Artichoke Hummus

So D and I have come to the conclusion if a restaurant makes a bad hummus, they really had to try.  We were in the grocery store, when I said, "I wonder if we could make artichoke hummus."  We found the recipe online while in the grocery store. It was the first one that came up.

It has a good kick (the garlic does that).  The artichoke flavor isn't really there, but the flavor is still good. I would make again.

Photo by ALB

Artichoke Hummus

Ingredients
1 can of chickpeas (14 oz.), drained with liquid set aside
1 can of artichoke hearts (14 oz) drained
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed (used 3, didn't crush, just peeled and threw into the processor.)
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Added 1/4 tsp of Kosher Salt
Added 1/8 Cup Italian Parsley

Preparation
In a food processor, combine chickpeas, artichokes, and tahini. Blend. Slowly add olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. Blend to a smooth consistency. If artichoke hummus is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of chickpea liquid at a time until desired consistency (I added in 1 tsp, not tbsp).



Recipe from About.com

Nutritional Information and Ingredients 
Calories: 72; Carbs: 6; Fat: 5; Protien: 2; Sodium: 137; Fiber: 2

Kroger - Artichoke Hearts Quartered In Brine, 1 container (32 pieces without liquid (120 g) ea.)
Kroger - Chick Peas, 1 container (1 4/5 cups ea.)
Mc Realemon - Lemon Juice, 6 teaspoon
Kirkland Olive Oil - Extra Virgin, 3 Tbsp
Krinos - Tahini (Imported), 2 Tbsp (37 g) 2
Generic - Fresh Garlic Clove, 3 Clove (3.0 g)
Morton - Coarse Kosher Salt, 1.2 grams (1/4 tsp)
Herb - Italian Parsley - No Stems, 1/8 cup

Spicy Fried Corn with Bacon and Chipotle

So this is really good. Not sure why it took us so long to have, but we need to have again.

When I plugged it into myfitnesspal, I got vastly different NI than what Amy got.  So I'll post both.  We had with Beer Can Chicken.

Spicy Fried Corn with Bacon and Chipotle

Photo by ALB

Originally from the New York Times.
Servings; 4
Posted by Aimster04 (Amy)
Amy's Notes: I have made this recipe with fresh and frozen corn and it was excellent both ways. I only used 3 pieces of bacon, and extra chipotle, we like the heat. The serving size is small (about 1/2 cup). I doubled the recipe and it still went quickly.

Ingredients
4 ears corn, shucked
1/4 pound bacon (5 slices), roughly chopped (Al used 7 slices)
1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo sauce, seeded if desired, and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt  (Al's note- didn't use)
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro (Al used 1/4 C)
Sour cream, for serving (optional) (Al used 4 TBSP, low fat)

Preparation
1. Slice corn kernels off cob. Fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. If pan looks very greasy, spoon off some bacon fat if desired.

2. Stir corn into skillet and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in chipotle and salt. Add 2 tablespoons water and cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, and simmering until thickened. Stir in cilantro and serve, topped with a dollop of sour cream if you like.

Amy's Nutritional Information
270 Calories; 20g Fat (65.2% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 25mg Cholesterol; 470mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain (Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 3 1/2 Fat. The above is as written with 1T sour cream per serving

Al's Nutritional Information
Per Serving: Calories: 159; Carbs: 30; Fat: 8; Protein: 6; Sodium: 349; Fiber: 0

Ingredients Al Used:
Generic Large Ear 5 1/2oz - Corn on the Cob, 4 ears
Aldi's Appleton Farms - Premium Sliced Bacon, 7 Pan Fried Slices (15g)
Embasa - Chipotle Peppers In Adobe Sauce, 2 tbsp (31g) with sauce
Cilantro - 1 Cup, 0.25 Cup
Friendly Farms (Aldi - Light Sour Cream, 4 tbsp

4 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 4 servings)

Two-Cheese Mac and Cheese

This was on the cover of the September CL.  I think we (D) made it the day after the mailman delivered the magazine.  It was very good, and yes, we ate it with no bacon or chicken in it.  I would definitely have again.

We had with a salad.

Two-Cheese Mac and Cheese

Yield: Serves 6 (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients
10 ounce large elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 1/4 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson), divided
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
8 teaspoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
3 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Set aside.

