Black Bean Hummus

Being Greek, I love hummus. In all shapes and forms. I especially love making hummus with black beans! The black beans have such a natural creaminess already that you don't even need to add tahini (but you totally can if you want). The cayenne and cumin give it a nice Southwestern flavor, and you can dip just about anything in it!

Here's my take:

Black Bean Hummus

• 1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cayenne
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cumin

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Adjust thickness or creaminess as needed with water and olive oil. Serve with extra olive oil drizzled on top, as well as some cayenne, salt, and ground black pepper. 

Serve with pita chips or whatever fresh veggies you like! This can also be used as a great spread on sandwiches. 

Italian Meatballs

Italian Meatballs- makes 8 2-inch large meatballs

• 1 Lb Lean Ground Beef, room temperature
• 1/3 Cup Bread Crumbs
• 1 Egg, room temperature
• 1/4 Cup Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a saute pan, soften onion and garlic with olive oil over medium heat for about five minutes. Remove from heat when finished. In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Work with hands until all ingredients are well incorporated. The meat should be moist, but not sticking to your hands. Form into two-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet.

Cook for about 20 minutes, or until meat is browned through (slice one ball open with a knife to be sure). 

Note- If you are serving with spaghetti sauce or red sauce, then you should put the meatballs in the sauce right after they come out of the oven. If you are serving them by themselves, then cover with tinfoil and wait a few minutes after taking out of the oven before serving.

Serve with spaghetti noodles or orzo.

Untraditional Spaghetti

Hey hey!

I love making spaghetti with untraditional flavors. Today I used herbes de provence (seems I've been making a lot with that lately ;] ) and cayenne! So good! And extra, extra fresh garlic :]

Enjoy!

Easy Homemade Spaghetti

• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 4 Small Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Small Yellow Onion, minced
• 1 Tsp EVOO
• 1 Lb Lean Ground Beef
• 2 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
• 2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tsp Kosher Salt (you'll need more if you are like me and like a lot of salt)
• 20 Ounces Canned Tomato Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste (no salt added)
• 2/3 Cup Water

In a pot with a thick bottom, melt butter over very low heat. Add garlic and cook for five minutes. Once garlic is lightly browned, add the onion and olive oil and turn heat up to medium. Season with some salt and pepper. Cook for five more minutes until onions are softened.

While onions and garlic are cooking, brown the beef in a separate pan. Once beef is finished, drain and add it to the onion and garlic. Add the herbes de provence. Stir and let cook for a few more minutes. Next, add the tomato sauce and water. Once it has heated all the way through add the tomato paste and stir until it has incorporated. Add the cayenne and remaining seasoning. Cover and let cook over very low heat for twenty minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed. 

Serve over whole grain spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente. 

Bon Appetit!

Lemony Baked Chicken

Hey guys!

So we are officially all settled into our new apartment in Atlanta! We are in love with our location. Chris is only about a mile from his school so he is able to walk to and from classes! I've been hanging out and making the house cozy. I've had to be very conscientious about the things I cook because we are on a very strict budget right now, so I've been doing a LOT of baked chicken.

Here is one of my favorites that I've made so far:

Lemony Baked Chicken with Herbes de Provence

• 1 1/2 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Fresh Ground Kosher Salt
• 1/2 Lemon, quartered
• Olive Oil
• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, about 6 to 8 oz. each
• Tinfoil

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375. 

Place chicken breasts in the glass baking dish and rub each side of the chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle each side with equal amounts of salt, pepper, and herbes de provence. Place lemon slice on top of each breast and the remaining slices in the pan. Cover with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes. Halfway through, remove the foil and spoon liquid from bottom of the baking dish over the chicken. Cook uncovered for the remaining time. 

Let sit for five minutes before serving. 

I served with boiled potatoes and asparagus with hollandaise sauce. You can find the recipe for hollandaise sauce here: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-asparagus-with-hollandaise-recipe/index.html

Note: For the hollandaise sauce, I cut the recipe in half. You can save the remaining sauce for eggs Benedict in the morning ;]

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I love tacos! They are one of my favorite things to eat! I love their versatility. Traditional ground beef tacos are one of my favorite things on the planet. I used to buy the packaged taco dinner kits like crazy, until I realized that *the seasoning is loaded with MSG*. I am pretty good with recreating dishes, so one night I was craving tacos but didn't feel like going to the store to buy seasoning, so I made my own. Duh! So easy! I haven't bought the package seasoning since then.

And why waste the money  when you probably already have everything you need in your pantry?

UPDATE- One of my favorite Facebook bloggers (Heathen Vegan Mama) made some garbanzo bean tacos using my seasoning and said it was fabulous! So cheers to all of the vegan guys and gals- this seasoning is vegan friendly too!


