5 Bomb Hummus Recipes!
Welcome back from the winter break! Since I’m a music teacher, I’m technically still on break until next Monday. I was in Cali with the fam for xmas and now that I’m back and have free time, I’m sitting in bed with the WORST case of strep throat and a mega bad ear infection ever. I’ve literally never felt pain like that before. Gimme labor, 2 broken wrists again… nothing felt worse than this shit did two days ago. So crazy! In some twisted way, I’ve been thinking about how incredibly ill I’ve been this past year for about a month now. I feel this is a sign, albeit a brutal sign, that is here to tell me to not just think about how sick I’ve been, but to totally do something about it. Up until I was 30, I virtually never got sick at all. I’ve been abusing my body for too long. Thankfully, I eat well, but we can always do better, right? Lastly, it’s been the first year of my life that I’ve never exercised, and I’ve experienced serious weight gain due to new meds and of course, diet and lack of exercise. I had zero plans on making a New Year’s resolution. I had been thinking of the huge shifts I need to start implementing into my life. Big, big, changes… on ALL fronts of my life. Getting this insanely ill (again) was the last fucking straw for me. This is the twisted way in which I’m totally sold on starting anew. Yeah, so it happens to align itself beautifully with the new year, however, simply a case of coincidence. I’ll take it though. I feel incredibly motivated, especially after the last two back-to-back bouts of “sick.” Okay, thanks for listening to me vent! If you’re on a similar track to mine, join me on my updates and chime in with your own! Promise, I won’t be bitching regularly. 😉
5 Bomb Hummus Recipes! Are all crazy delicious, healthy, and easy. So easy that they’re done in 5 minutes. If I randomly have people over, it’s always a go-to for me to make. Every party I have, I serve at least one hummus, if not, two. Everyone likes them, they’re easy, and again, they’re easy. I value my time. 😉 I use hummus not only as an appetizer but on sandwiches (all the time, one of G-dog’s faves), on salads, and even in a pasta sauce or as a pasta sauce. SO GOOD! … And on that note, enjoy! Happy New Year! -FGG
All this talk of sauce, and the fact that it’s been stuck in my head for almost 2 months now, I bring you:
*CLICK ON THE RECIPE TO BRING YOU DIRECTLY TO THE LINK!
Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Artichoke Balsamic & Basil Hummus – Sub parm for vegan parm. I LOVE Go Veggie’s! Vegan Parm!
Fried Green Tomatoes with Special Sauce (vegan)!
Fried Green Tomatoes with Special Sauce (vegan)! Are SOOO freakin’ good that I almost ate the entire plate myself. I then remembered how desperately I love my clothes in my closet, how much they missed seeing the sun, and promptly stopped myself. 😉 A lesson in self-control! I often lose battles involving such a crazy concept as ‘control.’ I suppose that’s why I have 37 years of batshit crazy stories that sound as if they belonged to one who has at least 50 years behind them. Hang with me and I’ll keep things interesting! 😉 Hopefully, you’ll join me on my journey into podcasting (airing next month) for some real, low-down, Heather shit.
Anyway, I love fried green tomatoes. I go to my friend Heather’s house on Wednesdays after work for a glass of wine (and sanity) before I go home. Perfect break in the middle of the week. She gave me these gorgeous green tomatoes and I have been itchin’ to cook them up. I only grew sun cherry and marzano tomatoes this year. I wanted to make a sauce that would be the perfect dipping sauce for these bad boys. And, shit! It was soooo good! You could use this special sauce as a dip for an incredible amount of appetizers. These would be a crowd pleaser at a party for sure. It’ll be making an appearance in many more of my posts – no doubt.
For those of you who get this, you rock!: “TOWANDA!” On that note, ladies, have a badass kinda day. 😉 -FGG
Fried Green Tomatoes with Special Sauce (vegan)!
Ingredients for tomatoes:
3 medium-large sized green tomatoes – sliced into 1/3 inch circles
1/2 C non-dairy & unsweetened milk (I used soy)
1/2 C flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 C vegan panko (or other vegan breadcrumbs)
1 Tbl tapioca flour (starch)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Ingredients for special sauce:
3 Tbl vegan mayo (personally, I think Vegenaise is far superior to any other I’ve tried)
1 medium avocado
1 Tbl buffalo sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Salt to taste
Cooking tomatoes:
Put non-dairy milk in a small bowl (see pic) & put all dry ingredients in another small bowl and mix
Dip tomato in milk, covering both sides, and then dip and fully coat tomato slice in dry mix (repeat with all tomatoes)
In a large frying pan, pour vegetable oil to a depth of approximately 1/4 inch
Gently place the tomatoes in the pan on high
Fry each side for approximately 2 minutes, or until golden brown
Remove from pan and place on paper towels
Done!
