Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ok, so there were good and bad parts to my hummus attempt.  It was supposed to be the Hummus Trifecta, but it didn't quite turn out like that.  One perfecta, and two trashecta (yep, made that up)!  The bad first.  I made 3 flavors, only one turned out. The good.  The one that turned out was actually amazing.  And, I also discovered the secret to super creamy and smooth hummus (major good points).  So, even tho I made 3 flavors, I'm only sharing one.  The two flop flavors were Caramelized Shallot and Ginger Edamame.  The Ginger Edamame wasn't bad, it just wasn't super great.  And the caramelized shallot, well, I put way too much onion into it, turns out I don't have much shallot experience.  So that was a learning experience, shallots are concentrated onions, very concentrated.

So before we get into the recipe, here is the secret to super creamy and smooth hummus.  Last year I went though a home made hummus faze, but with each attempt I could never get it as smooth as I wanted.  It was always a little grainy, no matter how long I let the food processor go at it.  So a while back I read a recipe that said to remove the chickpeas from their shell or casings.  And there you have it.  I can tell you that buying a higher quality can of chickpeas is worth it.  I had one can of higher quality (can't remember the brand) and 2 cans of western family.  I decided to boil the beans for about 3 minutes in about 5 cups of water to loosen that casing.  The nicer beans stayed firm, but the western family mushed a little.  On to the recipe...

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

What You'll need:
2 cans higher quality chickpeas (casings removed, see above)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
2/3 cup tahini
2/3 cup water
1 jar roasted red peppers (you can find them usually by the pickles)
3/4 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup feta
1/4 cup chickpea liquid for can

In a food processor blend lime, tahini and garlic into a paste.  It gets a little thick.  Add water, olive oil, chickpeas salt, and half of the jar of roasted peppers.  Blend until very smooth, about 3 minutes.  If it still seems a little thick, add a little water or the chickpea liquid from the can.  Chop the remaining red peppers.  Pour hummus into a bowl and mix in cumin and chopped peppers.  Sprinkle top with feta.

I served the hummus with toasted pita chips.  I bought a pack of pita bread from the store, then cut it into triangles.  I split the triages into 2 pieces, placed them on a cookie sheet, and broiled until toasted.  They were crispy and chewy.  It would also be delicious with cut carrots, celery, and cucumber, or whatever your favorite veggies are.

I thought I would at least show you how yummy the trifecta looked!

This hummus was really great.  I took it to a ladies night at a friends, and it was a big hit.  The other 2 flavors were hardly touched (wonder why?).  The next morning Kam and I even ate the left overs for breakfast.  Soooo goooood.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf

I was more excited to cut into this thing and see how it looked than I was to eat it.  Kam thought I was nutzo, but hey, I'd never stuffed a meatloaf before!  And, not only did it look awesome, but it tasted just as good as it looked!  Double bonus!

What you'll need:

For the Loaf:
1 package extra lean ground turkey
4 medium mushrooms sliced
1/2 onion chopped
1 egg
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup white wine
2 teaspoons mushrooms gravy mix from packet
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian Seasoned)
1 cup baked potato chunked (Optional. I had it left over from the filling from the hollowed out potato breakfast)
Pepper

For the Filling:
1/2 cup frozen spinach after water is squeezed out (I only had fresh on hand, so I steamed it for 5 minutes, ran it under cold water, then squeezed and pressed it into a fine mesh strainer until all the water was out. Same end product.)

3/4 cup feta

1/2 cup ricotta

Pre heat oven to 350.

First, place onions and mushrooms into a medium skillet over medium high heat, add wine and a splash of olive oil and saute until everything is nice and tender and all liquid has reduced.  Add garlic and saute for another minute or until garlic is nice and fragrant.  Remove from heat and place into a large bowl.  Allow to cool for a few minutes.  Once cool enough, add potato, bread crumbs, egg, pepper and gravy. Mix with a fork until evenly combined.  Add turkey.  I mixed this everything together with my hands, use whatever tool you prefer, just make sure it's well combined.

In a smaller bowl, combine spinach, feta, and ricotta. Set aside.

Grab your favorite loaf pan and spray with cooking spray so you loaf will come out easy and not fall apart.  Place half of you loaf meat in pan and press down, working meat up the sides about 1/2 inch and flat in the middle to form a moat for filling.  Next, scoop filling into center, and spread out evenly.  It's ok if its a little heaped.  Next pile the remaining meat on top and evenly distribute to cover filling.  Make sure you take you time pushing the meat around the edges to try and seal the two halves together.  This well help you remove the loaf from the pan without it falling apart. Cover with tin foil and place in oven for 40 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking for about another 20 or until meat is fully cooked.

Remove from oven and let set for about 5 minutes.  Use your favorite method to remove the loaf from the pan.  I ran a knife around edges to loosen it, then was able to place my hand over loaf and quickly flip the pan over so the loaf was in my hand, then set the loaf on a cutting board.  Done. Slice into 1 inch pieces and serve with some steamed veggies and a salad, or a baked potato, or whatever you feel like.

This thing turned out awesome.  I was thinking that beef meatloaf filled with sautéed mushrooms and onions would be heavenly too.  Enjoy!

(Update: Had the left overs tonight, better the second day!!)