white bean & basil hummus pasta

09/30/2011 by · Leave a Comment

I found some beautiful White Bean & Basil Hummus at Trader Joe’s yesterday, and as I was munching on it with my usual rice cracker dippers I couldn’t help thinking how great it would be on pasta!

I actually couldn’t stop thinking about how good any hummus would be on pasta, and I plan on making some mediterranean hummus pasta soon with my Copycat Trader Joe’s Mediterranean Hummus Recipe!

Since this hummus already has basil in it, I decided to load up the pasta with more fresh basil. And then… since we all know I can’t leave well enough alone… I drizzled in a bit of garlic-infused olive oil (also from Trader Joe’s!) and topped it with lots of freshly grated parmesan!

YUMMM!!!

I especially love that in the midst of my carb-loaded comfort-food meal, I’m also getting some great protein. It’s a two-fer!

White Bean & Basil Hummus Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:
1lb package of noodles (whatever kind you like!)
1 cup (or 1 8oz package!) hummus of your choice (TJ’s white bean & basil is YUMMY!)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (garlic or regular!)
freshly torn basil (if using white bean & basil hummus… parsley otherwise!)
salt & pepper, to taste
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:
Cook the noodles according to package directions and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water just before draining them.

In a small saucepan, warm up the hummus, olive oil & seasonings. Toss in the noodles and as much -pasta water as needed to thin out the hummus and coat the noodles. (You may need the whole cup!)

Taste for seasonings again and then toss in the herbs and cheese, if using!

(You could also toss in some toasted pine nuts… That would be amazing in a regular hummus version!)

(If you want to try making your own White Bean & Basil Hummus… click here for a link to a great-looking recipe by weelicious!)

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - dinner, recipes - healthy, recipes - pasta, recipes - vegetarian ·

mini corndog muffins

09/29/2011 by · Leave a Comment

We all know that we can never really improve on a state fair corndog, but this sure is a good substitute! (And a whole lot better than the bake-at-home ones we buy at Costco!)

I saw a version of these muffins a few days ago and was instantly intrigued. Then the husband emailed me a picture of these same corndog muffins and said “you should make something like this!”… I guess that was a sign I should get down to it!

My house-full of boys love corn dogs… (Oh, who am I kidding? I love corndogs!) so I just knew these would be a hit!

Mini Corndog Muffins Recipe
adapted from Lick The Bowl Good

Ingredients:
2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix
2 large eggs
2/3 cup milk
6-7 hotdogs, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1/2 cup, or so, grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Grease a mini-muffin pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the cornbread mix, eggs & milk until just combined. The mixture will still be lumpy. Stir in the hotdog pieces until just combined.

Fill the muffin-tins about 3/4 full and top with a pinch of grated cheese. (You may have a bit of the mixture left over. I made one tiny loaf pan-full with my leftovers.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the muffins are lightly golden brown. Let them cool a few minutes and then serve with your favorite corndog condiments!

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - dinner, recipes - kids, recipes - toddler ·

baked pumpkin pecan oatmeal with maple cream

09/28/2011 by · 1 Comment

Hearty oats and pecans with the cozy flavors of pumpkin and spices, drowned in a beautiful maple cream sauce… it doesn’t get more fall-ish and cozy than this baked oatmeal!

This is a great dish to feed your family on a cold autumn morning. It is easily prepped the night before with just a few quick touches in the morning, making this a perfect lazy morning breakfast!

Please don’t skip the maple sauce (I know you were thinking about it!)… it really does take this dish over the top!

Oh, and the best part? Even my picky 2 year old and 10 month old loved this oatmeal!!

Baked Pumpkin Pecan Oatmeal with Maple Cream Recipe
adapted from Inside NanaBread’s Head

Ingredients:
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) melted butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup pure maple syrup

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9×13″ baking dish.

In a large bowl, stir together the oats & pecans with the brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon; Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin, vanilla & butter until well mixed.

(If you want to do this the night before (like I do!), stop at this point and put the wet ingredient mixture into the fridge. In the morning continue:)

Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until combined. Pour into the greased baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is just set (no longer jiggly).

While the oatmeal is cooling a bit, heat the cream and maple syrup in a small pot until barely simmering, whisking often. Remove from the heat.

Dish up your oatmeal into bowls and serve with the maple cream sauce poured over the top!!

(This makes alot! If you want to cut this recipe in half for just a few people and bake it in an 8″ square dish, you can!)

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - breakfast, recipes - toddler ·

quick caramel apple coffee cake [New Favorites challenge, week 2]

09/27/2011 by · Leave a Comment
Apple-filled coffee cake with a sweet cinnamon streusel topping and a rich caramel sauce!

For this second week of my New Favorites challenge, I grabbed Gale Gand’s “short + sweet” cookbook. I grabbed it mostly out of necessity, actually, as I had a friend coming over and no time!

The tag line of this book? ”Quick desserts with eight ingredients or less.” Perfect!!

I skimmed through and quickly chose Elsie’s Quick Apple Coffee Cake, because I had all the ingredients.

Of course, I altered the recipe a bit… adding more cinnamon, doubling the topping & drizzling caramel sauce over the top!

I must say, this was a wonderful fall coffee cake, and I will definitely be going back to this cookbook again!

Quick Caramel Apple Coffee Cake Recipe
adapted from Gale Gand’s “short + sweet” Cookbook

Ingredients:
for the cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 medium apples, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
for the topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

for the cake:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together the egg, milk and melted butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.

Stir in the diced apples and mix well. Spread the batter into the buttered baking dish.

for the topping:
In a medium bowl, stir together the sugars, flour, and cinnamon. Add in the butter, rubbing together quickly with your fingers, until the mixture is all combined and crumbly.

Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and dry on top.

Filed Under: new favorites challenge, recipes, recipes - breads, recipes - breakfast, recipes - desserts, recipes - make ahead, reviews, reviews - cookbooks ·

cardamom peach blackberry crisp

09/26/2011 by · Leave a Comment

My sweet husband went out and picked me a whole bunch of wild blackberries a few days ago.

And not only did he pick them, he sorted them, washed them and froze them before I even got home!!

So, when he asked for a blackberry crisp for dinner tonight, how could I refuse him?

Of course I just can’t leave well enough alone, so I decided to use half blackberries and half peaches and surround them with a beautiful hint of cardamom.

Now, if only I had some cardamom ice cream from Elevated Ice Cream Co., I would be all set!

(If you read this: Thanks for the berries honey! I love you!!)

Cardamom Peach Blackberry Crisp

Ingredients:
3 cups blackberries
3 cups diced, peeled peaches
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cardamom
3/4 cup flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, softened

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9″ square dish, or a very deep pie plate.

In a large bowl, toss together the berries & peaches (if frozen, do not thaw!) with the cornstarch, sugar & 2 teaspoons cardamom; Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the rest of the ingredients, except for the butter. Mix the butter in with your fingers until the topping is all moistened and crumbly.

Spread the fruit into the greased pan. Top with all of the crumble topping. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling.

Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream!

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - desserts, recipes - make ahead ·
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