Pizza Hummus/Hummus Pizza

I eat a lot of hummus.

Nay, I eat a lot of chickpeas. Sweet, savory, whatever; they are excellent in so many ways.

My go-to hummus is chickpeas, lots of garlic, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and Greek oregano. Today, I was craving something a little different. I was inspired by this recipe, but didn't have nutritional yeast on-hand so I knew it wouldn't taste exactly like pizza. Oh and fyi, nutritional yeast is VERY different from brewer's or active dry yeast so don't consider substituting.

But what I came up with is very tasty and definitely Italian-inspired. You could either call it pizza hummus, or use it as a base to make hummus pizza. Spread it on a rice cake or English muffin and top with cheese, olives, etc.



Yummy!

Pizza Hummus/Hummus Pizza Recipe:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained mostly (reserve like a tbsp or 2 of the liquid)
• 1-1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 heaping tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp roasted garlic powder (or a couple garlic cloves)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt/pepper

Blend it all up and serve in a million-and-one ways.

Perfect Chili

First, apologies there are only two photos and they're terrible. I was literally taking them with one hand while using the other to eat because I was STARVING and this sh** is fantastic.

But I guess that's a good sign.

I must say that chili (specifically my mom's chili) is my favorite comfort food. I like it a little soupy, very spicy and with meat and beans. I've made several batches of chili, but this one is by far my favorite. I think it's because of the addition of ranch-style beans instead of the usual kidney. As always, it could have been spicier, but that's why they invented Louisiana Hot Sauce. It goes on everything, but it's made for chili. Give this a try.

Slow Cooker Chili Recipe:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground sirloin
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks + leaves, chopped
• 4 Thai chiles, diced (would have used fresh jalapeno but was out. Really enjoyed the flavor these Thai chiles provided)
• 1 can ranch-style beans
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth (more or less depending on how chunky/soupy you like it)
• 1 fresh tomato, diced
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tsp Worcestershire powder (optional, but I liked the addition)
• 1 tbsp oregano
• salt to taste
• Louisiana Hot Sauce (optional)
  

Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When no longer pink, drain the juices and add the onion, celery and chiles. Then add 1 tbsp chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and just a dash of salt. Cook together for a couple minutes.

Combine the beans, tomato sauce, fresh tomato and remaining spices in the slow cooker. Add the meat mixture and stir. Add the chicken broth (to your liking) and a couple dashes of salt. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Serve with warm corn bread or biscuits. Let stomach snuggling commence.

Spicy Spicy Udon

One word: yikes.

This udon soup was spicy. I love me some spicy food, and in fact, may be a little addicted to it, but I think next time I'll hold back on this one.

It was absolutely delicious, but could have done without the snot and sweat dripping down my face as I ate. And the post-meal spicy hallucinations.

I'll share the original recipe, but seriously, I would either hold back on the chile paste or the habanaro. Not sure how much flavor it will take away, but ye be warned.

Spicy Spicy Udon Recipe:

• 1-2 chicken breast
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp red chile paste
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp fish sauce
  
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 celery stalk + leaves, chopped
• 1 bunch enoki or clamshell mushrooms (sold at Asian markets; any mushrooms will do)
• 1 habanero with seeds, diced
  
• 2 tsp coriander
  
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp black pepper

Combine everything in slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours (for stove-top, cook chicken first and then combine in a large stock pot; bring to boil and simmer for an hour). When ready, cook package of udon noodles according to directions. Serve noodles in bowl and top with soup; garnish with fresh basil and green onion.

The Best Chocolate Ice Cream

I just had ice cream for breakfast.


And I don't even care because it was...wait for it...good for me!

Seriously, this ice cream has the richest chocolate flavor I've ever tasted and it's fat free. How is that even possible?

I was inspired by this easy vegan trick, but made my own edits. Now to me, this tastes nothing like bananas. But if you really hate the little suckers, then you might catch a hint of banana flavor.

I buy bananas every week and though I usually eat one for breakfast every morning, some weeks I just end up with leftover, brown bananas. I used to always make banana bread or some other baked treat but now I've started to peel, slice and freeze them for later uses. Really comes in handy.

