A Few Fall Favorites

It’s November and I when I am not outside hiking/biking/running in below freezing temperatures I am basically living in the kitchen because it is the best room in the house. It gets the most light, it is the warmest, and food, duh!

I have been cooking and baking as much as I can ( always) and here are a few of favorite recipes that I have gone back to again and again, not just for myself either but for the lovelies that eat my food too. Crowd pleasers as you might say.

Hope you fall is going splendid and you are spending time in the kitchen too!

Acorn squash. Black beans. Yes please. Spiced Black Bean And Cauliflower Stuffed Acorn Squash. Or how about Roasted Butternut Squash And Brussel Sprouts On Spelt With Sunflower Butter Sauce. Nut butter dressings are always a win.

Lets not forget to eat hummus out of a bowl. Hummus Bowl With Roasted Veggies

Warm Balsamic Delicata, Onion, And Kale Salad. It’s cold so let’s eat our salads warm.

And for desert how about these Sweet Potato Hand Pies or Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Apple Spice Donuts are a great weekend baking activity.

But maybe you are in need of chocolate and peanut butter. That’s not a problem. Peanut Butter Frosted Chocolate Cake.

Anyways just thought I would give a little late fall cooking and baking inspiration.

-C

Roasted Corn Hummus

How much hummus is to much hummus to eat? Seriously, how much? Because I eat A LOT of hummus, like hummus everyday, sometimes (all the time) even multiple times a day. And not just a little bit. Give me a bowl of it, any sized bowl, and see what I can do.

And I like just about any hummus, but with that said they are not all created equally. Homemade is almost always the superior, (although there are some brands that I really really like), freshly made is best, heavy on the lemon is a bonus, and some kind of mix in is always appreciated.

Roasted corn hummus. Oh boy did I attack this one. A base of a traditional creamy hummus in all it’s glory, blended up with freshly picked and freshly roasted sweet corn. When whipped up together it creates a soft, almost fluffy, creamy mixtures of all the goodness. It is so freaking good and is probably going to be my repeat hummus for the foreseeable future (until the corn stops growing). It really is a stand out. The mr and the littles even loved it and that is something.

To the hummus!

The stuff. Freshly roasted corn on the cob, cooked chickpeas, tahini, some garlic cloves ,a lemon, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes , ice cubes, and a little olive oil.

Basically the only work to do. Cut corn from cob.

Add corn and garlic to food processor and pulse for a minute, scrapping down sides a few times. Add in the chickpeas, tahini, juice of the lemon, ice cubes, and red pepper flakes. Blend until nice and smooth. And that is it. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Scoop it all into a bowl and eat the hummus any way you see fit.

-C

---

Roasted Corn Hummus

makes about 3 cups

• 2 roasted cobs of corn (2 cups cut from cob)*

• 2 cups (or 1can) cooked and drained chickpeas

• 1/3 cup tahini

• 2 cloves garlic

• a lemon

• 3 ice cubes

• salt and pepper

• 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

• olive oil (optional to drizzle on at the end)

*There are many methods to cook corn so you can cook it any way you want. I just wet the corn still in the husk and pop it into a really hot oven or about 25 minutes.

Start by removing corn from the cob. Place corn and garlic into food processor and pulse for a minute, scraping down sides a couple times, until pretty blended up. Add in chickpeas, tahini, the juice from the lemon, ice cubes, and a good healthy pinch of salt and pepper and as much red pepper flakes as you want. Blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt and or pepper if needed.

Scoop into a bowl or container and drizzle with olive oil if desired.

Eat right away with cut up veggies, smeared in pita, with a spoon, or any other way you want to eat it.

Left overs can be stored in airtight container in fridge for a few days but really, who has left over hummus?

Wedge Salad

I feel like people are constantly throwing shade at iceberg lettuce. When talked about, it is always subpar with other greens in the world, that it has no nutritional value, that it is always soggy, that it is just not classy enough.

Well what I say is that iceberg is a hell of a lot more nutritional than a lot of things (like a bag of chips), that if it is soggy, well you bought it when it was no good, and that I love me some iceberg lettuce and I am classy as fuck.

