Roasted Garlic Hummus with Pita Chips

While continuing on our healthy kick for January, healthy snacks have been difficult at times. When we decided to host people at our place to watch the Patriots play, I decided that it would be a good opportunity to try hummus and accomplish 2 things - it would be a healthy snack, and I would get to cross something off my 30 by 30 list! This recipe is originally from Cook's Illustrated, but I made a few changes to suit our tastes. If you love garlic, you will love this hummus. I can't wait to try other versions using the same basic idea. Enjoy :o)

Roasted Garlic Hummus

makes approximately 2 cups

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1 (14 oz.) can chickpeas

¼ cup liquid from canned chickpeas

2 heads roasted garlic (*see note)
1 clove raw garlic, minced (optional)
½ tsp. salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

6 tbsp. tahini
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced

pita chips for serving, recipe follows

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the garlic on paper towels and reserve the cooking oil. 

After reserving 1/4 cup of canning liquid, rinse and drain the chickpeas. In a food processor, combine the drained chickpeas, the roasted garlic, minced fresh garlic (this will make the hummus extra garlicky, so use with caution!), salt, and cayenne pepper. 

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and canning liquid. In another small bowl combine the tahini with the oil used to cook the sliced garlic.

With the food processor running, stream in the lemon/water mixture. Scrape down the bowl. Run the processor again and stream in the tahini/oil mixture. Scrape down the bowl and process again until smooth. 

To serve, top with the cooked sliced garlic and the chopped parsley. Serve with pita chips.

*note: to make roasted garlic, cut the top part of a whole head of garlic to expose the cloves. Drizzle with a little olive oil and wrap tightly in foil. Roast at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until the cloves are soft. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the head of garlic to remove the roasted cloves. Discard any papery skins, and mash gently into a paste.

Pita Chips

Ingredients

1 package whole wheat pitas

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the pitas into 8 wedges. Combine the remaining ingredients and brush a light coating onto the pitas. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until toasted. Serve with hummus.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These muffins were originally from the mother of my childhood friend Julie. I remember that whenever I would go over to her house, sure enough there would be a bag of homemade pumpkin chocolate chip muffins waiting for us in the freezer. All it took was a few minutes in the microwave to warm these tasty treats up and to get the chocolate chips ooey and gooey! Julie’s mom passed along the recipe to my mom (because I raved about them so much) who later passed it to me so I can make them on my own. Ok, so these aren’t exactly the healthiest muffins you’ll ever have, but they sure are delicious! I have made this recipe a little lighter by replacing oil with applesauce, but if you prefer you can replace the applesauce in this recipe with an equal part of canola oil. The pumpkin really makes these muffins moist and delicious (we often refer to them as “muffcakes” due to their cupcake-like qualities). Bake a full batch and freeze the extras. You can microwave one each morning for breakfast or as an after-dinner treat (about 20 seconds on high). Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yield: 15 muffins (approximately)

Ingredients

1 ½ cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup applesauce
1 cup canned pumpkin or squash (not pumpkin pie filling, just plain pumpkin – check the ingredient list, it should only say “pumpkin”!)
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a small bowl, combine the chocolate chips and one tablespoon of the flour.

In a medium bowl, sift together the remaining flour through the salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce, pumpkin, and eggs until well blended. Slowly mix in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until well combined, being careful not to over-mix. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Bake according to the following times (it is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out crumbly):

Muffins, lined with cupcake liners, ¾ full: 17-20 minutes

1 loaf pan (pumpkin bread): 45-50 minutes

Yum! :o)

Source: Carol Garmin

Mussels with Fennel, Garlic, and White Wine Sauce

One of our first dates was at Stella in Boston and we had a delicious dish of mussels in a spicy, creamy sauce. That was my first experience with mussels and I was hooked! Initially, I was a little turned off by the orangey color and "new" texture of mussels, being so used to clams, but I was converted at Stella. Since then, I have seen mussel dishes similar to this one at all types of restaurants, but it is so easy to make at home. These mussels are a delicious, healthy meal - and very filling. Definitely invest in some good, crusty bread to soak up all of the extra liquid from the bottom of the bowl. Enjoy!

Mussels with Fennel, Garlic, and White Wine Sauce

yield: 2 servings

Ingredients
1 pound fresh mussels (I get ones harvested from Maine at Whole Foods around here)
1 tbsp. olive oil or butter
1/2 small bulb fennel, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup white wine, such as pinot grigio
Crusty bread, lightly toasted, for serving

Directions:
Scrub and de-beard the mussels (look for beards poking out of the shells and pull them out). In a large pot, heat the oil or butter over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and cook until the fennel is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Boil the mixture for approximately 5-7 minutes, or until it has reduced by half. Add in the mussels and cover the pot. The mussels will start to open after a couple of minutes - I find it helpful to shake the pot or give a big stir to help distribute the broth and also to help some of the mussels have more room to open. Once open, allow the mussels to cook for approximately 2 minutes, then remove to a serving bowl. Once all mussels have been removed, pour the cooking liquid over the mussels and serve with crusty bread on the side (discard any mussels that refuse to open after a few minutes - they don't want to be eaten, and trust me, you don't want to eat them either!). Yum! :o)