Special Sauce:
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and smash in avocado with a fork
Stir until almost smooth
Done!
Beer & Wine Pairings:
Beer – Mildly bitter pale ales or a hoppy IPA
Wine – A dry sparkling rosé, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio
The Sexiest Blackberry Syrup Ever!
The Sexiest Blackberry Syrup Ever! is the best thing that happened to my shitty sparkling wine, pancakes, and vanilla ice cream all year. I literally use this stuff in or on anything I possibly can, hence why I make about 4 cups of it at one time – you can’t ever have enough. If there’s a new syrup in town, this babe is the sexiest syrup around.
BLACKBERRY PICKING:
I sometimes go up to the old property I used to live at the first time I lived in OR. Once called and forever known as, the house on the hill. We had 30 acres but were only responsible for 3. It had a barn, a bunk house (with a dilapidated old piano to make it extra fucking cool), an old & unused chicken coop (where my roommate would write like a madman on my grandpa’s old typewriter I had given him – downing cheap beers and lighting the next cigarette with the last… ahhh the good old days ;)), a huge garage where we shot darts daily, played super unsafe drinking games almost nightly (this involved axes, chinese stars, nails, and flying hammers, all whilst pounding AMAZING IPA’s and yes, PBR – our stock for beer pong – ’cause yeah, we had that in there, too), HUGE veggie and flower gardens that thankfully one member of the household could actually be responsible enough to water, an old boat that someone had started to build but never finished (drinking and smoking happened here, and was a viewing point for the horseshoe pit that we built, and the turkey vultures circling above), a homemade forge where my other roommate made some suh-weet stuff, and how the rest of us thought we’d die in a fire one day due to lack of safety (naturally, we didn’t do anything about it), a fire pit where some (hehe) fell asleep in the wee hours of the morn, and woke up to a sunburnt back at 9:00 AM face first in the grass (and only because the painter who was painting the exterior of the house told a roommate, “those 2 girls are gonna fry, wake ’em up,” and then that same dude never missed a chance to comment on her sunburnt back’s “racing stripe” in the creepiest of ways), and of course, the house, that had an old western style piano (compliments of the 2 awesome and crazy hippies next door who frequently rode up drunk on their ride-on mower) where I could rock out on some old Bob Dylan (Keep it with Mine, anyone?), 2 fireplaces, and a ton of crazy cats (pun intended, both the animal and people). Damn! Now that I’ve written all of this, I am, for the very first time, acknowledging how incredibly dope my life was! The crazy days… and they were most definitely cah-raaaaaazzzyyyyy! And shit… I just realized I have SOOO many more insane stories about this house that this could be its own book! Hey! Maybe one day!
Okay, I digress, a lot, however, the property stills exists (as of recently sans house, and is being turned into a park soon – most of it has already turned into a park – hey, at least they didn’t pave paradise!). I go up there to pick blackberries and all kinds of fruits and nuts still. Reminds me of good times and shit. Free, fresh, and organic goods! Hell yeah! I came home with bags, I mean bags of blackberries, stained sneakers, and torn up arms. It was a great day. 😉 I knew I wanted to make blackberry syrup. It wasn’t until I was in the midst of making it that I realized how versatile it could be. All of the photos below will show you a few of the ways I used this sexy deliciousness. Crazy easy, crazy tasty, and crazy quick. Enjoy this babe! 😉
Please leave a comment below and let me know how you use yours! -FGG
For this recipe, nothing but the Led Zeppelin tune that is most fitting for the sexiest of syrups… 😉
The Sexiest Blackberry Syrup Ever! (Makes approximately 4 cups)
Ingredients:
8 cups fresh blackberries
2 1/4 C sugar
1/4 C honey or agave
1 Tbl fresh lemon juice
2 tsp pectin – add a bit more for a syrup that is a bit thicker
Directions:
In a pot, bring the blackberries to a boil over medium to medium high heat.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes – should be very soft
Mash the berries
Put the blackberries in a sieve and strain the juice
Scoop out the puree (I save the scooped berries for toppings on ice cream etc)
Put the blackberry juice back into the pot and add the sugar and lemon juice
Boil for approximately 3 minutes
Add the pectin and stir for a minute or two more
Done!
Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is super creamy and delish! Any appetizer that is done in 5 minutes or less is almost always a winner in my book. This is the hummus I am going to serve as an app for Thanksgiving. It has the perfect lil’ kick of heat and can be used as a spread, dip, or eaten by the spoonful. My kiddo couldn’t wait for the spoon and starting dipping his hand in the food processor. Note: Don’t shoot food around toddlers. It’s mental. However, it makes for some cute pics. 😉
I’ll keep this post short ‘n sweet. If you’re looking for something quick, easy, and cheap to concoct for a soiree or just yourself or your fam, this is an awesome recipe. I definitely suggest a hummus for a T-day appetizer as well. Hummus is always a crowd pleaser. I have an awesome recipe for an artichoke, basil, and balsamic hummus, too! Enjoy!
- 1/2 15 oz can cannellini beans - drained
- 1/2 15 oz can of garbanzo beans -drain and save 1/2 a shot glass of bean liquid for hummus
- 3/4 C roasted peppers (if using jarred peppers, drain well)
- 2 heaping Tbl tahini
- 2 Tbl spicy taco sauce/hatch sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/4 tsp of salt (or to your taste)
- Place all the ingredients in a small food processor and blend well
- If too thick, slowly add water until you've reached your desired consistency
- I drizzled hot sauce on top and garnished with small slices of lemon and lime and a couple slices of roasted peppers.
Beet Hummus with Mint
Beet Hummus with Mint is something I’ve wanted to make for a while now, as it seems to be the ‘hip’ hummus these days. Garlic is out, anything off ‘beat’ (haha) is in. Ignore my humor. 😉 I made this recipe a few times in order to reach the perfect balance of ingredients. I didn’t want it to be too sweet or too earthy. This awesome Beet Hummus with Mint is my final and ‘perfect’ dip. If someone would’ve told me that beet hummus would be a thing years ago I would’ve said, “gross, we’ve gone too far.” Thankfully, I’m with the progressive crew these days… rollin’ with the homies. 😉
I blended mint and beets and then garnished with fresh pomegranate seeds since I had half of a pomegranate left over from my kiddo’s birthday party (for my fall sangria – yum!).
Beet Hummus with Mint is an awesome appetizer for a soiree! It’s totally gorgeous, unique, delicious, easy, and healthy. What more could you ask for?! Let me know your thoughts and send me pics in the comment section of your creations!
- 1/2 can garbanzo beans (save a shot glass worth of bean juice) - drained
- 1/2 can cannellini beans (the beans should total 15 ounces together) - drained
- 2 Tbl tahini sauce (not heaping)
- 5-7 drops edible lemon essential oil OR lemon juice (if using fresh lemon, squeeze one large slice)
- 5 mint leaves
- 1 8.5 oz can of beets -drained OR 1 small beet
- 1/2 tsp agave syrup (or syrup of your choice)
- Dash of salt
- *Oil, mint leaves, pepper, and pomegranate seeds for garnish
- Blend all ingredients (except garnish) in a blender or immersion blender
- Garnish with oil, mint leaves, pepper, and pomegranate seeds
- Serve with veggies or chips of your choosing!
Crazy Creamy Pesto (Vegan)!
Crazy Creamy Pesto (Vegan)! is my new summertime spread. I use it on virtually everything I eat! My garden is overflowing with basil plants so I’m pumpin’ out pesto like it’s going outta style. I’ve been adding all sorts of things to my pesto: arugula, spinach, kale, cashews etc. My girl friends and I went camping recently and one of the ladies had made a pesto pasta salad using an edible lemon essential oil and it was amazing! If you get your hands on some of that tastiness I urge you to throw it into your pesto for a superbly refreshing summertime sauce.
The one thing I remember my father making plenty of every summer was pesto. Every time I’d pop over there for a meal we’d be eating it in some form or another. I, too, am a lover of pesto everything. This summer I’ve been making loads of rotini and farfalle with my Crazy Creamy Pesto (Vegan)! sauce. However, I rub that creamy green goddess sauce on sandbos, wraps, as a dip for veggies (peppers overflowing outta my garden), as a pizza sauce (both myself and G man’s most favorite thing to make together), or with any grain imaginable tossed up with some salad goodies. I think the gist is that you really can’t go wrong with pesto… ever.
Basil, spinach, kale, walnuts (’cause who can afford pine nuts these days?!), cashews (for extra creaminess), lemon, garlic, salt, and voila! Sub any of those salad greens for arugula or another healthy green. Add olive oil or any other oil for a different texture. As always, adapt and create to your tastebuds and whatever it is you have left over in your fridge or garden. Happy summertime eats to you all!