2. Preheat broiler to high.

3. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring frequently (do not brown). Stir in 1 cup stock; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute. Combine remaining 1 1/4 cups stock, milk, and flour; stir with a whisk until flour dissolves. Add milk mixture to garlic mixture, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove milk mixture from heat; add cream cheese, stirring until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta to milk mixture, tossing to coat. Let stand 5 minutes. Pour pasta mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cheddar evenly over pasta mixture. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Let stand 5 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 358; Fat: 15g; Saturated fat: 6.1g; Monounsaturated fat: 5.6g; Polyunsaturated fat: 1.9g; Protein: 14.4g; Carbohydrate: 40.7g; Fiber: 1.7g; Cholesterol: 31mg; Iron: 2mg; Sodium: 409mg; Calcium: 170mg

Cooking Light SEPTEMBER 2013

Chipotle Shrimp Coleslaw

So this recipe came up on my Facebook from Homesick Texan.  I love her website, and like most of the things D and I have made.  We were supposed to have this Wednesday, but D made something else.  Thursday, no one felt like peeling shrimp. Same thing on Friday.  On Saturday we finally peeled the shrimp and D made the rest.

It was very good.  A little kick but nothing crazy.  I would have again.  However for left-overs the flavor went away.  Still would have again.  Probably as a side though because the calories weren't high.

Chipotle Shrimp Coleslaw

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined (next time, buying cooked and peeled)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (only needed 1/4 tsp)
8 cups shredded red cabbage (used green cabbage because red was $6/lb)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (used 4)
1/4 medium red onion, diced
1/4 cup mayonnaise (used Hellman's light)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Method:
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, then add the shrimp and salt (didn't add salt). Cook until light pink and firm, about 1 to 2 minutes, then drain.

In a large bowl, stir together the cooked shrimp, (added 1/4 tsp of salt), cabbage, cilantro, garlic, and red onion. Whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, chipotle chile powder, and cumin, then stir the dressing into the cabbage until everything is well combined. Adjust seasonings and add salt to taste.

Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Yield: 4 servings (2 Cups each)

Note from Homesick Texan: I find that a 1 1/2-pound to 2-pound red cabbage usually yields about 8 cups.

Nutritional Information from Myfitnesspal.com
Calories: 181; Carbs: 10; Fat: 5; Protein: 21; Sodium: 407; Fiber: 4

Ingredients used for Nutritional Information
Aldi - Sea Queen - Medium Shell on Raw Shrimp, 1 container
Kroger - Coarse Kosher Salt, 0.25 tsp
Green Cabbage - Fresh Raw Cabbage, 8 cup (70g) shredded
Cilantro - 1 Cup, 0.25 Cup
Garlic - Garlic (1 Clove, Raw) Net Carbs, 4 clove (3g)
Onion Red - Veggie - Fresh, 0.25 red onion (medium/.75 cup)
Hellmanns Light Mayo - Mayonnaise, 4 tbsp
Fresh - Lime Juice, 2 tbsp
Vinegar, Red Wine - Pompeian Gourmet Premium, 1 Tbsp (15ml)
Penzey's Spices - Paprika - Smoked Spanish Style, 1/2 tsp
Generic - Mccormick Chipotle Chile Powder, 0.25 Tsp
Spices - Cumin, 0.25 tsp

Onion Rings

So I love onion rings.  I can eat them frozen straight out of the bag. I don't care if they are breaded, or fried (although Popeye's has the best), I just love them.  Which is odd, because I hate onions.  So I saw this recipe.  I showed to D.  He said ok.  I was going to help make them, but the kitchen is too small some days and yesterday was one of those days.

These had a really good kick.  D made 2 batches because only 4 servings could be made the first day.  The first day?  Yes, we already had again.

Onion Rings

Photo by ALB

We couldn’t get enough of these crunchy onion rings in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. Try any seasoning blend that you have on hand to add flavor to the breading or substitute 1 teaspoon salt instead. Seasoned whole-wheat breadcrumbs are available in some supermarkets and natural-foods stores. If you can find them, try them in place of the plain breadcrumbs and seasoning blend.

6 servings, 6-7 onion rings each | Active Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients
2 medium yellow onions (used Vidalia onions...probably a bit larger)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat (see Note)  (used regular breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon seasoning blend, such as Cajun, jerk or Old Bay (used Old Bay)
Olive oil or canola oil cooking spray (used Pam)

Preparation
Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 450°F. Coat 2 large rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.

Cut off both ends of each onion and peel. Slice into 1/2-inch-thick slices; separate into rings. (Discard the smallest rings or reserve for another use.) Place the rings in a medium bowl; cover with cold water.

Combine flour and baking powder in a shallow dish. Lightly beat eggs in another shallow dish. Combine breadcrumbs and seasoning in a third shallow dish. Working with one ring at time, remove from the water, letting any excess drip off. Coat in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip in egg and let any excess drip off. Then coat in the breadcrumb mixture, shaking off any excess. Place on the prepared baking sheets. Generously coat the onion rings with cooking spray.

Bake for 10 minutes. Turn each onion ring over and return to the oven, switching the positions of the baking sheets. Continue baking until brown and very crispy, 8 to 10 minutes more.

