Cilantro Lime Hummus and a Dinner Party

11. June 2012 · 20 comments · Categories: Appetizer, cooking, food, life, recipes, Side dishes, vegetarian · Tags: , , ,

Cilantro Lime Hummus

This weekend we had a couple of Nate’s friends over to dinner. One of them might cat-sit for us over our honeymoon, so we wanted a chance for him to come over and meet L.C. We also thought we’d sweeten the deal by cooking for him…i.e. Nate suggested that I cook for him.

Cilantro Lime Hummus

In case L.C.’s flirtation wasn’t enough to make him agree, I first liquored him up with some AMAZING Mojito Slushies (recipe to come soon) to decrease his inhibitions…and ability to say no.

After waiting for the alcohol to go into effect, I put a plate of Cilantro Lime Hummus in front of him with some chips. I would never say hummus is particularly refreshing, but this version totally is. The cilantro and lime make it reminiscent of guacamole, but with much less fat.

Cilantro Lime Hummus

Everyone, myself included, was raving about it.

I made a few other things that I will most likely be sharing on the blog in the near future: Pasta Puttanesca and a Cold Lemon Mousse.

Cilantro Lime Hummus

He’s checking on the dates to make sure he can catsit, but I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes.

I’d like to think it will have everything to do with the meal, and nothing to do with this adorable face:

Cilantro Lime Hummus

Slightly adapted from How Sweet It is

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makes about 2-2.5 cups

2 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cloves of garlic, minced (more or less, depending on your tastes)
3/4 cup cilantro
zest and juice of 1 lime
2/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine beans, cilantro, lime zest, juice and garlic in the food processor and blend until mixed. With the processor on, stream in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. 3-4 minutes to make it super creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pita chips or tortilla chips.

A Recipe for the Last Weeks of Summer: Roasted Corn with Lime, Parmesan and Chili

12. September 2011 · 62 comments · Categories: Brunch, cooking, food, recipes, Savory, Side dishes, vegetarian · Tags: , , ,

I’ve had this recipe sitting in my blog drafts for a while now. But now that it’s September, and corn season is almost over, I figured I’d better get my butt in gear!

This, my friends, is one of the tastiest ways I’ve ever enjoyed corn. Now, I will say that I love a good ear of corn in the summer, and when it’s really good I like it simply steamed or grilled with a tad of butter and some salt. I almost hate to cut it off the cob and mix it with stuff, because then you can’t taste the delicious, sweet corn flavor.

Therefore my advice to you is to only make this when you happen to cook up some corn, nibble on it a bit, and find that it’s sub-par. This will prevent any bouts of “corn guilt.” So if you happen to have corn that’s starchy and bland, then this recipe will turn your corn disappointments around. Or, if you happen to live in a corn field and have ample corn at your disposal, then this will suit you as well.

Either way, you should definitely find a way to make this before September ends. It’s creamy, tangy, rich, fresh, and delicious and you will not be sorry…even if you happen to use the last of your good corn.


Roasted Corn with Lime, Parmesan and Chili
From food52(You can print this recipe from the food52 site :))

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 medium ears corn
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mayonnaise, at room temperature
1 tablespoon sour cream, at room temperature
¼ cup milk, at room temperature
Juice of 1 large lime, plus wedges for serving
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Generous pinch of cayenne

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the cobs, tossing them in a bowl with the olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper.

Spread the kernels evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, scraping and turning over the kernels once or twice, until they’re tender and lightly caramelized.

Put the corn back into the bowl and stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, lime juice, Parmesan and cayenne. Taste and adjust any of the flavorings, including salt and pepper, if necessary. (If the corn is at all sticky, just add some more milk.)

Serve immediately, with lime wedges, while still warm.

It ain’t easy bein green…

16. June 2011 · 12 comments · Categories: Appetizer, cooking, recipes, Savory, vegetarian · Tags: , , , ,

…and it really ain’t easy bein’ cilantro. Cilantro gets such a bad rap sometimes, and I don’t know why. It seems so nice and mild to me. It’s never caused any trouble. And yet for some reason, it has so many haters.

This could in part be due to the fact that some people are genetically predisposed to think cilantro tastes like soap. Weird, but true. I certainly hope you’re not one of those people. You’d be totally missing out. I also hope you’re not one of those people who lacks the gene for winking…because that’s just sad.

We happen to love cilantro in my family. We have an amazing fresh salsa recipe (I might post that near the 4th of July) and we always add way more cilantro than it calls for. Perhaps that’s why warm weather makes me want some cilantro.

So when I came across this recipe for Cilantro Lime Dressing, I thought I’d give it a try.I had hopes of it being really creamy, but it wasn’t so much, so I added in some light sour cream I just happened to need to use up and the result was delicious. Too bad it doesn’t photograph well.

I tossed it with green beans, orange slices, cucumer and fresh mint. It ended up being a fairly tasty combo but not worthy of putting on my blog (because of the combo of veggies/fruits, but not because of the dressing). I think in the future I’d just stick to dressing a plain old lettuce salad, but you can do whatever you want with it. I won’t judge.

Now if you don’t like cilantro, I can’t promise that you’ll like this recipe, but you could at least make it for everyone else to enjoy. Just understand that you’ll be missing out.


Cilantro Lime Dressing
Adapted from Everyday Health

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Makes about 1 cup

*This dressing is best after refrigeration because it gets creamier. Make a day ahead.

Ingredients
1.5 cups cilantro, packed
1/3 cup oil, olive, extra virgin
1/3 cups lime juice
1/3 cups orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper, black
1 pinch garlic, minced
1/3 cup low fat sour cream

Puree cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, salt, pepper, garlic and sour cream in a blender or food processor until smooth.

The best cookie I ever ate…

06. June 2011 · 25 comments · Categories: Baking, cooking, Dessert, food, recipes · Tags: , , , , ,

…I know that’s a bold claim. And perhaps it’s just because these fresh, citrusy cookies were just what I was in the mood for, but I still think I’d venture to say that these cookies are without a doubt AMAZING.

I guess it really depends on what kind of cookies you like. These are chewy, crispy, sweet, tangy, buttery and delicious. I think that includes an adjective for everyone’s tastes :)

I first decided to make these cookies because we ran out of desserts in my apt, and Nate MUST have a dessert after dinner each night. I wanted to make a cookie, but didn’t want to buy any new ingredients because a) I was lazy and b) we’re moving soon and I’m trying to purge my pantry/fridge/freezer.

These cookies were perfect on all accounts. I just about used up my sugar and flour, and in addition, I got rid of two lemons on the verge of going bad, and a lime I happened to have laying around.

Although I don’t recommend doubling the recipe, as I did (it made so many cookies I was rolling little cookie balls and taking pans in/out of the oven for over an hour!), these are super easy. These are perfect to make and take along to your next cookout.


Chewy Lemon Lime Sugar Cookies
Adapted from My Baking Addiction

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makes 24-30 cookies

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one large lemon (or 2-3 limes, or a combo), finely minced
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or 1/2 lime juice)
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.

Beat in egg, vanilla extract, juice and zest.

Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Refrigerate until stiff.

Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.