- Large handful of basil leaves (approximately 15-20 large leaves)
- 3/4 cup raw and unsalted cashews
- 1 cup raw and unsalted walnuts
- 1 cup raw spinach leaves
- 1 cup raw kale
- 1-2 Tbl lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- salt to taste
- olive oil/water for texture (as per your preference). I add a small bit of water to thin it out during blending and mix in a smidge of olive oil once in bowl.
- Put all ingredients into a blender (minus oil) except water and blend
- Slowly add water according to your desired consistency and blend again
- Sub out spinach or kale for arugula, or add less of the first two and use all three together!
- Add tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, or sauteed mushrooms to liven up a pesto pasta!
- Sauvignon Blanc or Arneis
Artichoke Balsamic & Basil Hummus
Artichoke Balsamic & Basil Hummus is my most favorite hummus of the year! I have a true love affair with this hummus. I’m cheating on my old love, sun-dried tomato and basil hummus (recipe coming soon), with my new love. Believe me, she’s worth it. My husband doesn’t even like artichokes but loves the crap outta this recipe. I am a big fan of serving this with crackers and little brushetta-esk toasts. However, veggies, pretzels, pita bread, and other dipping vessels will more than suffice as well. So chomp down and do you! Just do it with this damn fine Artichoke Balsamic & Basil Hummus. Guilt free, regret free, recipe of the year.
To jazz it up, I often throw in some parmesan cheese and garnish with that as well. In the recipe you see today, I used marinated artichoke hearts, however, if I had a can of artichoke hearts, I would’ve marinated them myself for a few hours or overnight in this: Olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, oregano, and fresh basil. Then I would’ve ignored the balsamic in the recipe card. If you’re lookin’ for quick, easy, delicious, impressive, and sexy apps for a soiree, you simply must add this to your repertoire. Cheating has never tasted soooo good. 😉
Disclaimer: I am not promoting cheating. Just having a true love affair with food.
PS- My favorite vegan parmesans right now are Violife & Follow Your Heart. 365 also came out with a great shredded parm!
- 1 can garbanzo beans (save the liquid from the can)
- 4 oz marinated artichoke hearts
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 2-3 tsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbl tahini
- 4 Tbl garbanzo bean liquid (or as much or little as you'd like for texture)
- Salt to taste
- 5 leaves fresh basil
- 1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Parmesan cheese to taste
- Dried or fresh oregano to taste
- Place the tahini, basil, salt, bean liquid, garlic, and artichoke hearts in your mini food processor and puree
- Add the garbanzo beans, lemon juice, balsamic, and any more bean liquid you would like and puree
- If using parmesan cheese and/or oregano, add now and puree again
- Serve and garnish with basil and if you'd like, fresh ground pepper & parmesan cheese
- For a creamier consistency substitute half the can of garbanzo beans for cannellini beans.
- For an even more delicious flavor marinate your own artichokes using: olive oil, balsamic, fresh basil (chopped), dried or fresh oregano, salt, pepper. Marinate for at least a few hours or over night. Do not add the balsamic from the recipe card into the food processor if you've done this.
- Dry Sauvignon Blanc
My Morning Through Snack Daily Food Routine (shed those lbs & still eat well)!
Well, it’s official. I’ve finally decided that to make my goal weight by mid-June I am officially going to have to kind of… err… sort of… uugghh… maybe diet a bit! Yuck! That tasted bad evening writing down that hateful “d” word. I made it 6 months while staying on target or even getting ahead of my chart and have hit the longest of plateaus over the past 3 months. If I plan on “making it” to the finish line I have to actually cut back a bit. I’ve also just revamped my workout. In previous posts I had mentioned the glory of Jillian Michael’s Shred It Level 1. Well, now it’s Level 2 in addition to her 6 Weeks to 6 Pack Abs (if you want to die a painful workout death… do this. It’s killer! But amazing), and I am taking hour long Latin dance classes every Friday. I feel the combo should get me to where I need to be in the short bit of time I seem to have left. Sigh, sigh, and sigh again… however, I feel great! So, that’s the silver lining, and the hope for total “svelte-ness” is my dangling carrot. In my mind it’s super model status, however, reality strikes in the form of a possible thinner thigh, arm, and a true dream of 50% of Jillian Michael’s abs. We dream big here my friends. I mean BIG. I do indeed, dare to dream.