The wedge, It is exactly what is sounds like, a big wedge of lettuce. Traditionally I think it is covered in a mass amount of blue cheese and bacon, but yeah, I don’t get down with that. Hummus and tomatoes ad mustard, that is how I roll. This “salad” is probably one of my all time favorite salads. Crisp and light lettuce, summer fresh tomatoes, creamy hummus, and the slight tang of mustard. I have been eating this for years and it still never stops being a favorite snack (because It really is what I snack on. And I will eat the whole head of lettuce with a few tomatoes. Nothing better on a hot afternoon). Out of all honesty though, I usually don’t eat it like a wedge, I usually just tear off a hunk of lettuce, slice a a slab of tomato, then dunk it straight into the hummus. That goes straight into my mouth and then I squirt a little mustard in there. That is class.

Now to the wedge!

The stuff. A head of iceberg lettuce (cut into wedges), hummus (store bought or home made), a couple of fresh tomatoes, scallions, yellow mustard, and pepper.

Thinly slice the tomatoes and chop up the scallions

Grab a wedge of the lettuce and stick it on a plate. Grab hummus and mix around until loose. Add a tablespoon or two or water to help loosen it if it is too thick, then slather wedge in hummus.

Layer on sliced tomatoes, add more hummus, and drizzle the top with mustard. Oh, and cracked pepper.

And then eat it. One wedge or the whole damn head. No shade from me.

-C

---

Wedge Salad

Makes 4 wedges

• a head of iceberg lettuce

• 3/4 cup homemade or store bought hummus

• 1/4 cup water(if needed)

• 2 large fresh tomatoes

• 2-3 scallions (the green parts)

• Yellow mustard

• cracker pepper

Take the head of iceberg and slam it core side down onto a hard surface. This should dislodge the core (a good trick to know) Then cut the head into 4 equal wedges and place each wedge on a plate.

Slice up tomatoes thinly and chop up the green parts of the scallions.

Grab hummus and mix around until loose. If it is really thick add water until it is the consistency of lets say, a creamy thick dressing. Take the hummus and lather each wedge. Layer on sliced tomato, then top with more hummus.

Grab mustard and drizzle (squeeze) all over each wedge. And last but not least, season with pepper.

Now eat it.

Sunflower Seed Hummus

Whatever you do, do not turn on your oven this weekend! But I guess if you have air conditioning and don't mind cranking it... well then go for it. And can I come stay with you?

But for the rest of us doing this weekend without the old A.C., we need to feed ourselves, feed ourselves without any fire because 100 degrees is no joke and any added heat from anything will likey tip us over the edge. I am already so close to that edge and it's a long way down..(Just ask the mr, he could tell you a thing or two about heat and me.. not good)

Enter hummus and veggies.

You can't really go wrong with a good hummus and veggies meal situation and sometimes it's all that can be right. I for one could eat bowls and bowls of hummus, and sometime do, so this is not a stretch for me. Especially this hummus. I knew I would like it, but man, was (was because I ate it all) it freaking delicious. The sunflower seeds really did it for me, gave it a little something extra, like a freshness that is still creamy and earthy, but is not quite, I don't know, dark as tahini?  It's kind of hard to explain without having you taste it (so make it and you tell me)  Don't get me wrong, I love tahini, but sometimes you just  got to mix it up. (Plus sunflowers seeds are dirt cheap. Tahini is not nearly as cheap so bonus there too.)  Maybe its because the sunflower seeds bring the sunshine to your mouth. A sun filled mouth of pureed seeds and beans.  Yup, that's what it is.

So here ya go, a no heat meal (or snack or spread). We got this.

The stuff.  Cooked chickpeas (no need to cook your own, canned is a okay), sunflower seeds, a lemon, a few cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, a little water, and some herby green like parsley or cilantro. 

Hummus is pretty basic, it's just stuff blended up, but because we are starting with raw sunflower seeds, we need to really bend the shit out of them until they turn into a paste, so do that, which is going to a take about 8-10 minutes. Then once its pasty, add in the garlic and the juice of the lemon and blend until its all smooth.

Could almost stop here at this point. Sunflower seed goodness all emulsified. Taste it, it is so good.

Now add in the chickpeas and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Blended until smooth with a little drizzle of water to give just the right consistency.  And that's it.