Nutrition
Per serving : 175 Calories; 3 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 1 g Mono; 79 mg Cholesterol; 29 g Carbohydrates; 7 g Protein; 2 g Fiber; 557 mg Sodium; 136 mg Potassium

2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat

Tips & Notes
Ingredient note: Look for fine dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets or natural-foods stores. To make your own, trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor until very fine. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until dry, about 10 to 15 minutes. One slice of bread makes about 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs.

From EatingWell: January/February 2010

Shrimp Pasta with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

D found this recipe on moderncomfortfood.com.  He must have had a craving for something he found. 

Anyway, he made it.  It was pretty good.  But it was not spicy.  For lunch the flavor melded more, and got a little more heat, but still not a lot.  He used 2 chipotles.

I'd say we could have again, but back off on the onions.  There seemed to be a lot. Or I just managed to get all of them.  Using fat-free half and half would reduce the calories by 60/serving.

Shrimp Pasta with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

Ingredients
8 ounces dried pasta (linguine, fettuccine, etc.)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (used 1 TBSP butter)
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (used 6)
1 small bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
4-5 small fresh plum tomatoes (or 10 cherry tomatoes), stem ends and seeds removed, sliced (used 3 large)
1 or more canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (used 2)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 pound peeled large shrimp
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups half-and-half, light cream, or evaporated milk (used regular half-and-half)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander greens, dhania, etc.)
Salt and pepper, to taste
(Optional) 1/4 cup grated cotija or parmesan cheese (used 1/8 C of parm)

Preparation
Boil the pasta in a large sauce pan until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large frying pan on medium heat and, stirring occasionally, sauté the onions for 2 minutes or until wilted. Stir in the garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cumin. Sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the chipotle(s), shrimps, lemon juice, and half-and-half (or cream or evaporated milk). Simmer until the shrimps are just cooked through, approximately 3-4 minutes, depending on the size of shrimps used. Stir in the cilantro. Taste and correct the seasoning by adding salt, pepper, and, if needed, additional chipotles to suit your taste.

Return the pasta to the sauce pan in which it was cooked, sprinkle with the grated cheese, if used, and pour the shrimp sauce over it. Toss until well blended and transfer to a serving dish.

Serves 4 as a main course.

Nutritional Info per serving (from Myfitnesspal.com)
Calories: 501; Carbs: 54; Fat: 15; Protein: 29; Sodium: 506; Fiber: 4

Ingredients used to calculate
Barilla - Linguini- Original, 8 oz
Onions - Raw, 1 small
Garlic - Raw, 6 clove
Countryside Creamery (Aldi) - Sweet Cream Butter Salted, 1 Tablespoon (14g)
Vegetable - Green Bell Pepper (Raw), 1 Cup, chopped (149 g)
Tomato - Plum (Medium), 4 medium
Herdez - Chipotle Pepper In Adobo Sauce, 2 pieces
Spices - Cumin, 0.5 tsp
Aldi - Sea Queen - Large Cooked Shrimp, 16 oz (114g)
Mc Realemon - Lemon Juice, 2 teaspoon
Aldi Friendly Farms - Half &Half, 24 tbsp
Cilantro - 1 Cup, 0.25 Cup
Aldi Priano - Parmesan Cheese - Freshly Shredded, 1/8 cup
Kroger - Coarse Kosher Salt, 1/4 tsp
Spices - Pepper, black, 0.5 tsp

Pizza Hummus

I have a lot of tahini leftover from another hummus recipe.  I also needed breakfast again.  I saw this recipe on the WeWa board from TMom.  So I decided to try it.

It was very easy.  It has a good tomato flavor. I like it.

Pizza Hummus

Photo by ALB

Prep Time:10 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 cups

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil (I used 1 TBSP of fresh, chopped)
2 to 3 cloves garlic
3 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed, 1/2 cup liquid reserved
1/4 cup tahini (heaping)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomato paste, oregano and basil and cook until slightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the tomato paste mixture to a food processor. Add the garlic, chickpeas, chickpea liquid, tahini, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt. Puree until smooth and creamy.

Nutritional Information
Per serving (2 tablespoons): Calories 43; Fat 2 g (Saturated 0 g); Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 83 mg; Carbohydrate 5 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 2 g

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

I got this from a WeWa message board. This seemed like it would be a really good meal.  It has everything I like.  I mailed the link to D and he said he agreed.  It was really good.  Very cheesy.  It may not be Philly , but I'd still have again.  We had with Tater Tots.

