Super Bowl Apps!

“We’re not here to cause no trouble.  We’re just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle.”  Does anyone else immediately sing that when they think about the Super Bowl?  No?  Just me?  Huh.  Yes, I know that was the Chicago Bears, who won’t be playing this Sunday, but I still sing it each and every time I think about the Super Bowl.  Maybe that is because I don’t think about the actual game, who is playing, who will win, etc.  I’m just in it for the food, folks.  Especially since the Niners aren’t playing.

The Super Bowl is a huge food day for me.  Why, you ask?  Because it is usually straight finger foods.  All apps, the whole time.  That is a day I can get behind.  I don’t care what sport they are playing.  This could be the biggest Curling tournament of the year, and I would still be excited.  Because I get to eat my body weight in Buffalo wings.

But I will leave the Buffalo wings to someone else.  Seriously, Travis….provide the Buffalo wings.  My menu this year for the big day is:

Irish Nachos with a Chipotle Cheese Sauce

Cheesy Beer Dip with Pretzels

BBQ Short Rib Sliders

Blue Cheese and Bacon Coleslaw

Loaded Brownies

Are you hungry yet?

I will start by showing you how to make the Cheesy Beer Dip.  This dip is a warm dip that should be kept warm in a mini slow cooker or fondue pot.  It is a yummy combination of beer, cheese, and mustard.  Seriously, perfect for pretzels.

For this dip, I used a brick of processed cheese, a beer, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and smoked cheddar jack.  Go ahead and laugh at the Velveeta.  But let’s be honest here….it melts like nobody’s business.  I know you might also laugh at my choice of beers.  I would prefer a dark beer here, but this was what I had.

I was lucky enough to find a smoked cheddar jack.  You can use either a smoked cheddar or mozzarella.  Your choice.

I diced my brick o’ processed cheese for easier melting.

I melted my processed cheese cubes in the beer.  Once the cheese was melted and smooth, I added in the mustard, Worcestershire and smoked cheddar jack.

This takes about 10 minutes over medium-low heat.  You don’t want the heat to high on this or the bottom will burn, and you will have weird brown chunks in your dip.

Once it is all smooth, let it cook for an additional 10 minutes to thicken.  Stir occasionally, you really want this smooth!!

I kept my dip warm in a mini slow cooker.  If you can’t keep it warm, just put it back on the stove a few times and re-heat it.

What goes better with pretzels then beer, cheese and mustard?  This dip is smoky, melty and delicious.  And you can totally taste the beer, which is the best part!  Super boy friendly too.

Soft pretzels would be yummy with this too!

My next appetizer is my Irish Nachos with a Chipotle Cheese Sauce.  What are Irish Nachos you ask?  They are nachos, but instead of using chips, I used potatoes.  Waffle cut fries to be exact.  Were you expecting some sort of weird mix of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes?

I make my own nacho cheese sauce for this recipe, and it is shockingly easy.  It isn’t neon orange like nacho cheese sauces that you are used too….but it is 100 times better.

For the sauce, I used cheddar jack cheese, evaporated milk, corn starch, and one chipotle.

You could totally use all cheddar here, or even pepper jack.  I like the combination of cheddar and jack cheeses.

My chipotle is just one straight out of a can.  I diced it up, leaving the seeds.  You can use two if you like the spice.

I started by tossing my cheese with the corn starch…off the heat.  Then, I turned the heat onto medium and added the evaporated milk.

I whisked this sauce as it cooked for about 10 minutes.  At first, it will seem really weird and stringy, and you will be cursing me for steering you wrong.  Keep whisking and cooking, and it will come together as a sauce.  I promise.  At some point in all that stirring, stir in your diced chipotle.  It really doesn’t matter when.

I serve my nachos on a “Family Sized” bag of waffle cut fries.  I also topped them with salsa, red onion, sour cream and guacamole.  Usually, I would use black beans too.  And I will on Sunday!  You can top your nachos with whatever you want;)  I’m not the boss of you.

Yum!  I love nachos, and this cheese sauce puts the cans of “Que Bueno” that I usually use to shame.  So, so good.

So that was my apps.  On Thursday, I will show you how to make the rest!  I’m so ready for Sunday!

Are you ready for some football?

