tahini

Roasted Tomato Tahini Dip

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Once upon a time I tried my hardest to get my boys to nap at the same time.

Once upon a time I let tomatoes burn to ash.

And, once upon a time I gave up on nap time.

It’s been a few months, actually, almost half a year – Wait, can that be?! Man does time fly! – since my toddler has taken a nap at home in his bed.

You see, my son hates sleep. He always has. It’s one of the most frustrating things about the kid! I would spend anywhere from 30-90-120 minutes of my day desperately trying to get him to fall asleep. He’s never taken a nap willingly and I’ve always had to practically trick him into it – reading books, rocking, singing, stroking his hair/arm/face. Often there’d be screaming and tears coming from both of us. All of that effort for what would end up being a 45 minute nap. A nap from which he’d wake up grumpier than before!

I spent a lot of days trying to decide if it were time to give it up. But kids need naps, at least that what all the parenting literature says.

The day I tried making this dip was the final straw.

I tossed some tomatoes in the oven and went downstairs to get the kids ready for nap. With the door closed and kids screaming, I never heard the timer going off. I’d obviously forgotten about the tomatoes entirely and after 2 hours, I gave up! Opened the door and was hit with the smell of the oven and the sound of a beeping timer. Definitely didn’t help improve my mood!

I gave it a couple of weeks and tried again. And I’m so glad I did. This dip is a great way to change up your game day watching spread. Serve it with pita chips, fresh pita, pretzels, or veggies.

Roasted Tomato Tahini Dip

Ingredients:

  • 2 C grape tomatoes
  • 1/2 C roasted almonds
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for roasting

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
  2. Place tomatoes on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with S+P. Roast 45-50 minutes, or until the tomatoes burst. Let cool.
  3. When tomatoes have cooled slightly, put them and their juices in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the olive oil. Pulse the tomatoes until combined, while the machine is running, pour in the olive oil until the mixture becomes smooth. Season to taste with S+P.

*This recipe is adapted from Tara at http://tarasmulticulturaltable.com/secretrecipeclub-roasted-tomato-almond-and-tahini-dip/*

Roasted Tomato Tahini Dip | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Berry Yummy Hummus

~ lk529 ~ 12 Comments

When I saw Strawberry Hummus on Facebook I was instantly intrigued. I wasn’t sure if we were talking a sweet dip chock full of garbanzo bean goodness or strawberries used in a savory application. Yes, the latter is possible. I’ve used strawberries with pork, with shrimp, and on pizza before to great success.

I vowed that the strawberry hummus would be made as soon as we’d polished off the regular hummus already in the fridge. And I did just that!

I made some adjustments to the recipe. 1) I’d forgotten to pick up lemons, so I decided to use the Meyer lemon olive oil. 2) I, as typical with an infant in the house, I used agave in place of honey. And 3) I broke open the bottle of raspberry balsamic vinegar for some extra berry flavor!

Firecracker has had a roller coaster relationship with hummus in his extensive 1.5 year solid food eating life. Currently, he loves it. As berries are probably his number one snack of choice I had high hopes for this dip. Unfortunately, putting his two favorite foods together does not yield a perfect snack. In fact, when I pulled out the hummus the following day to give him another taste he declared, “I want the real hummus.” By which he means the store bought plain hummus. I’m afraid he’ll never trust a homemade hummus again! The strawberries helped me achieve the smoothest hummus I’ve made to date, too. Sigh…

Berry Hummus (toddler) Sew You Think You Can Cook

Treat and I quite enjoyed the hummus though! This unique hummus had an earthy, yet slightly fruity, taste perfect for pita chips, pretzels, and even apple slices. I’m sure cucumber sticks would compliment the dip well, too.

Berry Hummus (baby) Sew You Think You Can Cook

Berry Yummy Hummus

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz strawberries, hulled
  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 1/2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp Meyer lemon olive oil
  • 1 tsp agave
  • 1 tsp raspberry balsamic vinegar, plus more for serving
  • 1 tsp fresh basil

Steps:

  1. Place the strawberries in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
  2. Add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, olive oil, agave, and balsamic in the food processor. Blend until smooth. Return the strawberries, reserving a couple of tablespoons for garnish, to the food processor along with the basil. Pulse until fully combined.
  3. Serve hummus with a drizzle of extra balsamic vinegar and the remaining strawberries.

*This recipe is modified from Danielle at http://www.fancymadesimple.com/recipes/appetizers/strawberry-hummus/*

Berry Yummy Hummus made with Strawberries and Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar makes for a fun take on Hummus | Sew You Think You Can Cook | sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Homemade Tahini

~ lk529 ~ 14 Comments

With two busy boys it takes quite a long time to completely move into a new home. Or so I’m finding out. But maybe it’s just us. I have friends who also moved from Ohio around the time we did and they seem like they’ve unpacked all of their boxes and hung art no problem.

