Homemade Hummus with Herbed Pita Chips

Hummus with Herbed Pita Chips

adapted from Food Network

I like to make hummus whenever I have leftover chick peas from another recipe. You can also save the aquafaba (liquid from the chick peas) to make a vegan mayo. 

Homemade pita chips are so much better than the ones in a bag.

Makes 2 servings with extra hummus           3 WW pts/4 chips + 3 Tbsp. hummus

1 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. fresh herbs of your choice (ex: chives, parsley, rosemary)
1 pita bread
Kosher salt, for sprinkling

1/2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
1/2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp.tahini
2 1/2 Tbsp. water to to reach desired consistency
1/4 tsp. salt
Aleppo pepper for garnish, optional

1/2 tsp. Pistachio oil, or other finishing oil for garnish, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. 
2. Add the herbs to the butter  mix until well combined; Spread the herb butter onto the pita.
3. Sprinkle with salt and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini and water; Run the processor until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
5. Season to taste with the salt.
6. Top with Aleppo pepper and oil, if using.
7. Serve with pita chips.

Enjoy!

 

Chicken Shawarma

Chicken Shawarma

Adapted from Milk Street©

Traditionally shawarma, which originated in Turkey, is made on a vertical rotating spit. As the outside of the meat cooks it is sliced off for serving. Milk Street figured out that broiling the chicken creates the same type of char as the spit.

Do not substitute breasts for thighs because broiling will dry it out. The sauce ends up being 0 points by using the fat free yogurt so all of the points are coming from the chicken and olive oil.

Makes 4 servings                                                  4 WW pts / serving 1 thigh

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. hot paprika

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil

1 1/2  Tbsp. tahini

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs

1/2 medium red onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick sliced

1/2 cup plain fat free yogurt

2 Tbsp. parsley leaves, chopped

1. In a bowl, combine the cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper.; Set aside 1/2 tsp of the mixture.
2. Into the remaining spice mixture add 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 1/2 tsp. tahini and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice; Whisk to combine.
3. Add the chicken and onion slices to the mixture and toss to coat.
4. Chicken can stand at room temperature until  the broiler comes to temperature.
5. Meanwhile, to the spice mixture that was set aside all the yogurt, remaining olive oil, remaining tahini, lemon zest and 1 tsp. parsley; Season to taste with salt and set aside until serving.
6. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil; Transfer the chicken and onions to the baking sheet in a single layer.
7. Broil 6 inches from the heat source, until both sides are slightly charred on both sides, about 20 minutes, turning at the halfway point.
8. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.
9. Serve the chicken with the yogurt-tahini sauce.

Enjoy!

Hummus

Warren has a new favorite dip .... hummus. Given the ingredients I have a hard time paying $3.50 for 10 ounces and that's when it was on sale. So I am off to the kitchen to find a recipes that is just as good. This one had a stronger lemon and tahini taste than I prefer but Warren likes it.

Onion & Garlic Hummus

Adapted from http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lick-the-bowl-clean-hummus
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
 
Saute the onions in 1/4 cup oil until softened. Continue cooking over low heat for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer to a food processor; add the beans, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt, pepper and remaining oil. Process until smooth. Serve with chips. 

Lot's of Cooking but Not Much Blogging This Past Week

We made many yummy things this week that were all figure friendly ......

Chicken with Lemon Basil Sauce
This sauce does not look pretty but tastes great.
adapted from Epicurious.com
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon (packed) grated lemon peel
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried

Coat a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and sauté until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to platter; tent with foil to keep warm.
Add lemon juice, garlic and lemon peel to same skillet. Stir over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken broth; boil until reduced to sauce consistency, about 8 minutes. Mix basil into sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.


Cauliflower Puree
The original recipe called for heavy cream but I wanted to lighten it up. It was still very yummy.
adapted from Gourmet January 2002

1/2 lb cauliflower florets, chopped (2 2/3 cups)
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/3 cup vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons 2% milk
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Simmer cauliflower, garlic, broth, and salt in a small saucepan, covered, until
cauliflower is very tender, about 10 minutes. Purée mixture with milk and
butter in a food processor until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids),
or mash with a potato masher or a fork. 

Buffalo Hummus
I did not get much of this because my husband ate most of it. On its own it was not that great but when combined with blue corn chips ..... Yum.
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed, 2 1/2 Tbsp liquid reserved
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp cayenne hot sauce
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
Kosher salt to taste
Puree the chickpeas, chickpea liquid, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, paprika, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth and creamy.
Serve with your dippers of choice.


Roasted Peppers Stuffed with Tomatoes, Onions and Basil
I had these for lunch a couple times this week. 
adapted from Gourmet July 1999
4 bell peppers
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
3 garlic cloves
Preheat oven to 425°F and coat a large shallow baking pan with cooking spray.
Halve bell peppers lengthwise discarding seeds and ribs. Arrange peppers, cut
sides up, in baking pan and lightly coat the cut edges and stems with cooking spray. Halve tomatoes and chop onion and basil. Finely chop garlic and in a bowl toss with tomatoes, onion, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Divide mixture
among peppers and roast in upper third of oven until peppers are tender, about
20 minutes.


BBQ Sauce Marinade 
When I first read this recipe O thought it could be either really good or really bad. We ended up liking it. It provids the smoky BBQ taste without the heaviness or stickiness of the sauce. I marinaded skinless bone-in chicken legs and roasted them in the oven.

adapted from Real Simple, September 2006

1/3 cup barbecue sauce
3/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
Combine all ingredients. Can be used, add steaks, pork chops, or chicken to the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Beef Bolognese
I didn't get a picture of this one but we all know what meat sauce looks like. The boys loved it over pasta. I had it with roasted eggplant and zucchini. I calculated the Weight Watchers Plus Points to be 1 point per quarter cup of sauce. 
adapted from http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Beef-Bolognese-with-Linguine
1 lb lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
6 oz tomato paste, divided
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. dried basil1 tsp. dried marjoram1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 can (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 cups 2% milk
 
In a stockpot, cook the beef over for 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Remove beef with a slotted spoon; set aside. Pour off drippings. 
Coat the same pot with cooking spray. Add the onions, carrots and celery; cook and stir until tender. Stir in half of the tomato paste; cook and stir 3 minutes longer. Add the garlic, seasonings and beef. 
Stir in wine. Bring to a boil; cook until almost evaporated. 
Add tomatoes, stock and bay leaves; return to a boil. Reduce heat;simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours or until desired consistency,stirring in milk and remaining tomato paste halfway through cooking. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Lemon Garlic Marinade

Another one without a picture but we used this as chicken for dinner and for Warren in sandwiches. Even topped a little with the bolognese above.

The longer the chicken marinates, the better! I actually let split chicken breasts sit for 2 days before cooking. 

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Place chicken in a resealable bag and top with marinade.