Ok, I will lay off the lame quotes;)

Beer Cheese Dip

16 ounces processed cheese spread, cubed

8 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, grated

12 ounces dark beer

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

2 tablespoons mustard

Add all ingredients to a medium sized pot.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cheeses are melted.  This will take about 8 minutes.

Keep warm in a small slow cooker or fondue pot.

Serve with assorted soft and hard pretzels.

Makes about 3 cups of dip

Irish Nachos with a Chipotle Cheese Sauce

1.25 lb. bag of frozen waffle fries

4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

4 ounces jack cheese, grated

1 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1 to 2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (from can), minced

½ cup black beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup tomato, diced

¼ cup red onion, diced

¼ cup guacamole

¼ cup sour cream

Bake waffle fries according to package directions.

While fries bake, place cheeses and cornstarch in a bowl.  Toss to combine.  Place cheese mixture in a medium sized pot and add evaporated milk and minced chipotle pepper.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently.  As cheese melts, it will become stringy.  Keep stirring, and cheese sauce will become smooth.  This will take about 5 minutes.

Pour cheese sauce over cooked fries.  Add remaining toppings and serve warm.

Serves 8 -10

Tapenade for my Honey

Hi everyone!  Today’s post is going to be a quick one….I have been up to some good stuff here lately.  I don’t want to say too much, but you will see what I’m talking about on Wednesday.  So anyhoo, I have been really busy, but I still wanted to squeeze in today’s blog post.

So Mr. Rooster, (Chris), loves olives.  I do not.  In fact, I really dislike them.  He is always asking me to make him some sort of olive dish.  I haven’t because I am the cook, and the cook picks what we are eating.  But then I realized that I make the kids eat things they don’t want to…..I guess I can cook something I don’t want to eat. 

Today, I bit the bullet and surprised Chris with an olive tapenade when he got home from work.  Yes, I know you can buy tapenade…but when you make it, you control what goes into it.  You can go heavy on the ingredients that you like, and a little but lighter on the ones you don’t.  For instance.....I used sundried tomatoes and capers, which I love.  I hoped they would make the olives taste better;)

 I will show you how I made my tapenade.  It was super fast….and super easy.

For my tapenade, I used mixed olives, peppadew peppers, garlic, olive oil, capers, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and champagne vinegar.

Buying all of these ingredients can be expensive, especially since you are only using about a quarter cup of each.  If you store has a “bar”, buy from there.  I did that with my peppers and olives.  That way you don’t have half a jar hanging out in your fridge for years.

I started by roasting my garlic.  I felt that would give the tapenade a really great taste.  Roasted garlic is sweet and delicious….I figured it would work in this.

I cut the top off my head of garlic and drizzled it with olive oil. I aslo sprinkled it with salt and pepper.  I wrapped it in foil and baked it for about 45 minutes.

So remember how I said this was easy?  All I did was drop everything into the food processor, including the aforementioned roasted garlic.  I blended it into “tapenade” consistency.  Super easy.

There is no need to buy a jar of this stuff.  By the time you read all the labels and pick one out…you could have made it yourself.

I know you are wondering if I liked this.  I did.  I have to admit….it wasn’t my favorite, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The capers, sundried tomatoes and artichokes really made this salty and delicious.

Chris loved it.  He said it was the best tapenade he had ever had.  So there you have it....if you like olives....you have to try this.

I served my tapenade with goat cheese and sliced and toasted baguette.  This would be great for a party.  I promise…it will totally impress your friends and family.  They don’t have to know how easy it was to make;)

While I won’t claim that tapenade is “the best thing I’ve ever had”, I did enjoy it.  I will for sure make it again….

FYI-Tapenade freezes like a champ.  It is also great on roasted chicken, sandwiches, crackers, pasta, etc.  If you like olives, I am sure you can think of a million ways to eat it.

Roasted Garlic Tapenade

¾ cup mixed olives, pitted

4 cloves garlic, roasted

¼ cup capers, drained

¼ cup artichoke hearts, drained

¼ cup sundried tomatoes, drained

¼ cup peppadew peppers

1 tablespoon champagne vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all ingredients in food processor.  Process until desired consistency is reached.

