Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

For a couple years now I have wanted to make hummus, but have been intimidated. I found a great recipe on All Recipes, tweaked it, and decided to make some today. It turned out wonderful!!!

Recipe:

1/2 lb dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans
6 cups of water
4 oz jar of red peppers
Tahini paste (found in peanut butter section of store)
3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
Fresh chopped parsley to garnish

Directions to Cook Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans:

- Rinse beans very well
- Put in large pot and pour 6 cups of water over beans
- Let soak overnight or for 8-10 hours
- After soaking bring pot of water to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to Medium and cook for 2 hours or until tender.

Hummus Directions:

- Put all ingredients except the beans in a blender and puree
- Once ingredients are well mixed add beans and puree - That's it!!!!!!!
- Hummus is normally served cold or chilled. After you pull it out of the blender allow to cool in the fridge for a couple hours before serving.

Servings: Approx. 36 ounces

Side Note:

I had no idea how much hummus dry beans would make. So I cooked 1.5 lbs of dried beans, and ended up with 7 lbs!!!!! of hummus. Glad we all like it so much! :)

Cost:

1/2 lb Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans: $1
1/2 jar roasted peppers: $.50
Lemon: $.30
Tahini Paste: $.25

Total: $2.05

(My huge batch came to $5.75)

Cuban Black Beans

It took many, many attempts to get my Cuban black beans right, and I'm now sharing the recipe with you. I'm pretty sure my mother-in-law and my father-in-law's sister are reading - so please jump in if I forgot anything.

Ingredients:

1 lb of dried black beans, washed and thoroughly picked through
1 large onion, diced
1 green or yellow pepper, diced
6 cloves of garlic (I usually throw in 6-8, but we love garlic)
2 teaspoons of cumin
3 teaspoons of COARSELY chopped dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of finely chopped oregano
1.5 teaspoons of paprika
1 heaping teaspoon of salt
Black pepper to taste

2 bay leaves **(thanks Candi/Keith - forgot that one)
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cups of water

*Many people add 5-6 pieces of bacon during the last step. The only time I do this is if there is ANY chance my Cuban in-laws will taste my beans. (Pork grosses me out.)

Directions:

1. Place beans in a large saucepan with enough water to cover, and soak 8 hours, or overnight; drain.
2. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat, and saute onion, green bell pepper, and garlic until tender.

3. Into the onion mixture, stir the drained beans, water, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender.

Serve over cooked rice with tomatoes as a side, and I garnish my black beans with cilantro.

Serves 6

Cost:

Black beans: $1
Onion & Green pepper: $1
Spices: $.15
Olive oil: $.25
Rice: $.25

Total: $2.40

Crockpot Burritos

This is a family favorite, and is also the recipe that made my husband realize not every meal has to have meat! It's a versatile recipe, and you can substitute the sweet potatoes for red potatoes or add chicken if you'd like. I make this often, and get a lot of requests for the recipe!



Ingredients

2 T chili powder

2 t dried oregano leaves

1.5 t ground cumin

2 large sweet potatoes, diced into 1 inch pieces

1 can of (or 2 cups prepared) black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 green pepper, chopped * (I replace the fresh onions and peppers with a bag of frozen peppers and onions from Kroger. Saves money and time)

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 cup of frozen corn, thawed and drained

3 T lime juice

1 T chopped cilantro

3/4 cup (3oz) shredded Mont Jack Cheese

10 inch round tortillas

Sour Cream (opt)

Salsa (opt)

Directions:

-Combine chili powder, oregano and cumin in small bowl. Set aside
-Layer potato, beans, half of chili mix, garlic, onion, jal pepper, bell pepper, remaining half of chili mix and corn in slow cooker.
-Cover and cook on low 5 hours or until potato is tender.
-Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and cooked chicken breast.
-Preheat oven to 350. Spoon 2 T of cheese onto tortilla. Top with 1 cup of filling. Fold all 4 sides to enclose filling. Place burritos seam side down on baking sheet. Cover with foil and bake 20-30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with sour cream & salsa if desired.

Peruvian Quinoa Stew

This is a hearty and delicious meal that the whole family will enjoy. My husband isn't too fond of vegetarian meals, but really likes when I make Peruvian Quinoa.

Ingredients:

½ cup quinoa
1 cup water
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, cut on the diagonal into ¼-inch thick slices
1 bag of frozen bell peppers and onions
1 cup cubed zucchini
1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 cup water or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch of cayenne (or more to taste)
2 teaspoon fresh oregano (OR) 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Grated Cheddar (OR) Monterrey Jack cheese (optional)

1. Rinse quinoa well with cold water. Use a fine mesh filter or coffee filter. If you're a klutz like me use the fine mesh filter or a lot of quinoa is going to wind up in the sink!

Quinoa is coated with a natural substance called saponin that protects the grain by repelling insects and birds. Rinsing the quinoa is important to avoid a raw or bitter taste. You can tell if there is saponin by the production of a soapylooking "suds" when the seeds are swished in water.

2. Place rinsed quinoa and water in pot (covered) and cook covered on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes until soft.
3. While the quinoa is cooking place the garlic and olive oil uncovered soup pot and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes
4. Add celery and carrots to the soup pot and cook an additional 5 minutes,stirring often
5. Add the onion and bell pepper mix, zucchini, tomatoes, and one cup water or vegetable stock to soup pot. Stir in cumin, chili powder, coriander, cayenne and oregano to soup pot simmer covered for 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
6. Stir in cooked quinoa and salt to taste.
7. Top with grated cheese and fresh cilantro
8. Serve immediately.

*If vegetarian is out of the question you can add 1/2 lb of chopped grilled chicken. This truly is enough meat to spread throug out this recipe.

Serves: 4

Cost:

Quinoa: $.50
Onion/Pepper mix: $1
Zucchini: $.50
Organic diced tomatoes: $1.15
Carrot/Celery (estimate @ 2lbs/$1): $.25
Spices/Garlic (hard to estimate b/c I buy in bulk): $.25

Total: $3.65 ($5.65 if you add the chicken)