Hummus

Oh look I still have a blog!

Getting ready for the Super Bowl and one of the things I decided to do was make Hummus for the vegetarian crowd coming to our party.  I believe Hummus is usually gluten free anyway but my recipe I made for the party exceeded my expectations in taste, and it's so simple to make!

1/4 c Tahini (sometimes called seseme tahini paste)
1 lemon - juiced
1 T ground cumin
2 garlic cloves minced (or more to taste)
1.5 cans of chickpeas drained
4 T olive oil
3/4 c hot water
Pretty much just put all the ingredients into a food processor except the hot water which you drizzle in and blend til it looks like hummus.

After you taste it if it is a little bland you can add a little more cumin and garlic.  Mine was a little bland at first and I added more of those things and it turned out amazing.  My recipe does take into account the additions of the cumin and garlic I added to the end, but I didn't have exact measurements so you may have to add a little more.  Also adding a little salt and pepper can enhance the flavor as well.

Enjoy!

Organic Milk is Better!

Dairy is one of the first things people tend to get that is organic when they decide to switch over, mostly because of availability of the items. In almost any grocery market these days you can go in and buy a gallon organic milk for not too big of a price difference from nonorganic milk. In fact many organic milk producers can easily sell twice as much as what they produce and the US has to import 10% of its organic milk from Holland. Organic milk is defined as milk from cows that graze on organic pastures and are fed hay or silage. None of the food for dairy cows can be modified using chemical fertilizers, animal byproducts, or with the addition of medication and hormones. However organic dairy cows can be administered medication on an as needed basis. Nonorganic dairy cows are regularly given synthetic growth hormones to increase their milk production, however research has shown that not only can it affect preteen onset of puberty but also increase the possibility of women to have twins. Women are have an increased chance at having twins because the growth hormones given to dairy cows affects proteins in a woman’s body that increases ovulation. When it comes to dairy it seems like a no-nonsense decision to go organic. Women are told when they are breastfeeding to stay away from a lot of various things because everything they eat or use goes directly into their breast milk. So why do we inject dairy cows with antibiotics, growth hormones, and various other things and not think that it will come out in our milk? The answer is, because we can. By injecting those things into the dairy cows they produce more milk and stay healthy longer. In the end, milk and dairy are things that are definitely worth buying organic.

Quick and Easy Chili

Intimidated by making chili? Don't be. One of the first things I made when I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease was chili. I had bought one of those chili packet mixes and discovered that it in fact had gluten in it. However I read the recipe on the back of it and thought, this packet mix really does nothing! So I just made the basic recipe from the back of the packet. It came out decent, and that became my staple for the first few months and I slowly was able to adjust it until I could make it within a half hour for pretty cheap as well.

1 lb ground meat
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 habenero or Serrano pepper, diced
TT Chili Powder
TT Garlic Powder

Brown the meat and chop it up into little pieces while browning. Once cooked or at least mostly cooked add all the other ingredients including the juices. Bring up to a boil and then let simmer for at least 15 minutes. And enjoy!

See? Super easy. And the longer you let it simmer the better it gets. If I make it for lunch I just leave it on the stove on the lowest heat and eat some more at dinner time or put it in a bowl with some shredded cheese and eat it with tortilla chips. Just store the rest in the fridge and when you reheat it, it makes even better chili dip as well as soup. A really good chili dip idea is putting cream cheese on the bottom of an oven safe pan or dish add the chili and top with cheddar cheese. And throw it into the oven to heat it up and make the cheese bubble.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

So today I had the motivation to cook soup so I could have food for a couple days. I went to walmart browsing the aisles and saw that butternut squash was on sale. So I immediately grabbed one and thought about what else I could add to it. The result omg so good! So I figured I'd share the recipe.

1 Butternut Squash
2 Sweet Potatoes
1/2 onion
1 box of chicken stock
TT Cinnamon
TT Salt
TT Pepper

I cut up the squash and potatoes to half inch blocks and julienned the onions. I added a small amount of oil to a pan and sauteed the squash, potatoes, and onion until a good aroma is coming out of the pan. I then added the chicken stock which almost completely covered all the stuff. I then brought it up to a boil then reduced to a simmer and cooked until everything was soft. I then added the spices and pureed the whole mixture together until smooth.

The end result is a blend of sweet and savory that is perfect for a cool night. One bowl easily fills you up and warms you up. Enjoy!