Roasted Garlic

1 head garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Cut the top off the head of garlic.  Place garlic on foil.  Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper over garlic.  Wrap foil tightly around garlic.  Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Baked Wontons!

Good morning!  Gung Hay Fat Choy!......yesterday.  Yep, I dropped the ball.  Chinese New Year was yesterday.  We celebrated here with some Chinese food for dinner.  I made fantastic baked ginger chicken wontons.  And today I am going to show you how I made them.  But….I should have shown you last week so that you could have made them yesterday too.  Like I said, I dropped the ball.  I am sorry that I have let you down.  Perhaps you could celebrate a belated Chinese New Year? 

Normally, I would fry my wontons, but in an effort to be a bit healthier, I baked them.  They still turned out great.  And there was way less mess in my kitchen.  Deep frying can be a pain in the tush, but baking wontons was crazy easy.  I will show you how I did it……

BTW-wait till you see what I put in the wontons.  I guarantee you will be surprised.

My starting line-up is chicken thighs, wonton wrappers, garlic, soy sauce, water chestnuts, green onions and Gourmet Rooster Ginger Pear spread.

Does the Ginger Pear spread surprise you?  It actually was the star ingredient.  It has a great consistency which helped bind all the ingredients.  Plus, it has a really great ginger flavor which works so well with chicken.  Ginger Pear spread……it’s not just for breakfast!

I chose chicken thighs because I prefer the flavor.  You can totally use chicken breasts if you want.  I feel that chicken thighs retain their moisture better than breasts. 

I started by dicing the chicken thighs up.  Do you see my pretty knife?  I like that the picture on it tells me “Use this knife for chicken, moron.”

Don’t worry too much about the size……everything gets thrown in the food processor in a bit.

I browned the chicken in a sauté pan.  I used a smidge of oil, and salt & pepper.  Go easy on the salt because soy sauce gets added later.  And soy sauce is salty.

I cooked the chicken for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through.  When the chicken was almost done, I added the garlic.  I wanted to cook it a little bit, but I didn’t want it to burn.

I added the cooked chicken and garlic, Ginger Pear spread, soy sauce, water chestnuts and green onions to the food processor.  I “pulsed” it until it was the right consistency.  You will see what I mean by that in the next picture………

See that consistency?  No big chunks, but not a puree. 

I used smaller size wonton wrappers.  I found mine in the produce section of my local grocery store. 

Wonton wrappers can be difficult to work with.  They like to dry up super-fast and crack.  Not cool, wonton wrappers, not cool.  Keep a damp paper towel over the pile that you are working with, and they should be fine.

I put a heaping teaspoon into each wrapper.  I sealed the edges with a bit of water.

Place the wontons on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  When you are ready to pop them in the oven, spray the tops with cooking spray too.

These bake at 400 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Even without frying, these bad boys still come out brown and crispy.  And not greasy!  Look how good those look!

I served mine with some extra soy sauce for dippin’.  The chicken, combined with the green onions, soy sauce, and Ginger Pear spread is amazing.  Even I was surprised at how good it was…..and I make the spread!  It is the perfect combination of sweet and savory.  This is a must try!

Making wontons can suck…..and I mean the actual process.  I think you should enlist some help folding and sealing.  If you don’t have help, and you get sick of forming wontons…..save the rest of the filling and make fried rice with it.  This recipe makes a ton of wontons…..about 40, so there is a strong chance you will get sick of making them before you finish the filling;)

Have a great week!  I will see you on Thursday……

Ginger Chicken Wontons

Wonton skins, about 40

1 tablespoon oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¾ lb. chicken thighs, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup Gourmet Rooster Ginger Pear Spread

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/3 cup water chestnuts, drained

1/3 cup green onion, chopped

Water for sealing

Cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large sauté pan, sauté chicken in oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.  When chicken is almost cooked, add garlic.  Sauté chicken and garlic until chicken is cooked through.

Add cooked chicken and garlic to food processor.  Add Ginger Pear spread, water chestnuts, green onions and soy sauce.  Pulse until mixture is blended, but still chunky.

Fill wonton wrappers with about 1 teaspoon of filling each.  Seal edges with water.  Place wontons on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Spray tops of wontons with cooking spray.

Bake wontons at 400 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes about 40.

Play-Off Eats!

