Roasted Garlic Hummus

I know, hummus AGAIN?!?!  But as all of you know, I am obsessed.  You can find lots of recipes on my site for mind-blowing hummus.  Most likely you have even made a batch or three.  I like to remind people to MAKE YOUR OWN!!  Have you ever noticed how expensive it is to buy?  Especially in the large containers where marketers claim you are getting a great deal.  Yup, and you even get those fillers, stabilizers, GMOs and preservatives to boot!  This easy recipe will not break your bank and I guarantee you and your family and friends will love it to the last drop.  They will probably ask you for the recipe. Get it here.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

2 sixteen ounce cans organic garbanzo beans

1/3 cup tahini

1/2 cup olive or canola oil

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

Juice of 4 small meyer lemons

6 cloves roasted garlic

Sea salt and black pepper (to taste)

Roast peeled whole garlic cloves at 475 degrees F on cookie sheet for 15 minutes.  Remove and set aside to cool.

Drain garbanzo beans and add to food processor.  Add lemon juice, tahini, cumin, sea salt, black pepper and garlic. Puree until smooth and drizzle in oil while machine is running.  Taste test for seasoning levels and adjust to taste.  Too salty?  Add more lemon juice.  Too lemony?  Add more sea salt.  Transfer hummus to large glass vessel and store covered in fridge until ready to serve.  Voila!  Easy as pie!

Roasted Summer Vegetables 101

Tired of unevenly roasted boring vegetables?  Here are a few tips sure to have you and your dinner guests drooling over your veggie party platter.

Tip #1 Parchment Paper is your new best friend

Tip #2 A little oil, salt and pepper go a long way

Tip #3 Add fresh chopped yellow onion and a lion's share of whole garlic cloves to give vegetables a flavor kick

Tip #4 Use high heat and a timer

Tip #5 Allow veggies to cool before tossing with salad and cooked whole grains like rice, pasta, couscous and quinoa

This succulent and versatile summer veggie blend is made up of zucchini, summer squash, yellow onion and garlic. Veggies got tossed in 1 tablespoon of canola oil and sprinkled with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Spread out in to one even layer on a large peice of parchment paper on your largest baking sheet.  Bake at 475 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool on baking sheet to desired temperature.  Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.  Store unused portion in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Easy Goddess Green Beans

This recipe was adapted from my Godmother, Sondra. It is so simple to prepare and yet extremely complex in flavor. I strongly suggest dressing up your next batch of green beans with the following recipe.

I am being pretty imprecise with measurements because it all varies based on the size of batch you are making and what strength of seasonings suits your individual palate. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Easy Goddess Green Beans

1 bunch of fresh green beans (ends trimmed)
Splash of olive or canola oil
Splash of tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 inch nub of finely grated fresh ginger
1-2 cloves finely grated fresh garlic
Water (for steaming beans)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Splash of Agave syrup (optional, I usually don't add this but it does make it more appealing to kids and picky spouses, when you do) :)

Steam green beans in an inch or two of salted water just until fork tender (should be a tad bit crunchy). Transfer beans to a collander and run cold water over them to stop cooking process.

Return beans to the warm pan you used to steam them and toss with oil, tamari, garlic, ginger and agave. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Can be served warm or at room temperature. They get tastier as they hang out and all the flavors marry one another. A real crowd pleaser for a potluck party. Enjoy!

Easy Goddess Green Beans