Edamame Hummus

This is my sixth hummus recipe, so I guess you could say I'm a hummus junkie. Unfortunately, hubby is not a hummus fiend, like me, so when I saw this edamame hummus from Ali Girl Cooks I waited until we had people over to make it.

I didn't get more than a couple of bites of this hummus because everyone gobbled it up. It's super savory with the flavors of cilantro, spice, and of course edamame. Since edamame is a major part of the Japanese diet, I am very excited I'll have access to it once we move and still be able to make this delicious hummus!

Edamame Hummus
From Ali Girl Cooks
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 cups edamame, thawed and shelled
4 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup cilantro
4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
Place all of the ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor. Pulse to combine, using a spatula to scrape down the sides before running the food processor and streaming in the olive oil. 

If needed add 2-4 tablespoons of water to loosen up the mixture. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, or fresh veggies.

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

After making Four Ingredient Nutella Cookies I became a little obsessed with Nutella cookies so a few weeks later I scoured the internet for chocolate chip cookies with Nutella. I finally found the perfect recipe - these Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies from Food.com. 

OH...MY...GOODNESS! These cookies are quite possibly the best cookies I've ever made and I love my cookies. These little babies completely melt in your mouth. They are pure chocolate nutella goodness. Whip up a batch of these ASAP!

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Food.com
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 1/8 cup all-purpose flour (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled until warm
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Nutella (I used about 3/4 cups!)
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 20X14 baking sheet without sides with parchment paper or a baking mat. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside. With an electric mixer mix butter and sugars until throughly blended. 

Mix in Nutella, egg, yolk, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in chips.

From dough into tablespoon sized balls. Bake until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden, yet centers are still soft and puffy, about 15 to minutes (start checking at 13 minutes). Cool cookies on sheets for a few minutes then on a wire rack. 

After making these cookies this tragedy occurred:

An empty Nutella container is one of the saddest events that can happen in the kitchen.

Meatless Mondays: Cilantro Coconut Milk Pasta

It's been a while since I posted a Meatless Monday recipe so I'm excited to share this one with you. Minced cilantro and coconut milk play the leading roles in this creamy, unique pasta from Health Nut. You have never tasted anything like this and the smell of this pasta is amazing and exotic - cliantro, garlic, onions mingling with spices.  Hubby and I really enjoyed this dish - if you are a cilantro fan I promise you will love it too!

Cilantro Coconut Milk Pasta
From Yasmeen @ Health Nut
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 cup fresh cilantro
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 lb whole grain or multi grain pasta
1 clove garlic
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil


Directions
Puree the cilantro (leaves and stems) in a food processor. Set aside. 

Cook the pasta to al dente according to pasta directions. When pasta is done, drain and cool. In a medium sized pan heat the olive oil and add onion. Cook until translucent and then add garlic and other spices. 

Cook for a minute or two then add in the coconut milk. Bring to a slow boil then mix in the pureed cilantro and cooked pasta. 

Combine throughly, then turn off the heat. Serve warm. 

Cheesy Potato Casserole

The best way to describe this cheesy potato casserole is that is utter comfort. It's golden, cheesy, bubbly, and creamy. It can accompany any meal you make and is excellent for large groups. The original recipe   called for cornflakes and butter as the topping, but we had some potato chips so I used those instead. It was a very good decision. 

Cheesy Potato Casserole
From My Mom :)
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 pound shredded or diced hash browns (you can use frozen but be sure to unthaw first)
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 pint sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoons onions (either fresh or dried)
2 cups shredded cheese
2 cups crushed potato chips or 2 cups crushed cornflakes mixed with 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except potato chips or cornflakes in a large bowl.

Scoop into a 9X13 casserole dish.

Sprinkle potato chips or cornflakes on top of casserole. Bake for 1 hour or until golden and bubbly.

Strawberry Blueberry Mint Spritzer

This refreshing drink is a wonderful summer cocktail and although it's not red, white, and blue, it's got the red and blue component!  Fresh strawberries, blueberries, and mint leaves are muddled together then mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice, champagne, sake, and seltzer water. I fell in love with the recipe when I saw it called for Sake! A friend gave us a bottle of Sake as a going away present since we will be living in Japan in less than a month. This cocktail was the perfect use for it!

 I served these cocktails when we had a dinner party and everyone loved it! It can also be made without the alcohol, just substitute additional seltzer for the champagne and sake.

Strawberry Blueberry Mint Spritzer
Modified from LindaWagner.net
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 bottle of Sake
1 bottle of champagne
1/2 pint of strawberries
1/2 pint of blueberries
6 lemons
6 sprigs of mint
2 cans or 24 ounces of seltzer water

Directions
Slice strawberries into vertical slivers and halve the blueberries. Tear the mint leaves roughly and all all to a large pitcher. Squeeze the lemons into the pitcher and gently muddle using a fruit muddler or wooden spoon. 

Add the seltzer water in and stir. Add equal parts sake and champagne. Pour into individual glasses and garnish with additional fruit if desired.