Recipe: Garlic Hummus

I put the family on a diet recently because the hubby and I need to lose quite a few pounds and it never hurts to teach kids good eating habits. That being said, we've all come to the realization that we're snackers. We like to munch idly while doing homework, reading watching TV, etc. So my goal was to not necessarily eliminate snacking but to snack healthier.

My friend Patti suggested we try her hummus recipe. I'd had hummus before and I like it so at 35 calories per two tablespoon serving, I decided to give it a try. Use it with pita chips or with baby carrots for a great afternoon snack.

Hubby rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Kid rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Mom rating: 4 out of 5 stars

So here's what you need:

2 cans of drained chick peas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans)
~reserve some of the chick pea liquid
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
green olive juice (optional)

After you drain the chick peas (saving some of the liquid for later), empty both cans into your blender or food processor. Add tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse the blender until it starts to get smooth and creamy. If the dip is too thick, add a little of the chick pea liquid until the dip blends smoothly in the blender.

Note: the first time I made this, I happened to have some green olive juice on hand and used it in place of the chick pea liquid. It gave it a nice salty, tangy flavor and I really liked it a lot. If you have it on hand, give it a try.

Top with a drizzle of olive oil and some paprika to dress it up for a party!

Hummus is so yummy and easy to make and there are so many things you can do to change it up. Try adding sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, roasted pine nuts or fresh herbs to give it a different flavor every time!

Restaurant Review: The Brazilian Cowboy Steakhouse and Grill, Plano

The Brazilian Cowboy Steakhouse and Grill

$$- $10 to $20 per entree

1320 North Central Expressway
Plano, TX 75074
(972) 881-8600
www.braziliancowboy.com

Husband rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Wife rating: 2 out of 5 stars


What we ordered


Two adult dinner buffets
Flan
Papaya Creme


What We Thought


The hubby and I found ourselves kid-free on a Saturday night and since we've moved to Denton, we have a whole new area of the metroplex to explore. We opted for a movie in Plano and decided to try something new for dinner instead of familiar. We got on www.restaurant.com which is a great resource for dining discounts and a great way to find new and/or small independently owned places to eat. We decided to try The Brazilian Cowboy (http://bit.ly/q96e8r). It boasted traditional Brazilian Churrascaria at a fraction of the price of other Brazilian Steakhouses!" We're both big fans of Texas de Brazil so we thought it would be worth a try.

The salad bar was really disappointing. A typical lettuce mix with six different dressings and a few odd looking pasta and bean salads. They had a few hot options at the end that consisted of white rice and a few different stroganoff type sauces. They also had cinnamon-sugar covered bananas which was by far my favorite part of the whole meal. They also had these cheese rolls that were really good. I could have just eaten bread and bananas all night. :)


Hubby and I tried a few of the salad bar offerings but, being underwhelmed, moved quickly to the meats. For a small steakhouse they offered a decent selection of meat. Three different types of Picanha, the traditional Brazilian style meat, top sirloin, bacon wrapped chicken, sausage and a few others. The first piece of Picanha I had was the last one on the stick so it was WELL done and I don't usually like my meat that way so I had a few bites and set it aside. The flavor was great and not too salty like some churrascarias. The bacon wrapped chicken was wonderful but how bad can anything wrapped in bacon be? The garlic beef was really chewy. The sausage was ok. The next time the Picanha came around and they gave us a slice, it was so rare, I'd venture to call it raw. And I like my meat medium-rare so that's saying something.


We had our fill of meat and opted for desserts. (Hey! It was date night afterall...) Hubby got flan and I tried the Papaya Creme. Hubby enjoyed his flan and my Papaya Creme was ok. It basically was like a runny smoothie. The manager/owner came by and drizzled a sweet liquor over it and it made it a little better but I still probably wouldn't order it again. 


The manager, you could tell, was a hard-working man. He was busy running around the room making sure guests were happy. He even brought us a coffee made with his secret recipe (vanilla ice cream, coffee, Bailey's Irish Creme and Khalua) at no charge. It was pretty tasty and packed a decent punch. He really made the experience better.


All in all, I doubt we'll be going back. We both went to the movie stuffed full but at $18.95 per adult, I don't think it was worth it. I was glad we didn't pay full price for it or I'd have definitely been disappointed. 