Go make this and tell me that it doesn't taste delicious and totally not fat free.

Rich and Healthy Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe:

• 1 frozen banana, pre-sliced
• 1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp berry jam (this added a great flavor profile and sweetness, but you could just use sugar, honey or any other kind of jam or jelly)
  

Combine everything in a blender until smooth. Depending on the size of your banana, you might need to add a couple ice cubes. If it's too runny, pour into a shallow container and place in the freezer for an hour. Grab a spoon and dig in!

Obviously I could not wait to eat mine, which is why it's still kind of runny. So good though.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peanut M&Ms

Happy belated Valentine's Day!

Are you hung over from rich food, chocolate and wine like me? Good. It's nice to indulge once in awhile.

Instead of getting my significant other a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a teddy bear, I decided to go with things I know he'd like much better: cookies and beer. There's no better way to a guy's heart than with a 6-pack and homemade chocolate chip cookies. Well maybe a 6-pack and ribs or bacon. But you gotta have something a little sweet on this Hallmark holiday. I, on the other hand, love all the traditional flowers, candy and crap.

Now onto these cookies...

Oh, these glorious cookies...

I much prefer a soft, thick chocolate chip cookie than the flat, crisp ones. If you're like me, then this recipe is perfect. The ratio of baking powder to soda is what gives the cookies a fluffier, chunkier texture. I added the peanut M&Ms to make it more Valentines-y, but this is definitely my go-to choco chip cookie recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookie w/ Peanut M&Ms Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flower
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter, room temp
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large, cold egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips in these cookies and definitely didn't measure)
• 1 cup peanut M&Ms
  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease two baking sheets.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In another large bowl, beat the sugar, butter and vanilla until nice and light, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, add the egg and beat until well incorporated. Add half of the dry ingredients, beat/stir and then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Finally, dump in your chocolate chips (and peanut M&Ms!) and combine.

Size is up to you, but I made about tablespoon (tbsp and 1/2) sized dough balls. The peanut M&Ms do not incorporate well because they're so big, so you'll probably just have to stick about two randomly in each cookie dough ball. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden on the top.

Now that's true love ;)

French Toast Donuts

These really do taste just like French toast. It's crazy!

I guess it's not actually that crazy, given the ingredients lend themselves to the taste of French toast.

So tasty; give them a try!

French Toast Donuts Recipe:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg or allspice
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease your donut pan. If you don't have one, well then you can't make French toast donuts. But you could make French toast bread in a loaf pan or muffins!

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine all the wet ingredients including maple syrup. Mix the wet into the dry until well combined. Spoon the mixture into your donut pan. This recipe makes about 6 donuts with a little batter left over (throw it in a ramekin or silicone muffin cup). Bake for about 10 minutes.

Let cool slightly and then dredge in powdered sugar.

The donut will absorb most of the sugar by the time it's completely cooled, so you'll probably want to sprinkle more when you serve.

This looks more like French toast anyway, right??

Red Velvet Cookies

Would you believe me if I said I did NOT make these because it's almost Valentine's Day?

You should, even though I thought it was a neat coincidence.

I made these for the soft launch of a new food truck, Yume Burger, that my co-worker hosted. Since the event was that evening, I needed a recipe in which I already had most of the ingredients on hand. I first settled on a chocolate thumbprint with cream cheese center, but since I had whipped cream cheese instead of the solid block, I consulted the Interwebs to see if I could still use my standard cream cheese icing recipe. Upon typing "cream cheese" in the Google search bar, red velvet recipes popped up everywhere. Thus I got the idea to make my chocolate cookies red! I skipped the thumbprint idea after seeing how beautiful and cracked they came out and decided just to add a dollop of icing and some red sprinkles.















And whatever, they are cute and perfect for Valentine's Day.
















