften - a perfect excuse to sprinkle more parmesan over them:) .  A delightful lunch for me, but also a perfect side dish at dinnertime.

Roasted Parsnip Fries

1 bag parsnips (mine was 20 ounces - about 8 parsnips), peeled and cut into fries
6 tablespoons olive oil

The cheese and cornmeal coating:
6 tablespoons fine cornmeal or polenta
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese - plus a little more for sprinkling
   after you turn the fries
a few scrapings of nutmeg
a pinch of thyme
a few leaves of fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 450F.
Spread the olive oil evenly over a cookie sheet.

Peel the parsnips, cutting each parsnip in half, then cutting each half into sticks.  When my grandchildren tried them tonight, they liked the fatter, wider ones, so next time I'll probably stick with that size. 

In a bowl, mix the parmesan and cornmeal, thyme, rosemary and nutmeg.

Bring a pot of salted water to a bowl, then place parsnip sticks into the boiling water and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the parsnips are just tender.  Drain well.

Roll each parsnip fry in the cheese and cornmeal mixture and place on the oiled cookie sheet until all the fries are coated .  Sprinkle salt over the fries and slide into preheated oven.

Roast the fries for 15 minutes, then turn the fries over, sprinkle with a little more parmesan, and cook another 15 minutes.  Serve nice and hot - enjoy!

2014:  egg timbales with chopped herbs  
2015:   rainbow beet salad with oregano and lemon
2012: butternut squash muffins on a glowing day
2013:  rapini and rigatoni pasta with olive oil and hot pepper flakes  

Fried Green Tomatoes

First really chilly morning here - Autumn is definitely here.  My neighbor was inspecting her tomato plants, which have stayed stubbornly green.  She sighed and said she might as well pull them up later, since it was clear they were never going to turn red.  I suggested harvesting them and putting them on the windowsill, but she wasn't interested - "too small" she said.  I told her I'd take them, and she waved a hand and said to go ahead, as she walked off grumbling to attend to her flowers.

I picked a bowlful of those hard, pretty little tomatoes and set them on the table.  "Fried green tomatoes" started whispering in my head, but I refused to listen - for a while.  I never had much luck with fried green tomatoes, but my inner cook kept on and on, so I said "Okay, ONE more try".  I googled and came up with a new to me recipe from Southern Living.  The grumbling turned into curiosity, and wouldn't you know it?  This one was a keeper.  I added a few extra things:  basil, hot sauce, a little dipping mixture, olive oil for frying since I had no other oil, but kept pretty much to the recipe, as I usually do if it's the first time I've tried it.

Fried Green Tomatoes recipe

I made a very small batch - maybe 10 sliced small green tomatoes, but only fried half of them.


About 2 cups sliced green tomatoes

Set out three shallow bowls.

Drizzle a few tablespoons olive oil into frying pan.

First bowl:
1/4 cup flour

Second bowl:
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
a few shakes of hot sauce 
Beat together until well blended.

Third bowl:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch or two of dried basil

Dipping sauce:

1/2 cup Hellmann's mayonaise 
2 tablespoons hot pepper relish (I used Mezzetta gourmet deli, tamed)
Stir well until blended.

Heat the oil in the frying pan.
Dip each tomato slice first in the flour, then the egg mixture, then the cornmeal, coating both sides of each tomato slice.  Messy work, so you may have to wash your hands a few times.
Add to skillet until you can't fit anymore.  Keep a sharp eye out, turning them with a fork so they don't burn, until they are all nicely toasted .  Remove to a platter, make up the dipping sauce, and serve with a smile!

chunky feta and buttermilk salad dressing

Another little piece of paper discovered in my messy "letter box" - which should be called The Compost Heap at this point.  I rarely remember to go through it a piece of paper at a time, but when I do, I find little treasures like this hastily scribbled note for a creamy, chunky salad dressing.  

While I prefer it on crunchy romaine, if it's in the fridge I'll drizzle it on a baked potato, or snuck into an omelet (just a little), along with the grated cheddar - or use it on sandwiches and cold chicken slices.  I haven't compared it to ranch dressing ( which I like when I eat out ) because I never buy it, but it's similar in creaminess and flavor.  I'm always so pleased when I see the little container of this already made when I open the fridge door:)  I'm guessing it makes about a cup of dressing, since I've already eaten half of it at this point.


Chunky, creamy Buttermilk and Feta salad dressing:

1 small peeled garlic, pressed into bowl
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground pepper
4 tablespoons mayonaise 
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill, or 1 tablespoon dried
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup buttermilk (more if mixture is too thick)
3 tablespoons mashed or crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons sliced scallions

Assemble all your ingredients in a bowl, and mash with fork or potato masher to your desired consistency. If you don't have fresh buttermilk, you can make this homemade from Emeril.  Store in the fridge in a covered container.

Lots of walks around the St. Paul neighborhood - as a New Englander the autumn colors seem more muted here - but on the other hand, it doesn't seem as chilly as it might be in New Hampshire at this time of year - which in my mind is a good thing!  Happy October and apple picking time to you all!  And take a look at these fabulous Halloween costumes inspired by books!



A year ago:  Beet salad with oregano and lemon
Two years ago:  Dorie's custardy Apple cake
Three years ago:poached apricots with cardamom cream
Four years ago: The bison burger
Five years ago:  Green garden sauce - and roasted chicken,the end of summer.