The Name Sounds Silly, but the Food is Good!

Right before Christmas, I heard Nigella Lawson on NPR, talking about some of her favorite quick dishes for the holidays.  In her NPR piece, she mentioned her latest favorite, Peanut Butter Hummus--a recipe that also appears in her newest book, Nigella Kitchen.

I am not the biggest fan of tahini--the sesame paste that usually gives hummus it's flavor--so using peanut butter in place of tahini (essentially sesame butter) sounded perfect.  After hearing the interview, I pulled the recipe off the internet and whipped this up for appetizers for my Christmas dinner.

Peanut Butter Hummus was a hit!  It had a nice texture, smooth flavor, and was a snap to make.  My mom had some a few days later on a sandwich, and she said it was delicious.

The recipe, below, makes a boat-load of hummus.  If you don't want tons of the stuff, you may want to half the recipe.


PEANUT BUTTER HUMMUS
2 x 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 garlic clove, peeled
3-5 tablespoons regular olive oil
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or more as needed
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoons table salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 - 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons peanuts, finely chopped, to serve (optional)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, to serve (optional)
breadsticks, mini pitas, crackers, tortilla chips, to serve (optional)

• Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put the garlic clove, chickpeas, 3 tablespoons oil, peanut butter, lemon juice, salt, and cumin into a food processor and blitz to a knobbly puree.
• Add 1/4 cup of the Greek yogurt and process again; if the hummus is still very thick, add another 1–2 tablespoons yogurt and the same of oil. (This will often depend on the chickpeas, as different sorts make the hummus thicker or not.)
• Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon juice and salt if you feel it needs it.
• On serving, mix the chopped peanuts with the paprika and sprinkle on top if you wish, and put an array of bits and pieces to eat with or dip in, as you see fit.

Makes enough for a party of 10
Note: The hummus can be made 1–2 days ahead. Transfer to non-metallic container, cover, and refrigerate until needed. Should be consumed within 2 days of making 

Popcorn Perfection

Quick: what are you craving? Chocolate? Fried chicken? Something salty? If you're like me, you're a salty/crunchy craver. And when it comes to finding the perfect snack, I can think of one thing: POPCORN!

When it comes to making popcorn, my absolute favorite method is to air pop using the microwave. Sure, microwave popcorn in the little bags filled with bright yellow butter are fine, passable snacks. But if you really, really want to have the best popcorn possible, you should invest in Nordic Ware's Microwave Popcorn Popper.

I've had my microwave popcorn popper for ages--so long that the lid is a bit warped. It's a snap to use: you pour in 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels, throw the lid on, then put the whole thing in the microwave. After a few minutes, you'll have perfectly popped corn without any oil or unnaturally colored flavorings.

As much as I love popcorn, I completely understand how boring plain popcorn can be. Popcorn's crying out for toppings. Here are some suggestions that go beyond the classic (and delicious) butter and salt.

Instead of salt, try:

• Old Bay
  
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
  
• Powdered White Cheddar
• Parmesan Cheese
• Chili Powder
• Dill, Italian Seasoning, or other dried herbs
• Cocoa powder and powdered sugar
• Cinnamon and sugar
  

My new favorite way of eating popcorn? Drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and then tossed with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Yum!

What's your favorite way to eat popcorn?

Make it Better: Quesadillas

Cinco de Mayo is this week, and to "celebrate" we're focusing on Mexican inspired food. Our family loves Mexican food--or, to be accurate--Tex-Mex and Americanized Mexican (though we really do appreciate the real deal, it's difficult to get up in the Pacific Northwest. Such is life!).

To start off our week of Mexican yummies, I'm focusing on a simple dish that's super quick and super easy: Quesadillas. We've all had them and know that they're basically the Mexican version of a grilled cheese sandwich. You take two flour tortillas, stuff cheese in the middle, heat it up and viola--quesadillas!

But if you want to elevate your quesadilla, you need to elevate your technique. And I've found the best way to make them. You don't need to use your microwave or oven...you only need a decent non-stick skillet.

