Roasted Garlic Hummus


Tasty hummus so savory and delicious. What else would I do first with a whole kilo of roasted garlic? Such a power food, chickpeas are loaded with fibre which has been known to fight heart disease and to keep us full longer, it is also leaded in protein, and protein from any plant source is good in my books. I also read that these little suckers help to lower cholesterol and are full of folate to help keep our brains sharp and our skin beautiful. I read all of this from various sources and won't claim any of them are fact but if you do want some info you can check out WHFoods. Anyways hummus is still delicious and a great clean snack.
Here's the recipe:

1 can (about 3 cups) of chick peas
2 heads of roasted garlic
1 lemon (zest and juice)
about 1/4 water
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
s&p

I keep it simple with hummus. Just put the chickpeas, garlic, and lemon zest in a food processor, and buzz it, basically until it stops, when this happens add the olive oil and add water until it gets to the consistency you like, at this time squeeze in the lemon juice and add the salt and pepper. I always just add a little, whiz it up and give it a taste, adding more if I want to.

Serve with pitas, veggies, crackers whatever floats your boat.

*Have I gone too far?


Recently I went into a big shopping centre, usually I only shop in the farmers market for produce and at my local grocery store for the other stuff but I wanted to but Carpet Cleaning solution so I decided to make one stop. I did not find carpet cleaning solution; however I did purchase a kilo of garlic. And it was a beautiful kilo of garlic. Wouldn't you agree?

What to do with an entire kilogram of garlic? I know.. I know.. Its going to take a while for this stuff to go bad, and yet I was inspired to roast the whole damn thing. What is more beautiful then garlic? Roasted Garlic! Here is the sexy before and after:
So simple. Just cut off the tops and line on a baking sheet, drizzle with some Extra Virgin and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pop into a 350 degree oven until tender, I think about half an hour, it can take longer if your doing a whole kilo, it was just over an hour. Take it out when it is golden brown and mushy... don't let it get all dry and bitter - I'll send the garlic police after you... seriously... I will, and it won't be pretty.

Maybe I love this garlic a little too much.

Beautiful Breakfast: A morning meal for my love.

What more could a man want? I got up bright and early on Saturday morning to make my man a meal. What was on the menu? A heart shaped theme with Toad in a hole, a heart shaped fried egg with heart shaped dippers and the piece de resistance... Candied Bacon. Now I'm not crazy enough to put it in chocolate chip cookies but this definitely was a man pleaser... and to be totally honest I have not eaten any meat since Christmas dinner, but I could not resist this sweet and salty treat, and I couldn't leave it at a taste! I ate 4 slices! and you know what? It was totally worth ruining my meat-free streak.

Toad in a hole is what his Mom calls this simple breakfast that incorporates eggs and toast all in one neat little package.
So simple - there is no need for a recipe, just cut a hole in a piece of bread, I used a heart shaped cookie cutter because it was February 14th after all; but on a regular day, any old shape will do. Put the bread in a greased pan over medium heat; crack an egg into the hole and flip when the time comes, also don't forget to season with a little s&p. The fried egg was cooked the same way, I used an egg shaper to make it a heart and left the yolk nice and runny for dipping.

The bacon was just as easy, and alot safer then the traditional method of frying bacon in a pan. My boyfriend has always made a big deal about the splattering grease - he is a bit of a drama queen though... I think its a man thing, trying to protect me from the big bad grease! This was easy though and worry free, all you have to do is line the bacon up on a baking sheet, sprinkle with brown sugar, don't over do it just a little sprinkle and rub. Like Paula Dean is always saying to rub you meat, don't forget to give the bacon a little valentine rub down! Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until your preferred crisp-ness, no flipping required. It was easy and because it was in the oven, it gave me time to tend to the eggs.

This bacon is such a winner! I have seen it on a few blogs and had to try it, I think we were both glad I did. That was it! A beautiful breakfast made with the best secret ingredient of all:
Love!

Garlicy Scallop and Asparagus Stir Fry


I have another simple and delicious dish! you could have this for lunch, as a side dish or a nice light dinner.

1 lb of scallops
6 spears of Asparagus
4-5 cloves of garlic 2 tablespoons of garlic
salt and pepper

I chopped the asparagus into fork sized pieces; then threw all the kids in to pool and stir fried. My scallops were frozen and everything was cooked to perfection - the garlic got nice and sweet, the asparagus tender and vibrant green and the scallops seared golden and accented by sticky garlic. I cooked it over a medium heat until it was all golden and ate it right away!

Refreshing Cucumber Melon Juice


I've mentioned it before, I love juicing! Here is a most refreshing juice option:

Cucumber and Cantaloupe Juice:

1 Cucumber
1 Cantaloupe
1 Lime

I just peel, chop and Juice. Although I did add the lime whole because its nice to have the zestiness as well.




When you mix the two together you get a real swampy color - really, it looks like something from the swamp, but my oh my, is it tasty!

Quick and Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

These chicken enchiladas are the perfect quick fix for dinner time. Lots of protein and backed gooey cheesy goodness. Here's a little peek:

This recipe couldn't have come together any quicker and its really affordable. Here's what you'll need:

2 breasts of chicken
half an onion
1 red pepper
a couple cloves of garlic
4-5 tortillas
1 jar of salsa
2- 3 cups of grated mozza
salt & pepper

Alright, here's the truth, I don't usually measure my ingredients so I'm estimating the amount of cheese, I used a good handful for each tortilla and some on top, so I'm guessing 2-3 cups.
So first you'll want to slice the chicken breasts, onion and peppers into strips. Season and saute the chicken, set it aside and do the same with the veggies and the garlic, use as much garlic as you like, I like to use a lot of garlic. When the veggies are almost done add the chicken back into the pan and toss.
Next add a bit of salsa to the bottom of a baking dish so that nothing sticks. Take a tortilla and fill it with some of the chicken and veggie mix, add a nice handful of cheese wrap it up like a burrito tucking in the ends. Place it in the dish and repeat until you have the desired number of enchiladas. Top the wraps with salsa and cheese and bake in a 400 degree oven until the cheese is all bubbly and gooey. I topped it with some cilantro because I think it brightens it up.

Serve with extra salsa and some sour cream. Yum!