Moroccan Carrot Dip

When I was younger, my family used to go to this Moroccan restaurant.  They had really delicious food and every once in a while belly dancers would come out, and since I was a little kid they would always try to get me to dance with them.  Needless to say, belly dancing is not my thing.  Moroccan food is a different story.  One of the dishes we used to get was a bunch of different dips with pita bread, and one of those dips was this scrumptious carrot dip.  I've always wanted to try and re-create that dish, and today I finally did.  And man, is it good.  Not to mention that my house smells awesome from cooking it.

I found the recipe on A Thought for Food blog, and besides cutting the recipe in half I only made a few minor changes.

Pre-dip

Ingredients:

• 6 carrots, peeled and chopped into smallish pieces
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• scant 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• smidgen (or more if you're into it) chili powder
• 1/2 Tbs vinegar
• Parsley 

Cooking!

Directions:

1. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Add in chopped carrots and a sprinkle of salt.
2. Cook for about 5 minutes until the carrots begin to soften.
3. Add in garlic, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, and chili powder.  Stir for about 30 seconds then add in the water, turn heat to low and cover.
4. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until carrots are soft and mashable.
5. When the carrots are cooked, remove from the heat and mash- leave a few carrot chunks for texture.  Add in the vinegar and about 1/2 Tbs olive oil.  Taste and adjust spices as necessary- don't be afraid of the bold flavor!
6. Put in a bowl and garnish with chopped parsley.  Bonus points if it's fresh!  If you have the willpower, let it cool before eating.
7. Serve with any kind of pita bread or chip.  I ate mine with Trader Joe's Black Bean and Quinoa Tortilla Chips.

So good.

Ta da! You're done.  Simple and delicious.  Of course if you're making this for a group, follow the original recipe instead of my halved version.  The carrots will cook down and make less than you originally think. Enjoy!

Healthier Broccoli and Spinach Stuffed Shells

A few years ago, I made a chocolate cake that I had found on a blog which used chickpeas in place of the flour and other stuff that goes into cake.  The blog promised that it was a guiltless chocolate cake, that I wouldn't even be able to taste the secret ingredient.  Imagine that, absolutely divine chocolate cake and it would be healthy too? Amazing.  Well, let me tell you, I was hopeful and made that cake.  And you know what it tasted like?  It tasted like I had combined chickpeas and cocoa and was proudly calling it cake, while really it tasted like chickpeas and cocoa.  An awkward combination, to say the least.
Now the reason I rant about this "cake" (I can put it in quotations, now that you know the end of the story, so you can see it for the impostor that it is) is because I need everyone to know that I am fully aware that healthy things do not always taste as good as the originals, no matter how much they try.  Ahem, "cake".  With that said, though, I want to share the broccoli and spinach stuffed shells I made the other night.  I'm not calling them health food but I can definitely say that they're healthier than the normal version, and taste really good too- and not in that "oh hey I'm a chickpea but I totally blend into a cake.....NOT" kind of way.

Because of some of the variations from normal shells, this version is also a lot lighter so you don't feel gross and overloaded in that why-did-I-just-eat-10-pounds-of-cheese way that only Italian, or possibly French, food can do to you.  Besides loading the shells with lots of delicious greenery, the biggest change is that I sub out half of the ricotta for tofu.  But I promise, it has the exact same texture as the ricotta, especially when in the shells, and you know what?  You could serve this to most people and they would have no idea they were eating tofu.  Mwahaha.  This recipe is really similar to the lasagna I posted about a while ago, but in a more portable form.  Not that anyone has ever considered stuffed shells a portable, on-the-go food.  Whatever.

Ingredients:

• Large shell pasta
• Tomato sauce- make your own, or cheat and use a good jarred version.  Something basil-y and garlic-y is always a bonus.
• Part skim mozzarella- either one block or one package of pre-shredded cheese.  Freshly shredded is better, but I won't judge if you get the pre-shredded kind.  This stuff happens sometimes.
• 2/3 block firm tofu
• 1 head of broccoli
• 1 package frozen spinach (or a bunch of fresh works too, obviously)
• 1 medium onion
• Small container (maybe 16 oz?) part skim ricotta cheese.  I don't recommend the non-fat kind, I think it's a bit flavorless.
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• Olive oil
• Seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, basil
• Shaved parmesan (optional)

This is a terrible blurry picture.  But see how they're cooking!