Red Velvet Cookies w/ Cream Cheese Icing Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 extra large egg (if you only have a large egg, the dough might be too crumbly so add 1 tbsp of milk)
• 1 tbsp red food coloring
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 8 oz whipped cream cheese
• 4 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk
• Mix all together until smooth. Add more or less of any ingredient depending on your taste/consistency preference (I wanted something a little more like icing than frosting, so I added milk).
  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. In large bowl, combine oil and sugars. Beat until well combined. Add egg and mix until incorporated. Add in food coloring, vanilla and vinegar and combine. Finally, gently beat in the dry ingredients until all incorporated well. Roll tsp size balls in the palm of your hand and place on a greased baking sheet. These spread a little, so make sure they have room on the pan. I baked mine for about 12 minutes and I think they came out a little too hard. I would shoot for 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely and then top with icing and sprinkles!

Recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Warm and Cozy Pho

Looks like winter finally decided to show up in Texas this February.

Well, the high is 52 degrees Fahrenheit, but brrr that's cold to me.

I think the perfect food when it's cold is soup (or stew or chili).

I ventured to a gigantic Asian market yesterday and found all sorts of fresh produce and weird goodies. I thought the best application of all this loot (cilantro, basil, thai chiles, bean sprouts, etc) would be to throw it all together in a big bowl of pho.


With pho, it's all about the broth, but the fresh veggies are the icing on the cake. I also threw in a big chicken breast for extra flavor and protein. As with most recipes, this could easily be made on the stove instead of slow cooker.

Chicken Pho Recipe:

• 1-2 chicken breast
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp jalapeno powder
• dash of freshly cracked black pepper
• 6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

• 1 pkg rice noodles (thin, flat, broad, whatever you like)
• 2 handuls fresh spinach
• Handul fresh cilantro
• Handul fresh basil
• Handul fresh bean sprouts
• 1 fresh jalapeno, sliced
• srirachi sauce

Put the first set of ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Then, remove the cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves, shred the chicken and add the spinach to let it wilt. Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles according to package directions. When both are ready, serve in bowls and top with the remaining fresh ingredients.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

That's quite a title.

But fitting because this is quite a dessert.

Let's see, it's got all the makings of a delicious chocolate chip peanut butter cookie, but more dense in bar form. Which basically just equals more cookie.

Umm yes.

It is not my own creation though. Took it from this genius, who has many other great recipes. Check out the site for this recipe.

That recipe doesn't call for peanuts, but who doesn't love a little extra crunch? Well actually, I guess most people since chunky peanut butter isn't very popular. Oh well! I added about 1/4 cup chopped peanuts. I think it probably made the bars more salty, so if you do add peanuts, I'd either throw in some extra sugar or use less salt.

I dare you to give this a whirl and not be tempted to eat the raw batter :)

Curried Chicken Salad

It's pretty unusual for me to be making chicken salad. I've never really liked it or tuna salad, probably because I hate mayonnaise. But, I found a loophole to using that stuff: plain yogurt! Similar texture, different (better) taste and waaay better for you. To make it "curried" you could add any blend of spices you want (or just the generic "curry powder"). We have a Punjab Curry mix that I used instead of making my own. Throw a few other ingredients in there and slap it on some bread. I accompanied with some homemade (failed) sweet potato chips.

Curried Chicken Salad Recipe:

• 3 chicken breasts, cooked, cooled and diced
  
• 1 green apple, diced
• 1/4 cup cashews, dry roasted and chopped (walnuts or almonds would be good)
  
• 1/3 cup dates, chopped (raisins would be good)
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 green onion, diced
  
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp paprika
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

Baked Sweet Potato Chips Recipe:

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  
• 1 tsp olive oil

Cook the chicken however you see fit. I brought about a cup of water, dash of salt, black pepper and paprika to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken breast, cover and simmer for 8 minutes. Turn off heat and keep covered in pan for 20 minutes. Place in fridge to cool.

So about these sweet potato chips...I do not recommend making them unless you have a mandolin. I thought my bf's serious knife skills would do the trick, but these puppies have to be factory even. He cut them at least 1/8 inch thick, and some still came out burnt while others were underdone. Oh well. Thankfully I love sweet potatoes so it still tasted good. Toss the slices, spices and oil together and bake in a 400-degree preheated oven for about 15 min. Watch them closely!

Throw the cashews in a pan and heat up for a few minutes, just to release some of the natural oils and flavor. Chop em up.

Add all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Serve on toasted bread with fresh lettuce and the chips.

Chicken salad: yay. Sweet potato chips: nay.