Random Recipes #2

Oh my goodness! These were super yummy - R raved!

I found this recipe in some magazine while I was running last week (obviously I wasn't running too fast... and do you still lose the calories when you're reading about food?!??!)

Anyway... these are Stuffed Peppers

I love stuffing bell peppers- I've done red & green ones with twice baked potatoes at Christmas time & orange & yellow & green ones for Thanksgiving stuffed with potatoes & smoked gouda cheese.

For this yummy summer recipe try the following:

1. Wash bell peppers & cut one side off of them. (You might need to barely shave off the bottom half to make it stable.)

2. Dice 1-2 roma tomatoes & green onions

3. While you are cutting veggies, cook cousous- I love the pine nut flavor but you could do any flavor (cook time is 5 min I believe)

4. In a bowl, toss couscous, roma tomatoes, several ounces of feta (yummmy) chesse, a little bit of olive oil, onions, pinch of kosher salt, pinch of black pepper (freshly ground), & fresh basil (wash & chop - I used maybe 5-7 leaves)

(I love basil & grow it all summer so that I have it readily available. It grows great all over TX & I use it almost every night in something!)

5. Stuff the peppers with the couscous mixture & then grill until cheese is melted & peppers have nice grill marks (maybe 8-12 min).

YUMMY!

I also make hummus all the time! We really love mediterranean food around our casa. Homemade hummus is better for you than store bought, lasts longer, is cheaper & is so much tastier! (A friend who travelled to Israel last year tasted it & said it is just as good as the real thing in Israel! Now that's a compliment!)

I make this about every 8-10 days & we'll eat on it all week long. It's great to have on hand for when someone drops by too - goes great with crackers, pretzels, & fresh veggies. It also makes an easy, cool side dish for a hot day - just chop some bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, & cucumbers. I even eat it for lunch sometimes with a side of tuna. It's super healthy & loaded with protein - so get your kids hooked!

I got this recipe from my mom who got it from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa).

1. In a food processor, chop/puree 2 cans of drained garbanzo (chickpea) beans (reserve the juice for later)

2. Add the juice of 2 large lemons - I recommend using a citrus squeezer to avoid seeds in your hummus. Also, I've used the bottled lemon juice before but fresh lemons are so much better.

3. Add a few dashes of tabasco, a few pinches of kosher salt, & about 4-5 cloves of minced garlic (I never measure when I cook - so it's about 1 big spoonful of minced garlic.)

4. Add about 1/4 c of tahini paste (a couple of spoonfulls) (this is hard to find but is generally on the pb aisle at HEB or at your local natural foods market/health food store. Albertson's does not carry it. It's kind of expensive (about $8) but a jar will last you through about 5 recipes. Plus, think of the money you are saving by not buying the pre-made kind all the time! If you can't find tahini paste- use 1-2 TBS of sesame oil. Do not mix your sesame oil with tahini paste- I tried this last week & it made it too runny.)

5. Puree all in the food processor. Hummus tastes great in this original flavor or at this point, you could add black olives and/or roasted red pepper into the food processor. I did this yesterday & the result was yummy! Get creative with your flavors!
6. Put it in a bowl to serve immediately or in tupperware for storage in your fridge. Sprinkle with paprika & if you so desire, toasted pine nuts & a sprig of rosemary (optional - for when you're going for the fancy look - in which case, don't put it in tupperware.)

Enjoy! I'm off to eat it up, myself!