Hummus and Chutney

For years I have been buying store bought hummus because it's quite tasty and you can find it locally made and organic (at least here in Denver),  why bother making it myself?  The answer….home made is SO MUCH BETTER!   I find this to be the case time and time again, we get use to our store bought sauces, dressings, marinades etc. and forget that making your own is not only easy and less expensive,  the flavor is unbeatable!  I happened to have a couple of cans of chickpeas just waiting to become something in my pantry when I heard Booby Flay say "tahini is a main ingredient in hummus...[which is just sesame seed butter], but you could also replace it with any other nut butter you'd like…"  This piqued my interest, I never have tahini on hand but almond butter?, yep got it.  I got in the kitchen and whipped up some of the best hummus I have ever tried! Since I was indulging in an episode of Booby Flay BBQ addiction and had about a millions cherry tomatoes laying around (from my beautiful garden) I also made his tomato chutney, which was equally delicious (freezes well to boot).

The recipes below are from Bobby Flay BBQ Addiction:
I replaced the tahini with almond butter and used ciabatta instead of flat bread.

Tomato Chutney:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pints grape tomatoes
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


Hummus:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons mild curry powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed and drained again
1/3 cup tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 teaspoons honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Lemon juice, as needed
6 pieces naan
Canola oil, for brushing
Directions
For the tomato chutney: Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until very soft and slightly caramelized. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup water, the vinegar, sugar, allspice, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the tomatoes soften and the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Let cool to room temperature.

For the hummus: Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup water and cook, stirring constantly, until the water has almost completely evaporated. Stir in the cayenne and cool briefly.

Put the chickpeas, curried onions, tahini, olive oil, honey and some salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the parsley and pulse to incorporate. Season with the lemon juice and more salt and pepper if needed.

Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high for direct grilling. Brush the naan with some of the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown on both sides and slightly charred.

Spread each piece of naan with some of the hummus and top with some of the chutney.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/curry-hummus-flat-bread-with-tomato-chutney-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Beautiful Granola

Oh granola how do I love thee, let me count the ways.  I love you on yogurt, ice cream, as a topping for fruit crisps, in bar form, and straight out of the bag into my salivating mouth!  Lucky for me I almost always have the ingredients around my house to whip up a batch go granolaey goodness.  One of my favorite things about granola is the way you can switch up ingredients and create a whole new flavor.  It's also a great way to use up nuts and grains that have been laying around in your pantry for far too long.  So go ahead make some granola and count the ways you love it!

My recipe was largely obtained from the Pioneer Woman herself, Ree Drummond (I am digging her recipes lately). To access her amazingly delicious granola recipe go HERE

The changes I made were the addition of 1/2c. dried berries, OJ replaced the apple juice, and white sugar replaced brown (because I was out of apple juice and brown sugar!).  In place of wheat germ I used 1/2c almond meal and 1/2c. ground flax seed.  Feel free to mix it up with whatever nuts and grains you like best.  To quote my daughter these bars are "yum, yum, in my tum, tum!!"

 All of my goodies eagerly awaiting the toasted oats and special sweet goo….

The aforementioned goo, a delicious blend of sugar, molasses, honey and vanilla.  Heated on the stove until sugar dissolves 

Toasted oats and it smells so good! 

 

Finished product, so delightful!

 Drooling yet?

After the bars cool completely in the pan I removed the foil and cut them into bars.

These can easily be broken up further into small chunks for other mass consumption.  I did most of mine in bars and chunked up about a pint.  These also freeze nicely, for later indulgence.

Hope you like them as much as we did! 

Tomato Tips

 I picked 48 medium tomatoes from my garden yesterday and 3 pints of cherry tomatoes, no exaggeration.  It can be easy to get overwhelmed this time of year when the gardens are really pumping out the goods.  Since I have not jumped into the canning world (yet) the freezer is my best friend and I have a few tips below for any of you wanting to preserve summer ripeness all winter long.  It doesn't get much better on a cold and snowy day to pull some tomatoes out of the freezer, close your eyes and dream of summer.  Move over San Marzano's, my freezer tomatoes will rock your socks off! 

TIP #1

Freezer tomatoes 

(to be used just like canned tomatoes)

This is one of my favorite ways to preserve tomatoes, because they are so versatile.  Set a large pot of water on the stove and heat to a slight boil.   Next, cut an X on the bottom of each tomato.  With a large slotted spoon gently place tomatoes in water,  they must be fully submerged.  Work in batches if you have lots of tomatoes (like me!).  Remove from water after 60 seconds. 

Allow tomatoes to cool.  Gently peel off the skins of each tomato and place on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet.   Place in freezer until tomatoes are completely frozen (think, mini bowling balls).

Once tomatoes are frozen remove from pan and double (or even triple) wrap them.  I wrap in saran wrap then place in a freezer bag, then another freezer bag (this helps prevent freezer burn).  Label and store in freezer for up to 6 months!  Use in soups, marinara, braising, crock pot recipes…the list goes on and on and on!

TIP #2

Oven roasted cherry tomatoes

 Set oven to 250 degrees. Thoroughly wash and and dry your cherry tomatoes (I have about 3 pints here).  Halve them and toss with olive oil (about 2T.) salt and pepper 3 whole peeled cloves of garlic, and 1t. of dried thyme.  You could add any type of herbs here but I would suggest using dried herbs because of the duration of time in the oven. 

Place tomatoes and garlic on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet.  Make sure they are in a single layer.  Use 2 sheets if needed.  Place in the oven for 3-4 hours.  You are looking for very little juice to be left in the tomatoes.  They should be chewy and delightfully sweet.

These taste just like candy and are great in salads, on sandwiches, soup garnish,  and whatever else you would add sun dried tomatoes to.  Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or place in an airtight container for 3+ months in the freezer.