Week 4: Black Bean Hummus

This is Abby's recipe. It's so yummy! We ate it with tortilla chips and pita bread.

We made the recipe doubled, and Abby sprinkled in some more chili powder after we tasted it. Also, instead of using two tablespoons of lemon juice, we used the juice of half of a lemon and half of a lime. We also didn't garnish it with paprika or olives.

INGREDIENTS

1 clove garlic

1 (15 oz.) can black beans; drain and reserve liquid

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 Tbsp. tahini

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or chili powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

10 Greek olives

DIRECTIONS

Mince garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Add black beans, two tablespoons reserved liquid, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper; process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add additional seasoning and liquid to taste. Garnish with paprika and Greek olives.

Week 3: Shepherd's Pie

This week's recipe for Shepherd's Pie comes from Rachel Ray. Thanks, Rachel!

Just a few notes:

1) I used cream for the mashed potatoes. Lighter version...ha.
2) I put a few cloves of garlic (peeled) into the potatoes before I boiled them. It actually surprised me that Rachel didn't have garlic in her recipe.
3) I didn't put chopped parsley on top of the finished pie. I figured that was merely for decoration, and that wasn't important to me this time.
4) This was yummy the first time, but also reheated. Especially with ketchup! And I can't tell you the wonders it did as a breakfast after a late night out!

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 3/4 pounds ground beef
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
1/2 cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.
Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

Week 2: Abigail's Delicious Granola

This week we made some yummy granola a la Abby! She walked me through making it myself since she has made it before. It is scrumptious...

INGREDIENTS

2 c. oats
1 c. almonds
1/4 c. sesame seeds (we didn't use these)
1/2 c. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 c. coconut
1/4 c. toasted wheat germ
1/4 c. flax seed
1/2 c. raisins (we didn't use these either)
1/2 c. dried fruit (we used 1/2 c. dried cranberries)
scant 1/4 c. cooking oil
1/2 c. honey

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1) Mix oats, nuts, and grains in a bowl.
2) Pour oil in and use same measuring cup to pour honey in.
3) Toss together, and pour onto baking pan.
4) Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. (Toss every 10 minutes.)
5) After baking, mix in dried fruit and let cool.

Week 1: Black Bean Chili

This week Abby and I decided to make chili (okay...I decided, and Abby graciously complied). Hopefully this will be our last week of cold before spring finally sets in...

The recipe called for ground chicken, but I substituted lean ground turkey since they didn't have ground chicken at Walmart.

Spoon it over rice, ladle it into a mug, serve it with corn bread or nachos, or crumble in some crackers. Anyway you serve it, this hearty chicken chili is savory and satisfying and sure to soup up your supper. (We chose to eat it with corn muffins and tortillas.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil


• 2 large onions, chopped (yes...this a lot!)


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground chicken


• 1 can diced tomatoes


• 3/4 cup ketchup


• 2 Tbsp. Mexican chili powder


• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin


• 1 tsp. crumbled dry oregano


• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper


• 1 tsp. salt


• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ground chicken and continue cooking, stirring to break up the clumps, for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Add diced tomatoes (and all the juice from the can), ketchup, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring once in a while. Add beans and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately or refrigerate to serve later; it reheats beautifully.