When we got to Ohio, I knew we’d only be there 18 months and didn’t bother to decorate. There were boxes of books that were simply taped back up and put on another moving truck to come to California. But now I know that we’ve got a minimum of 3 years here and I was determined to make this place feel like home; to look like a family really does live here. And we’re getting there. More art and picture frames are on the walls than not, however half of those picture frames are still waiting to be filled. (I really need to get the printer hooked up!)

But I did finally, after 2 months, declutter the kitchen counters and dining table! Random pieces of mail have been sorted and a “junk drawer” created of unused child safety locks and tape. Having a completely clear table and more counter space in my already cramped kitchen makes the transition to cutting out processed foods that much easier.

I made hummus every now and then in Ohio and was looking forward to doing so again when I could justify having a giant jar of tahini again. One of our very first grocery trips included chickpeas, but I couldn’t find tahini! I figured I’d try the commissary on base as they have a fairly impressive international foods aisle. No luck. I instead grabbed a large container of white roasted sesame seeds, it couldn’t be too difficult to make my own tahini! (For the record, the commissary does carry tahini, they were simply out of stock the day I was searching for it.)

Making your own tahini is in fact quite simple. And cheaper! While the consistency of my tahini isn’t as smooth as a store bought jar, it is quite delicious. The consistency is dependent though on a couple of things: the amount of oil used, the power of your food processor or blender, and the amount of time you process it.

This recipe will make just under 1 C of tahini.

Homemade Tahini

Ingredients:

  • 1 C toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp – 1/4 C canola oil

Steps:

  1. Place sesame seeds in food processor with 2 tbsp oil. Puree until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly add more oil until desired consistency is reached.
  2. For increased sesame flavor, add a touch of sesame oil. Season to taste with salt.

*This recipe is adapted from http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-tahini-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-203314*

Homemade Tahini Sew You Think You Can Cook

#FoodieExtravaganza: Creative Ice Cream Flavor

~ lk529 ~ 23 Comments

foodieextravaganza-300

This month’s #FoodieExtravaganza theme is creative ice cream flavors. The Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient or theme into recipes to share with you. Thanks to Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla for challenging us with this theme.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I’m happy to say this ice cream flavor was a huge hit. That container of homemade ice cream didn’t last very long in the freezer. IMG_3926We even let the little man try it. He wasn’t even flustered by the frozen treat and immediately asked for more. He practically begged at my husband’s knees and when he saw that the bowl was empty a tantrum ensued. Photographic evidence to the right; he can thank me for that later.

Now on to my creative ice cream flavor.

When I made hummus I could only find a large jar of tahini paste and immediate searched the web for other uses for the ingredient and I have used it in dressings and stir fry sauces. I started thinking of ways to use it in sweet dishes. I figured it could probably substitute peanut butter in almost anything. When the #FoodieExtravaganza theme for July was announced I had my answer! Tahini Ice Cream!

I followed a recipe for peanut butter ice cream and simply substituted the tahini paste. (Fun fact: I accomplished my mission and emptied my jar. A feat my husband never thought would happen.) But I wanted to take this ice cream a step further and do not only a play on peanut butter ice cream but a play on PB&J. So I added lemon curd! That decision was probably the best one I could have made. The tahini ice cream had a perfectly smooth texture and a very deep and earthy flavor. It’s not as sweet as peanut butter. It definitely needed that cut of tang from the lemon to brighten and lighten the spoonful of frozen dessert.

I wasn’t sure if I should add the lemon curd into the ice cream while it was churning and further research led me to the idea of layering. I spooned a layer of lemon curd on the bottom of the dish and spread the ice cream over top. Depending on the depth of your dish you may want to add another layer of lemon curd to the batch, finishing the layering with ice cream.

Tahini and Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1 C tahini paste
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 1 1/3 C heavy cream
  • 1 C milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla bean paste (I used Nielsen-Massey)
  • lemon curd, as much as desired

Steps:

  1. Using a hand mixer, combine tahini paste and sugar until smooth and sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream, milk, and vanilla bean paste.
  2. Place ice cream base in ice cream maker and follow the directions for your ice cream maker.
  3. Spread lemon curd on the bottom of a freezer friendly dish. Top with ice cream and freeze until ready to serve. (If desired, create multiple layers of lemon curd and ice cream, ending with ice cream.)