Hi everyone!  Sorry this is a day late, but I promise…..I have a really good reason.  I am sure you heard that we had a pretty serious wildfire here in Reno yesterday.  In fact, it is still only 50% contained, but it is raining now….so that should help.  We had a record 56 days with no rain or snow, so everything was super dry.  The wind kicked up, and there was no stopping this fire, yesterday.

Let me set the scene for you…..I was at my friend Amy’s house, and she looked out her window and said “what is that weird orange cloud?”  I said “I don’t know”, pretty nonchalantly, and left to go shopping.  As I drove away from her house, I realized that the fire seems to be pretty close to where I live.  Then, I got a call from a friend telling me that the fire was said to be “racing to St. James’ Village”, which is the neighborhood behind mine.  I had Paisley with me, so I tried to stay calm, but it was tough.  I had to get to my dogs. 

As I turned down my street, I passed a line of cars leaving, evacuation route signs that I was going in the opposite direction of, many cops and fire trucks, etc.  I kept going towards my house, not really knowing where the fire was.  As I approached my house, I thought “oh, there it is” as I drove towards a wall of fire.  Turns out, it was still pretty far away, but close enough to scare the living crap out of me.  I booked it inside, grabbed my dogs and my computer and got the hell out of there.  There was a message on my answering machine telling me there was a voluntary evacuation of my neighborhood….good enough for me….I was outta there.

It’s funny, I always thought I was pretty materialistic, (I realize that isn’t a good thing), but when it came down to it, I just wanted my husband, kids and dogs.  I figured everything else was replaceable.  Turns out, my neighborhood was fine.  But my kids and I spent the night at the Peppermill anyway.  That was the bright side to this fire.  I got room service;)

The news says that 26 homes were lost to this fire.  My heart goes out to all that lost their homes.  I hope they rebuild and stay here, because it really is a great place to live.  And like I said, it’s raining now….so the fire danger is way down;)

I have two great recipes to share with you today.  I like to consider these my “play-off” recipes.  These aren’t my Super Bowl recipes yet…..Those are still to come.

My first recipe is for an “Italian Beef” sandwich.  This is a real thing.  I didn’t make it up.  They originated in Chicago.  The “beef” is a rump roast cooked in beef broth, lots of garlic and oregano, and then the meat is sliced thinly and put back in the broth mixture.  They pull the meat from the soupy pot, put it on a crusty roll and top it with jarred giardiniera, which is pickled spicy veggies.  Then, the whole thing gets a dip in the broth.  Yum.   I figured I could recreate this….and not to toot my own horn, but I did a helluva job.

For my sandwiches, I used deli sliced roast beef.  I didn’t cook my own rump roast because I don’t have a meat slicer.  Plus, that sounds hard.

I also used Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, crusty rolls, Italian Mix Giardiniera, garlic, beef broth, and fresh mozzarella.

I also used dried oregano leaves.  Somehow this little guy escaped the last picture.

In a medium sized pot, I poured in beef broth, the liquid from the Giardiniera jar, minced garlic, and plenty of dried oregano.  I also added Worcestershire sauce and salt & pepper.  I went easy on the salt because the broth is already salty.  I brought this to a simmer, and let it simmer together for about 5 minutes.

Then, I added the sliced roast beef to the pot.  I let the beef heat through….about another 5 minutes.

While the beef heated in the broth, I split a crusty roll, put a little Dijon on, and added some fresh mozzarella.  I broiled this in the oven until the edges were brown and the cheese was melty.

Then, I put some of the beef in the sandwich.  I topped that with some chopped giardiniera.

The whole thing got a dip in the broth.  Yep, the whole thing.  This is messy, but so crazy good.  It helps if your bread is super crusty…..this will keep the sandwich from just getting soggy.

Chris thought this was one of the best sandwiches he had ever had.  I did too, but I throw that around a lot.

The great thing about these sandwiches is that the meat can sit in the broth for long amounts of time.  You could totally make the broth mixture in a slow cooker, add the meat,  and then let your guests help themselves throughout the game!  Just keep the broth and meat set on low heat.

I think these sandwiches would rock your football party.  They would taste especially good while watching the Niners beat the Giants!.....which brings me to my next recipe…….