You can fill quesadillas with anything you want. I like them plain--with shredded cheddar and jack only--but you can add deli-sliced ham (my hubby's fave), cooked chicken, crumbled bacon, leftover taco meat (ground beef, shredded beef or shredded pork), grilled veggies...anything you want. And you can also play with the cheeses you use. Anything that you can slice or shred--that melts well--will work.

Here's how to do it:

• Gather all your equipment. You need a decent non-stick skillet (large enough to accommodate your tortilla), a pastry brush, a spatula, and a clean, heavy pot (or some sort of heat-resistant, food safe weight).
• Gather all your ingredients. Have your tortillas, cheese, and filling ingredients at the ready. You'll also need kosher salt and some oil (vegetable, canola, etc. work well--you don't want olive oil for this).
• Put your skillet on medium-high heat.
  
• Prep the bottom tortilla. Using a pastry brush, brush on small amount of oil, lightly coating one side of the tortilla. Sprinkle a little kosher salt over the oil. Place the tortilla, oil side down, in the skillet.
• Add filling ingredients. Leaving about a 1/4 inch boarder, add cheese and your filling ingredients to the top of the tortilla in the skillet (I usually lay down some cheese, the meat/veggie filling, and then more cheese). Work quickly and neatly.
  
• Cover and press. Put your second tortilla on top of the filling and place your clean, heavy pot on top of this tortilla. This will press everything together and will keep the heat locked in so that it melts the cheese and crisps up the bottom tortilla.
• Cook for a few minutes. Depending on your stove and how high the heat is, keep the tortilla pressed and cooking for a couple of minutes.
• Prep the other side. Take the weight off the top of your quesadilla. Quickly brush oil on the top tortilla and sprinkle with kosher salt. Carefully flip the entire quesadilla so the top tortilla is now on the bottom. Put the pot/weight back on the quesadilla and continue to cook.
• Cut and eat. When your tortillas are golden brown (or to your liking), slide your quesadilla out of the skillet and cut into triangles using a sharp knife. Serve with whatever sides you like (I like mine with sour cream and salsa).

Try this the next time you need a quick, yummy, toasty snack. The little bit of salt elevates the normally bland quesadilla and gives it a little more flavor than normal. I also like how crispy and golden the tortillas get using this method. It really is a better way to make a quesadilla!

The Nuts and Bolts of Snacking

Growing up, we spent many Christmas nights at our aunt and uncle's house. Our aunt made tons of delicious appetizers that thoroughly and happily ruined our appetites for the main meal. One highlight each year was our uncle's Nut and Bolts.

Now, you could just buy a bag of pre-made Chex Mix. It's cheaper and easier than making it yourself, but it's nowhere near as yummy as homemade Nuts and Bolts. Like most things, the homemade version is far better than anything you'll buy in the store.

There are a ton of variations to this recipe, but here's the general outline of what you need. The beauty of a recipe like this is that it's forgiving and is easily modified to suit your tastes.

NUTS AND BOLTS SNACK MIX

3 cups Wheat Chex
3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Cheerios
3 cups pretzel sticks
1 pound unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2-3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1-2 Tablespoons Season Salt
1-2 Tablespoons garlic salt

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. In a large roasting pan, toss together cereals, pretzels, and peanuts to combine well.
3. Pour oil and Worcestershire Sauce over cereal mixture, stirring to coat well.
4. Toss in spices and stir well.
5. Cook for at least an hour, stirring every 20 minutes.
6. Allow to cool before serving. Store in the fridge; can be frozen.

VARIATIONS

• Instead of vegetable oil, try melted butter.
• Adjust the cereal, pretzel, peanut ratio to fit your preference. I like more nuts and Wheat Chex and fewer pretzels, but that's just me.
• Adjust the amount and type of seasonings. You can try celery salt, paprika, Cayenne pepper, etc....whatever you want. The last time I made this, I was a bit too heavy-handed on the salt. No one seemed to care, though!