5 minute hummus

what's for breakfast? i am terrible about cooking breakfast- so not a morning person! 

we are trying out non-breakfast foods for breakfast since we aren't big fans of the traditional stuff (although i love a good waffle). but when ry requested hummus i was thrilled since i could make it the night before and he could have breakfast right away without waiting for me to make it. this recipe is so easy and good- no excuses not to make it now! 

5 Minute Hummus 

Makes 1 1⁄2 cups

Total Time: 05m

Ingredients

• 1  15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1  clove  garlic
• 1⁄4  cup  olive oil, plus more for serving
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons  tahini (sesame seed paste; optional)
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• kosher salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  paprika

Directions

1. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas and garlic with the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini (if using), cumin, and ¾ teaspoon salt until smooth and creamy. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

2. Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the paprika before serving.

Tip

This dip can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutritional Information

Calories 145; Fat 12g; Sat Fat 2g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 335mg; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 8g; Sugar 1g; Fiber 2g; Iron 1mg; Calcium 19mg

ryan's pizza

a messy but delicious pizza dedicated to ryan

ry decided to avoid all cow products (so lots of dairy bye-bye) but goats cheese is still alright

so i made up a pizza topped with some of both our favorite veggies

Ry's Pizza

pizza dough

1 avocado diced 

1 roma tomato sliced 

1 orange bell pepper sliced into thin strips 

1/2 cup of yellow onion chopped

1/4 cup goat cheese

salt & pepper

olive oil

cornmeal

preheat oven to 430 degrees (or follow the pizza dough specific directions)

heat up some olive oil in a pan. add the chopped onion and orange bell pepper. saute till onion & bell pepper are soft. set aside to cool. 

roll out the pizza dough into desired shape. sprinkle cornmeal onto a baking sheet. place rolled out dough onto baking sheet. top with cooled bell pepper & onion mix. sprinkle on crumbled goat cheese. 

bake for 25 mins. 

remove pizza out of oven. top with avocado & tomato.

drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on some salt & pepper. 

slice and enjoy!

deceptively delicious turkey chili

first of all im a terrible photographer and second, chili is a tough food to photograph- am i right?
but this chili is one of my favorite winter dinners. its easy to whip together and perfect for cold nights. the best part is that the recipe is on the lighter side. the recipe is from jessica seinfield's cookbook Deceptively Delicious. 


Turkey Chili by Deceptively Delicious

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 lb ground lean turkey or beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (15 oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 (26 oz) carton reduced fat low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup red pepper puree (we used 1 cup chopped red pepper)
• 1/2 cup carrot puree (we used 1 cup chopped carrot)
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed
• 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Coat the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the turkey with garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Add the turkey to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until the turkey is no longer pink, 5-6 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes. Add the broth, pepper puree, carrot puree, cornmeal, and flax seed. Stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes or until the flavors have blended. Stir in the beans and cook a little longer, just to heat through.

im a fanatic- Fried Rice

what's my favorite savory food? easy peasy. its fried rice. so good- i could eat it everyday and not get sick of it. its kind of embarrassing. like how i make a batch and mysteriously 1/2 of it is missing by the time dinner comes around. yes its that good.

fried rice is supposed to be eaten alone as a snack, but i do like paring it with simple steamed veggies or potstickers that are not too complex so that the flavor the fried rice doesn't get covered up.

peanut oil really makes this dish sing but veggie oil works too. to make this dish vegetarian just use veggie broth instead of chicken broth and boom its awesome. be sure to use day-old rice here; if you use fresh cooked rice it will be too sticky/gloopy/ not yummy. i suggest making some rice in the morning and leaving it out on the counter to cool then transferring it to the fridge to dry out. then when dinnertime comes you got rice for fried rice!

do you own a rice cooker? i know alton brown says its not necessary, but hey i grew up with 3 rice cookers in our house- why did we need that many? i don't know, but it always made rice perfect so it became a need for me. and im Asian- its just a staple in most Asian cooking households right?

there are zillions of variations to fried rice but this is my very favorite. fried rice by Rose Cheng.

Basic Fried Rice

from Chinese Cookery  

After adding the rice, experiment and stir in your favorite diced cooked meat or vegetable.

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

5 Tbsp. lard or peanut oil

1 cup chopped green onions

4 cups cold cooked rice

2 Tbsp. chicken broth

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. sesame oil

Beat eggs with 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Heat 2 Tbsp. lard or peanut oil in a wok over medium heat 1 minute. Pour in beaten eggs. Stir continuously until eggs are cooked dry and separated into small pieces.

Remove cooked eggs from wok and set aside. Heat 3 Tbsp. lard or peanut oil in wok over medium-high heat 1 minute. Add green onions and rice. Stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, remaining salt and soy sauce. Stir to mix well. Stir in cooked eggs, pepper and sesame oil. Serve hot. Makes 4-6 servings.