Directions:

1. If you're making homemade sauce, start that first so the flavors have time to meld.
2. Press the block of tofu for about 20 minutes. 
3. Chop the onion and broccoli into small pieces.  
4. Heat a little olive oil in a pan.  Add in the onion and sauté for about 2 minutes, then throw in the broccoli, spinach, minced garlic, and a decent sprinkling of salt.  Stir and then cover so the veggies can steam, but stir every few minutes.  Once the veggies are cooked through (but not overcooked!) remove the pan from the heat to let it cool a bit.
5. While the veggies are cooking, cook the shells just until they're al dente.  You want them al dente so they hold their shape when being stuffed- plus they'll cook a bit more in the oven later.  When they're cooked and drained, toss them with a bit of olive oil so they don't stick together.
6. Crumble your now-pressed tofu into a large bowl.  Combine with the ricotta and about half of the shredded mozzarella.  
7. Add the partially cooled veggies to the cheese mixture.  The veggies don't have to be totally cold, but you don't want them steaming hot because they'll melt the cheese and make it all goopy.
8. Add in seasoning to your liking.  Here's the trick- don't be skimpy with the seasoning!  It's easy to make shells too bland.  Lots of oregano, basil, garlic, and salt (without being overpowering, of course) are what really gives these shells a pop of flavor.  Yes, that's contradictory, but hopefully you see what I'm getting at.

   

   Cooked shells, saucy and cheesy.  Good
   traits in a personality AND in flavoring

9. Time to prep the shells!  You can either make one big pan or a few smaller pans.  I prefer to make a few smaller pans and then only cook one at a time when I want it, so it's fresher.  But maybe you're cooking for a big group.  Make the choice that's best for you.
10. Put some tomato sauce in the bottom of your pan.  Grab a shell and stuff it with the veggie/cheese mixture, then put it in the pan.  Continue this until the shells are crowded into the pan- you don't want a lot of extra space.
11. Cover the shells with tomato sauce.  It doesn't have to heavily covered in sauce, but make sure that there's no bare pasta showing- if you bake that it dries out and gets gross.  Sauce is the nice blanket that keeps everything moist.
12. Sprinkle mozzarella on top of the now-sauce-covered shells.  Sprinkle on some parmesan too, if you're into that.  If you want to get really fancy, sprinkle some basil on top too.
13. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until the shells are heated through and the cheese is all melty.  The sauce will be bubbling around the sides.

When I made these I made a couple small pans of the shells with tomato sauce etc, and then froze individual non-sauced shells.  I could have frozen the whole shebang with tomato sauce and cheese on top but didn't feel like tying up a pan in the freezer, so instead I put them in tupperware- at a later time I can take them out, blob some sauce on, and ta-da! Fresh (kinda) shells!

Naked shells, ready to be frozen.

These shells have gotten good reviews from everyone I've made them for- and no one can taste the tofu! But you'll just have to trust me and make them yourself.

Caramelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Hummus

This recipe was inspired by Wegman's Caramelized Onion Hummus, which I absolutely love, so I decided to try making it from scratch.  What could be bad?  Combining two of my favorite ingredients, hummus and caramelized onions, could only yield good things.  Not only did it turn out delicious- a creamy, garlic-y, savory hummus with a mild sweetness from caramelized onions- but it was also fairly easy to make and I'm sure will be a very forgiving recipe.  

One important thing I learned, however, is that there is no way to take a picture of hummus and make it look appealing.  Let's be real.  It's a bunch of chickpeas and other stuff all mushed together in a food processor.  I'm not saying it's not delicious, and it has a great personality, but it's not much to look at.

A blob only a mama chickpea could love.

However, if you can get past the non-photogenic qualities of hummus, I highly recommend it.

Ingredients:

Note- Everything here is approximate.  No measuring tools of any kind were used, or harmed, in the making of this hummus.  So take all measurements with a grain of salt (pun intended) and add whatever amount feels right to you.

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 medium onion
• olive oil
• Smart Balance
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• Turmeric
• Garlic powder

Hummus: the hats of choice for baby carrots everywhere

Directions:

1. Cut the onion into thin slices.  Heat a pan on medium-low.  Add about 1 1/2 Tbs each of olive oil and Smart Balance.  Melt in the pan with the 2 tsp brown sugar, and a pinch of salt.  Add in the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan, and cook for about another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and lightly browned.  Note: Don't rush the onions! The longer and slower they cook, the more deliciously caramelized they'll get.
2. After throwing the onions in the pan, combine the peeled garlic with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and wrap in a foil pouch.  Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes- or just take them out of the oven when the onions are done.
3. While the onions and garlic are doin their thing, drain the can of chickpeas and puree in a food processor.  Add in a decent drizzle of olive oil, some salt, pepper, turmeric, and garlic powder, and keep pureeing.  The mixture will be a bit thick but don't worry, we'll fix that when we add the onions and garlic that are so diligently cooking at this time.  
4. Once the onions and garlic are done, let them briefly cool and then dump them into the food processor.   Let the food processor do it's job, mixing and blending, until everything is incorporated and you have a creamy, delicious (if not aesthetically-challenged) mixture.  Taste and add whatever you think is necessary.  Make sure you add enough salt to really bring out the flavor of the onions.
5. Eat right then with your favorite hummus dippers, or if you can wait (I didn't, but I have no willpower when it comes to hummus) put it in the fridge and let it cool down before eating.  Enjoy!

You're probably tired of pictures of hummus.  So here's something cuter. She also likes hummus.