Teresayo (from the WeWa Board) got the recipe from Emily Bites.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes 

Photo by ALB

Ingredients 
1 lbs 95% lean ground beef, raw
1 large (softball-sized) white onion, diced
1 medium or large green bell pepper, diced
3 T steak sauce
1 cup fat free beef broth
Salt & black pepper to taste
5 light wheat sandwich rolls
5 slices 2% Provolone cheese (I used Kroger)
(We added Hot Cherry Pepper Spread)

Directions: 
1. Bring a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Brown beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Once cooked, add the peppers and onions and continue to cook for a few more minutes until vegetables are softened. Mix in the steak sauce, beef broth, salt and pepper and bring to a bubble. Allow the mixture to bubble for about 5 minutes.

2. Make sure you have an oven rack in the top third of your oven and pre-heat the oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Open the sandwich rolls and lay both sides cut side up. Using your fingers, press the middle-inside of the bottom half of the roll to make a little more room for the meat mixture. Scoop about ¾ cup of the meat mixture onto the pressed bottom half of each roll. Top the meat mixture with a slice of the cheese. The top half of the rolls will be bare and cut side up.

3. Place the baking sheet onto the oven rack in the top 1/3 of the oven and broil for about 1 minute (check at 30 seconds and again at 50 to prevent burning – broiling happens fast!) Cover the loaded bottom half of each roll with its toasted top half counterpart and serve!

Yields 5 (3/4 cup meat mixture + 1 roll & 1 slice cheese) servings.
WW P+: 8 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)

Nutrition Information per serving from myfitnesspal.com:
334 calories; 33 g carbs; 9 g fat; 31 g protein; 6 g fiber

Sticky Coconut Chicken

This was pretty disappointing.  Really kind of plain.  The Thai  salad we had with it was good. And if you cut up the chicken and mixed it with the salad it was good.  I would have it with the salad, but not by itself.

Sticky Coconut Chicken

This spicy coconut chicken gets its heat from the chili glaze. You could cut back the amount of chili flakes for a milder dinner but you won't want to change a thing about the delicious flavors in this dish.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
6 to 8 boned, skinned chicken thighs (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. total)
3/4 cup canned coconut milk (stir before measuring)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
1 teaspoon hot chili flakes
Chili glaze
4 or 5 green onions, ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into thin slivers (including tops)

Preparation
1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. In a large bowl, mix coconut milk, ginger, pepper, and hot chili flakes. Add chicken and mix; cover airtight and chill at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

2. Lift chicken from bowl, reserving marinade; pull thighs open and lay flat on a lightly oiled barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning thighs as needed to brown on both sides, until meat is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 10 to 12 minutes, basting frequently with remaining marinade (use it all).

3. Transfer thighs to a warm platter and pour the chili glaze evenly over meat; garnish platter with green onions.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 147; Calories from fat: 48%; Protein: 17g; Fat: 7.9g; Saturated fat: 4.9g; Carbohydrate: 1.5g; Fiber: 0.3g; Sodium: 77mg; Cholesterol: 71mg

Sunset JUNE 2001

Chili Glaze

This recipe goes with Sticky Coconut Chicken.

Yield: Makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot chili flakes

Preparation
In a 2- to 3-quart pan, combine rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and chili flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Use hot. If making glaze up to 1 week ahead, cover and chill; reheat before serving. 

Nutritional analysis per tablespoon.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 53;  Protein: 0.4g;  Carbohydrate: 0.4g;  Fiber: 0.1g;  Sodium: 386mg

Sunset JUNE 2001

Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing

Sometimes I get tired with salad.  I mean, it seems you can only have lettuce and Ranch or lettuce and Caesar dressing so many times.  And with only 2 people, we go through bottles of dressing pretty slowly.

So when I saw this recipe I showed D.  He said ok.

It was really good.  We got 4 servings.  Probably because we had as a side.  We had with Sticky Coconut Chicken.

Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing

Photo by ALB

"These ingredients reflect the types of food my family enjoys year-round—fresh herbs and vegetables from our garden and local farmers. Sometimes we add chopped cooked chicken or my husband's fresh fish catch of the day for a main dish." —Maureen Nibecker, Honokaa, Hawaii

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients
Dressing:

3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon reduced-fat peanut butter
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons dry-roasted peanuts

Salad:
2 cups mixed baby salad greens
1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts
2 tablespoons vertically sliced red onion
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
6 baby carrots, peeled
4 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Preparation
1. To prepare dressing, combine the first 8 ingredients in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Add peanuts; process 10 seconds.

2. To prepare salad, divide greens and remaining ingredients evenly between 2 serving plates. Drizzle each salad with 1/4 cup dressing.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 160; Fat: 8.2g; Saturated fat: 1.4g; Monounsaturated fat: 3.6g; Polyunsaturated fat: 2.8g; Protein: 6.4g; Carbohydrate: 18.4g; Fiber: 4.6g; Cholesterol: 0.0mg; Iron: 2.1mg; Sodium: 554mg; Calcium: 68mg

Cooking Light MAY 2009