Taco Seasoning- makes enough for 1 lb. meat/veggies/garbanzo beans

• 1 1/2 Tsp Chili Powder
• 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
• 1 Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Tsp Freshly Ground Kosher Salt

Combine all in small bowl. Store in airtight container until use.

Tacos

• 1 Tsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Minced Onion
• 1 Garlic Clove, Minced
• Taco Seasoning (recipe above)
• 1 Lb Meat/Veggies (I used Lean Ground Beef from Savannah River Farms. If you use ground turkey or ground chicken please be extra mindful of quality! Turkey is one of the worst offenders in chemical land!)

In a cast-iron pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced onion and minced garlic and cook for two or three minutes, until soft. Add the beef and brown it. Add all seasoning to browned beef and mix well. Adjust flavors as necessary. Turn off the heat and add a tablespoon of water, or more if needed. 

Serve with your favorite shell and toppings!

[Vegan] Black Bean Burgers with Avocado and Quinoa

Hey guys! 

So I've been experimenting a lot with flax seeds lately. Flax seeds are awesome because when combined with water they can be used as a binder to replace eggs in vegan cooking! Flax seeds also have TONS of amazing health benefits. Flax seed contains tons of soluble and insoluble fiber, it is plentiful in omega-3 fatty acids, and also contains lignans. Lignans are a phytoestrogen (plant estrogen) which are known to help prevent cancer!

As some of you may know, I attempted to make flaxseed crackers last night. It was a disaster. I used wax paper to line the pan with and they stuck to the paper and I couldn't get them off! They did taste pretty god though. ;] I'm going to try again this week but with something else to line the pan with instead ;]

Today for lunch I had a craving for black bean burgers. So I decided to give my flax seeds a second chance and I used them as the binder for the burgers instead of eggs and WHOA did that make a difference! It was delicious! The flax seeds combined with the black beans and quinoa and avocado gave off this really awesome texture and mixture of flavors. They created a nice crispy outer crust and warm, soft inside... which is how a black bean burger should be! I didn't have any onions or parsley, otherwise I would have probably thrown those in as well. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

[Vegan] Black Bean Burgers with Avocado and Quinoa
- makes 3 to 4, depending on how large or thick you make them

• 2 Tbsp Flaxseeds
• 2 Tbsp Water
• 1/4 Cup Cooked Quinoa (I used tricolor)
• 3/4 Cup Cooked Black Beans, rinsed and drained (I make my own but you can also use canned)
• 1/2 Avocado, diced
• 1/4 Tsp Minced Garlic
• 1/8 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/8 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Salt and Pepper 

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, combine flaxseeds and water. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.
2. Add to the bowl the quinoa, black beans, and avocado and stir until incorporated. Add spices. 
3. Scoop 1/3 cup of mixture for each patty. Make sure to get them nice and firm so they won't crack and fall apart while cooking! 
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil on pan. Cook patties for 2 minutes on each side. 
5. Serve over mixed greens and top with fresh parsley. 

Hope you guys enjoy!

Quiche!

So, I have an abnormal addiction to brunch food- especially when served for dinner! I love, love, LOVE quiche! Quiche is great because all you really need are eggs and a crust, and you can pretty much make whatever your heart desires with various combinations of meat (if you go for that), cheese, and most importantly, veggies.

One of my personal favorites is bacon and asparagus, with caramelized onions and gruyere. However, if you are pressed for cash, extra sharp white cheddar is a perfectly acceptable substitute as well.

Now, the most important part of a good quiche is a good crust. Quiche crusts differ from more traditional pie crusts in that they tend to be a little more crispy and do not have the added sugar. I've experimented around with several different recipes and so far my favorite omits the butter and uses olive oil instead!

Quiche Crust
 - Makes one 9" crust.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil (you may substitute canola oil but I've never tried it)
• 1/4 cup chilled filtered water

Preparation:

1. Mix dry ingredients in small bowl with fork.
2. Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl with whisk, until combined.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix together with fork.
4. Press into 9" pie crust.
5. Refrigerate until use.

Bacon and Asparagus Quiche

Ingredients:

• One quiche crust (see above for recipe) 
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup half and half
• salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 6 stalks of asparagus, blanched, chilled, and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 6 pieces of bacon 
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 small shallots, sliced 
• 1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese (You can also substitute extra sharp white cheddar or Swiss)
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 
2. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium high heat. When finished (should be cooked all the way through but not crispy), set bacon on paper towels to drain some grease off. Using the same skillet, caramelize shallots in the bacon drippings. When shallots are finished, set in a colander to drain off excess grease.
3. In a small bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in half and half, salt, and pepper. 
4. Toss bacon, shallots, and asparagus into bottom of chilled quiche shell. Sprinkle cheese evenly over. Pour egg mixture over all of the other ingredients. 
5. Place quiche in preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until firm. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

I suggest to serve alongside a baby arugula salad tossed in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.