I start every morning with my G’s Oatmeal Smoothie recipe. My little man (Greyson) LOVES them, as do my husband and myself. Berries mixed with oatmeal, coconut milk, and yes, spinach! Don’t let this scare you! The spinach is masked by the coconut and the sweet fruit. An incredibly healthy and satisfying start to your day. Not to mention, I make it the night before so the oats have been fully soaked, it will be cold without having to add ice, and let’s face it, one less step to slow down your morning. Sold! Next, I arrive at work and have a small snack of almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and a clementine. I love all of them and they keep my belly content until a later snack or early lunch. I swallow this down with a cup of chrysanthemum tea with a dash of cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and an ever-so-small squeeze of agave. This is incredibly refreshing and easy to drink. After this, I return to the caffeine with a Jasmine Green Tea (I have a black coffee as soon as I arrive at work). For a small lunch or hefty snack, I have a whole wheat slice of bakery bread loaded with all kinds of delicious seeds, and I smother it in my homemade Classic Hummus after smashing some avocado on the bread (sometimes with a tomato or some cheese as well-all depends on how crazy I feel that day!). If I want to make this more of a lunch, I will have a heftier slice of my bread and it’s toppings plus I’ll tack on a salad or soup, like my Pesto Mushroom Salad or my Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup. I’m not trying to pack the calories in but I definitely want to feel satisfied and really enjoy my food. What’s eating if we don’t love it?! My goal is to fuel my body with the “best” and enjoy it in the making. Simple, happy, delicious. Join me in my not-so-new morning mantra!
Amazing Classic Guacamole
Why is Guacamole not everyone’s staple appetizer? It is healthy, incredibly easy, and delicious. I use it on sandwiches, pastas, and as a dip. This Amazing Classic Guacamole recipe, though simple, took me months of trial & error (if that sounds long just remember, I didn’t make it everyday!) to find the absolute perfect balance of ingredients for the best tasting (as far as my palate is concerned) Guacamole one can eat. I pretty much top any Mexican inspired dish with this and serve it frequently at my parties. It’s almost as much of a staple as my Classic Hummus, and that is saying something! Bust out your best margaritas and party down, by yourself or with others, I’m always quite happy to party by myself if need be, and dip into your best avocado dish. Party on!
Amazing Classic Guacamole
Amazing Classic Guacamole
- 4 avocados
- 1/2 C cilantro - loosely chopped
- 1/2 tsp (or more if needed) salt
- 3/4 red onion - diced
- 3 limes wedges - squeezed
- 3/4 C ripe tomato - diced
- Optional: If you want a spicy Guacamole, dice up some jalapenos in there!
- In a medium sized bowl, smash the avocados will all of the other ingredients together
- Mix well (multiple times)
- Done!
- As a dip with tortilla chips
- As a spread on sandwiches
- On top of pasta
- Or with nothing but a spoon to your mouth!
- *A nice lime margarita on the rocks goes quite nicely at all times.
Apricot Sauce
- 1 1/2-2 cups apricots
- Approx 6-10 cups water
- Simmer apricots covered in water. Add more water as is simmers down.
- Cook until fully soft. About 25-30 minutes.
- Put apricots in blender with remaining water. Puree until totally smooth.
- Add more water whilst blending depending on the level of thickness you want.
- Enjoy!
- This will make a very large amount. I make this size because it's so great to use on so many things. Freeze what you don't use. A sauce that is great to have on hand for a variety of desserts or other dishes. Add to smoothies, on top of ice cream, in frozen cocktails, with yogurt, with oatmeal, and so much more!
Classic Hummus
- 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans (You can heat these in a pan or toast them for additional flavor)
- 1/2 15 oz can small white beans or cannellini beans
- 2 cloves garlic
- Liquid from cans of beans for desired consistency of creaminess - Add SLOWLY!
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp freshly chopped parsley (a smidge more for garnish if presenting)
- 1 tsp oregano (optional-I'm just obsessed with it)
- 1 1/2 Tbl tahini
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Add garlic, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, oregano and parsley, white beans, liquid from can, salt, and blend in food processor.
- Add the rest of beans and liquid and blend again until smooth. Add more liquid if needed for desired creaminess.
- Put in small bowl in center of plate with pita bread/pita chips/crudite/pretzels
- Sprinkle hummus with olive oil, paprika, and a few pieces of parsley on top
- Hummus is amazing on sandwiches, wraps, and burgers as a healthy and creamy spread. It also makes for an amazingly easy and well-liked party appetizer or just on a spoon itself! Lastly, place it on top of a salad or even use it as a pasta sauce!