See that treat my cute little kid is eating?  That is a chocolate dipped football shaped Oreo.  I am not the hugest fan of cake pops, but I really do like the “food on sticks” trend.  I had to get on board with that, so I decided to stick football shaped Oreos on sticks, and dip them in chocolate.  They turned out super cute.

I used the aforementioned football shaped Oreos, chocolate candy coating, and white frosting from a can.

In the immortal words of Ina Garten….”How easy is that?”

I started by splitting my Oreos.  Easy enough, right?

Then, I melted my chocolate.  The package I bought is meant to be melted in the microwave, but I wanted it to stay melty and smooth for a long time….so I melted mine in a double boiler.  This way, I could take my time dipping.  I just kept my chocolate over low heat.

I stuck the end of each stick into the melted chocolate, and then I stuck it in the middle of the frosting.  I pushed down a bit….enough to get the stick in, but not hard enough to break the cookie.  I also put each cookie’s lid back on while the chocolate was still melty.

Using the melted chocolate on the sticks will ensure that the cookies stay on the sticks.

I dipped each cookie in my melted chocolate.

I set my cookies on parchment paper to harden.  Once the chocolate hardened, I piped on some seams.  Still super easy, right?

Aren’t those the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?  Tie on some red and gold ribbon and you are set.  If you are supporting another team, you aren’t allowed to make these.  Sorry.

I hope you try these recipes for your play-off parties, or any other time!  Let me know how it goes!

Italian Beef Sandwiches….the easy way

1 ½ lbs sliced deli roast beef

4 cups beef broth

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic, or about 3 cloves

2 teaspoons dried oregano

16 ounce jar Italian Mix Giardiniera, drained and juice reserved

8 crusty Italian rolls

Fresh mozzarella

Dijon mustard

Pre-heat broiler.

In a medium sized sauce pan, bring broth, giardiniera juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and oregano to a simmer.  Simmer, over medium heat, for 5 minutes.  Add sliced roast beef and simmer another 5 minutes.

Add mozzarella and Dijon mustard to each roll.  Broil for 3 minutes, or until edges are brown and cheese is melted.  Add sliced beef to each sandwich.  Top with giardiniera and dip in broth, if desired.

Makes 8 sandwiches

All Hummus, All the Time

Hi guys!  It’s a balmy 16 degrees in my part of Reno right now.  Brrrrrrr.  I had to walk Addy to the bus stop this morning, so we all bundled up.  When I lived in California, I am pretty sure that if it was 16 degrees, I just wouldn’t go outside.  I always thought if you went outside in that temperature….you would probably die within 15 minutes from exposure.  And if you dared go outside, you better have long johns on.  And actually, it really wasn’t that bad.  I didn’t die.  And I also didn’t need long johns.  You adjust.

I had a post on my Facebook page the other day from a friend telling me that she poured Gourmet Rooster Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic spread on hummus.  I had never thought of that….but it sounded amazing.  It also got me in the mood to make hummus.  I used to think hummus was so exotic and that it must be hard to make at home.  Then, I had a Persian co-worker tell me her recipe.  Real, authentic hummus could not be easier.  This was about 10 years ago, and I have been whippin’ up homemade hummus ever since.

BTW-you all know what hummus is, right?  Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip that is made of garbanzo beans (chick peas), tahini, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.  Tahini is a paste made of sesame seeds.  It is like sesame butter.  As you probably know, beans are super good for you as they are a good mix of fiber and protein.  Olive oil is heart healthy too, but in small amounts.  Hummus usually has a pretty fair amount of olive oil.  As far as dips go, hummus is pretty healthy…..but don’t be fooled….hummus isn’t diet food.

Today I am going to show you two different hummus recipes.  The first is the authentic hummus that I mentioned above.  The second is a twist on hummus that I love.  Hummus is delicious, and relatively good for you…..why would you not make it at home?  Trust me; homemade is better than what you can buy at any store.

Let’s start with the basic hummus…..

I used one can of garbanzo beans, olive oil, tahini, garlic, lemon, salt and black pepper.

Tahini can be found on the ethnic aisle of your grocery store.  I found it by the kosher foods.  Make sure you get the plain tahini.  Don’t get the one that has garlic, lemon and olive oil in it.