*This recipe is adapted from http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/peanut-butter-ice-cream-for-the-ice-cream-maker/*

Tahini Lemon Curd Ice Cream for #FoodieExtravaganza from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out the rest of these other creative ice cream flavors:

Chocolate Decadence Ice Cream by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Chocolate Malted Whopper Ice Cream by My Daylights
Crushed Pineapple Ice Cream by Food Lust People Love
Custard Cream & Strawberry Swirl No Churn Ice Cream by Baking in Pyjamas
Éma’a (Syrian Ice Cream) by Tara’s Multicultural Table
Fruity Fruit Popsicles by The Freshman Cook
Lemon Basil Ice Cream by Our Good Life
Lemongrass Ginger Coconut Ice Cream by The Joyful Foodie
Maple Bacon Ice Cream by Cooking With Carlee
No-Churn Chopped Macaron Vanilla Bean Ice Cream by Rhubarb and Honey
No Churn Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
No Churn Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream by NinjaBaker.com
Oat and Dulce de Leche Swirl Ice Cream by Passion Kneaded
Peach Cobbler Ice Cream by Cherishing a Sweet Life
Rhubarb Ice Cream by From Gate to Plate
Root Beer Barrel Ice Cream by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
The Bees’ Knees Semifreddo by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

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SRC: Hummus and Pita

~ lk529 ~ 38 Comments

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Today is another Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the secret recipe club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

This month I was assigned Susan’s blog The Wimpy Vegetarian. While Susan eats a mostly vegetarian diet, her husband does not. She has become very successful cooking for what she labels a “mixed marriage.” Her success in the kitchen of cooking for vegetarians and omnivores has lead her to a cookbook deal. In searching her website I have high aspirations for her cookbook.

I fell in love with Susan’s blog immediately. The layout of her page and her bright photography lulled me in and I stayed for her wonderful selection of recipes. Her beautiful page not only inspired me to take the plunge and update my recipe index but the entire look of my blog! If you like it, you can thank Susan. 😉

Over ten recipes made the cut for consideration for today’s reveal day. Two of them won the bid. And a third will be part of my collection of soups in anticipation for this weekend’s Super Bowl. Curry Apple Chips, Spiced Sweet Potato Fries, and Honey Cornbread are just a few of the recipes that I vow to try. (And now that reveal day is here I can finally subscribe to her blog via email!) But for now I will be sharing Hummus with Roasted Tomatoes AND Whole Wheat Pita.

I was able to check two items off my culinary bucket list thanks to Susan!  I knew that hummus was simple enough to make, especially taking advantage of canned garbanzo beans (sorry, Susan!), but I always shoved it off with a comment of “one day.” Making homemade pita wasn’t something I thought I’d tackle so soon, but how can I serve hummus during a football game without some pita bread to go with it? Conveniently, Susan had a recipe for this too. And I have to say, it wasn’t as difficult as I’d anticipated! However, I’m not sure if I went wrong in the baking time because my pita didn’t deflate – at least not the same day. I put the leftover bread in a resealable bag and stored it in the fridge. Just 10 seconds in the microwave yielded perfect pita for dipping in homemade hummus. It really is best served warm.

Hummus with Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients:

  • 6 roma tomatoes
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 1/2 C cooked garbanzo beans (just under 2 15.5oz cans)
  • 3 tbsp Tahini
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 3/4 C water

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Slice tomatoes in half and place cut side up on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with the thyme and S+P. Bake 4 hours. Pour balsamic vinegar over the roasted tomatoes and let cool. Chop to desired size. (Note: Not all of these tomatoes will be used for the hummus, they will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.)
  3. In a food processor pulse garbanzo beans, tahini, paprika, white pepper, salt, cumin, and lemon juice. When a smooth paste is acheived slowly add the water, puree until completely smooth.
  4. Mix in 2 tbsp of the roasted tomatoes.

*These recipes are adapted from Susan at http://thewimpyvegetarian.com/2013/05/sundaysupper-roasted-balsamic-tomatoes/ and http://thewimpyvegetarian.com/2014/02/vegan-appetizer-roasted-tomato-hummus-sundaysupper-super-eats-for-game-day/*

Whole Wheat Pita

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp instant yeast (just under 1 packet)
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 1/4 C warm water (110 degrees F)
  • 2 C bread flour
  • 1 C whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Steps:

  1. Gently stir yeast and honey in the warm water. Set aside and allow yeast to foam for 10 minutes.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine both flours and salt. Add the proofed yeast mixture and olive oil. Using the dough hook, knead until the dough comes together around the dough hook. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead until completely smooth, add more whole wheat flour if too sticky. Form the dough into a ball.
  3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and set aside in warm location for two hours, or until doubled in size. (I did this in my microwave.)
  4. Divide the dough into 8 disks. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.
  5. Place a pizza stone in the center rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
  6. Roll each disk into an 8″ pita. Be sure to run the rolling pin along the edges of the pita. Cover and let rest another 10 minutes.
  7. Cook pita on the pizza stone for 3 minutes. Do this in batches so that the entire pita is in contact with the stone – not overlapping or hanging off the edge.

*This recipe is adapted from Susan at http://thewimpyvegetarian.com/2012/12/easy-whole-wheat-pita-bread/*

Hummus & Pita | Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

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