Pile a bowl full enough that you can call it dinner them top with a good amount of fresh herbs. Serve with chopped up fresh veggies or whatever you like and we are good to go.

Creamy, dreamy sunflower hummus, no heat required! 

Stay not melted!

-C

---

Sunflower Seed Hummus 

Makes about 2 3/4 cups

• 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one can) drained
• 3/4 cup raw (can use toasted)unshelled sunflower seeds
• l juicy lemon
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1-2 tablespoons ice water
• salt and pepper
• handful fresh herbs like parsley,cilantro and or dill (optional) 

Place the sunflower seeds in food processor and turn on until seeds turn into a paste, which will take about 8-10 minutes. After every few minutes, scrap the sides down to make sure it all gets blended. Once the seeds reach paste consistency, add in the juice of the lemon and the garlic. Blend until smooth. Last off, add in the chickpeas and a pinch or salt and pepper and blend until smooth, adding  in a tablespoon or two of water to get the hummus to the consistency of your liking. Once blended taste and check for seasoning (add more salt and or pepper if needed) 

When the hummus is done, scrape into bowl(s), and top with lots of fresh herbs and a sprinkle more of sunflower seeds. Now eat it. Eat with veggies, with bread, with pretzels, or with a spoon (or finger). Do what you need to do.

 Any left over, if there is any, can be store in the fridge for 2-3 days. 

Pineapple Jalapeno Hummus

I eat a lot of hummus. Like a lot. Every day, all day long. (seriously, I am always snacking on veggies dipped in hummus) So I am sorry to all around me that my breath always smells.. (I blame all the garlic in the hummus.)

Recently, during a particularly browsey grocery shop, I ended up in the hummus case (I always end up there) and found a new hummus flavor.  Pineapple jalapeno, WHAT.  I grabbed it right then and there, convinced that hummus gods were rewarding me for all of my hummus eating and have made me my very own flavor.

Got home, tossed all the groceries into the fridge and busted open the new hummus, a bag of carrots, and went at it. Oh man, it was good.(to often the store bought hummus flavors are not so great) The flavors were all there, sweet and spicy, and creamy.  It was fantastic, I ate almost all of it and I knew I had to make my own.

And I did and you know what, it was even freaking better! (Fresh it the best!)

So If you are a hummus person of any kind, this is a fantastic exciting flavor that will make you all sorts of happy.

The stuff for the hummus:  chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. And for flavor add ins,  fresh pineapple and a jalapeno pepper.

Chickpeas (rinsed and drained) go into the food processor with some tahini, the juice of the lemon and salt and pepper.. The garlic I actually pulsed in the processor first (to avoid big raw hunks) and some olive oil are also going in on this.

Blended until a smooth, creamy perfection.

Now for the fun stuff. Dice up the pineapple and remove seeds (or not) from the jalapeno and dice that up too

Toss it all (minus a few little pieces of garnish if you want) into that creamy dreamy hummus.

Pulse pulse pulse until the chunks of stuff are all incorporated . Make it super chunky or super smooth, up to you. I like mine kinda chunky, but not too chunky, if you know what I mean.

Into a big bowl, topped with a few little diced up pieces of jalapeno and pineapple, you know, for prettiness. And lots of cracked pepper.. Lots.

Now eat. With whatever ( I like veggies or just give me a spoon, Ican eat hummus all by itself)

Hummus for life!

-C

---

Pineapple Jalapeno Hummus

Makes about 2 1/2cups

• 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (one can)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup fresh pineapple
• 1-2 jalapenos
• salt and pepper

Rinsed and drain chickpeas. Add garlic and a little olive oil to the food processor and pulse until the garlic is a little minced. Add in the drained chickpeas,  tahini, a sprinkle of salt ans pepper, the juice of the lemon and another tablespoon of olive oil and blend until smooth.

Dice up pineapple into smaller chunks and remove seeds (if you want) from the jalapeno and chop that into smaller pieces . Add to the hummus and pulse until combined. You can leave it chunky or blend until smooth. Just stop blending when you reach you desired consistency . Garnish with more chopped pineapple and jalapeno and lots of freshly ground pepper.

Serve with whatever you eat your hummus with.

Store left over (there probably won't be any) in a container in the fridge.