To make hummus, you need a food processor or a strong blender.  There is no way around that.  Sorry;)

I drained my beans and tossed them in.  Then, I added the tahini, garlic, salt, and pepper.

I like to zest my lemon into my hummus.  Typically, just the juice is used.  I march to my own drummer……but I do use the juice of that lemon too.

I blend all of this, while slowly streaming in olive oil.  I like to add a bit of water too.  This helps it get smooth, without having to add too much olive oil.

There you have it…..basic hummus.  Some people like to add even more olive oil over the top when serving.  I don’t do that.  I feel like that is too greasy, but you can do whatever you want.  I am not the oil police.

And just like my friend Susan, I also poured a bit of Gourmet Rooster Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic spread.  She was right….it was phenomenal.  The sweetness of the spread is so good with the hummus.

Holy guacamole…..or rather, Holy Hummus.  This was really good.  I am pretty sure that your family and friends will love it…..Perhaps for a 49’er win this weekend??

My next hummus is not really a hummus at all, as it doesn’t have garbanzo beans in it.  But it does have beans in it….so I’m sticking with hummus.

For this hummus, I used a can of white beans, lemon olive oil, a shallot, roasted garlic, salt and pepper.

If you don’t have lemon olive oil, just use regular olive oil and a lemon.  You could have figured that out yourself, right?;)

I started this by roasting the garlic.  I cut the top off a head of garlic and placed it on some foil.  I drizzled some lemon olive oil over the top, and I also sprinkled it with salt and pepper.  If you don’t have lemon olive oil, just use plain right now.  You will use lemon later.

Gather the foil all around the garlic and make a cute little package.  Roast this at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.  It will smell amazing.

I also roast the majority of one large shallot.  I saved about a quarter of the shallot for later.  You’ll see.

The shallot got the same treatment as the garlic.  I drizzled it with oil, salt and pepper.  I don’t make this into a package though.  I just toss it in the oven on a baking sheet.  This will roast for about 15 minutes on 400 degrees.  Roasting the shallot will make it sweet and yummy.

Once everything is roasted, I put about 4 cloves of roasted garlic into my food processor.  Once it is roasted, it will squeeze right out….like a paste.  Save the rest for something else.  I also put in my roasted shallot, drained white beans, salt and pepper.  I drizzled in my lemon olive oil while this all mixed in the processor.

This is when you would add you lemon juice too if you are just using plain olive oil.

As for the rest of that shallot……

I thinly sliced it and dropped it in hot oil.  I fried the shallot until it was golden brown.  This makes the best topping for this particular hummus.

I served this hummus with assorted raw veggies.  Hummus is great with pitas, veggies, even chips!

I think that I prefer this hummus to basic hummus.  Probably because I am obsessed with roasted garlic.  If you think that you don’t like garlic….you have to try it roasted.  That strong “garlic” flavor goes away.  Roasted garlic has a sweeter flavor.

I hope that you try one of these hummus recipes.  Like I said before….these would be perfect while watching some football.  Go Niners!

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (15.5 ounces), drained

1 ½ tablespoons tahini paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

The juice of one lemon

The zest of one lemon

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons water

Blend beans, tahini, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon zest and lemon juice in food processor.  While blending, slowly stream in olive oil and water until smooth.

Roasted Garlic White Bean Hummus

1 can white beans (15 ounces), drained

4 cloves garlic

1 shallot, divided

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 teaspoon black pepper, divided

¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons lemon olive oil

Vegetable oil for frying shallot

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place a head of garlic on a baking sheet covered in foil.  Cut the top off of the head of garlic.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon lemon olive oil over the top.  Sprinkle about ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper over garlic.  Gather foil to make a tight package.  Roast garlic at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

-You will only be using 4 cloves of this garlic.  Reserve remaining for another use-

Place sliced shallot, about ¾ of a large shallot, on a baking sheet.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon lemon olive oil over shallots.  Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Place drained beans, roasted garlic, roasted shallots, remaining salt and remaining pepper in food processor.  Blend, while slowly drizzling in remaining lemon olive oil.

Preheat sauté pan on stovetop.  Place remaining sliced shallots in about 1 inch of hot oil.  Fry for about 2 minutes, or until shallots are brown.

Top hummus with fried shallots.