Recipe: Tasty Turkey Surprise

This recipe is fantastic! It's fabulously healthy and it tastes amazing. I didn't think those two things ever went together. And on top of that, it's easy to make!

Hubby rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Kid rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Mom rating: 5 out of 5 stars

So here's what you'll need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 bag of spinach
1 package of ground turkey
1 can of beans (drained)
2 cups chicken stock (or water with chicken bullion)
salt and pepper to taste

Simmer until most of the liquid is gone.

First, in a large skillet, put two tablespoons of olive oil and set to medium/medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion. Saute until the onions are translucent and start to get soft. Then add the ground turkey. Brown the turkey until cooked through. (Note: ground turkey never really seems to brown. Just make sure all the pink is gone.)

Once the turkey is cooked, add the two cups of chicken stock. Bring it to a boil. Mix in the spinach a little at a time. (Note: you'll probably wonder how in the world a whole bag of spinach will fit in the pan, but if you add a little at a time and let it cook down, it will all fit. I promise!)

Add the can of drained beans. The first time I made this recipe, I made it with cannelloni beans. This time, I made it with black beans. It would work well with almost any bean of your choice.

Add salt and pepper to taste. If you used low sodium chicken stock, you'll probably need more salt than if you used regular stock.

Simmer until most of the liquid is gone and then serve. I usually serve it over white rice.

This recipe makes four large servings and with the rice, it's under 500 calories! Without the rice, a serving  is only 332 calories! Husband gives this a 4 out of 5 stars and kid gives it a 5 out of 5! You can't hardly beat that!

Enjoy and happy cooking!

Recipe: Salted Chocolate Espresso Caramel Bars

A close up of the chocolaty goodness!

So in my last post, I told you how to make an easy smoked sea salt. What do you do with smoked sea salt you ask? Well aside from using it to flavor everyday dishes, you can use it on my Salted Chocolate Espresso Caramel Bars! They're relatively easy to make (with three easy steps!) and oh my goodness are they tasty!

Hubby rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Kid rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Mom rating: 5 out of 5 stars but only because I can't give it a 10!

Salted Chocolate Espresso Caramel Bars

Step one: The crust

In this step, you're going to make a graham cracker crust the same way you would for a cheesecake. You'll need:

12 graham crackers
1/4 cup of sugar
1 1/2 sticks melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350*. Put the graham crackers and the sugar in a food processor or blender and blend until you have fine crumbs. Mix the crumbs and the butter together in a bowl until clumps start to form and all the crumbs look coated. Line a 9" spring form pan with parchment or wax paper. Spray the paper and the sides of the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the graham cracker mixture into the pan so that it's even all around. Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes or until it looks golden brown. Let it cool completely. (To make this happen faster, I set it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.)

Step two: The caramel

In this step it is HIGHLY recommended that you use a candy thermometer. I didn't have one so I used my meat thermometer. It didn't read high enough so my caramel's temperature got a little too high. Instead of having a creamy, melt in your mouth caramel, it ended up being more like toffee. Which was fine because it was crunchy and delicious but the idea is to have a smooth texture.

You'll need:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 stick room temperature butter
1 tablespoon of water
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine cream, butter, water and sugar and stir over medium heat until smooth. Bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, until the caramel reached 240*. It takes about 5-7 minutes but make sure to watch it so it doesn't turn to toffee (unless you want it to!) Pour the caramel over the cooled graham cracker crust.

Let it cool in the fridge for 20 minutes and then in the freezer until firm (about 10 more minutes).

Step three: The chocolate

In this step, we're going to make the chocolate espresso ganache. You'll need:

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons instant coffee
smoked sea salt

Place a glass bowl over a pot of hot water. Bring the water to a boil. Add the chocolate chips and cream and stir until they melt and combine. Mix in the instant coffee powder. Once completely mixed and smooth, pour over the cooled caramel. Sprinkle the smoked sea salt all over the chocolate so that the whole pan has a little bit of salt. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Bring out about 30 minutes before you want to serve and allow to come to room temperature. Using a slightly wet knife, cut around the edge of the pan to release the chocolate layer. Release the side of the springform pan and remove from the bottom. Cut into 1" by 1 1/2" bars.

The bars after removing the sides of the pan.

Store extras in an air-tight container.


These are SO yummy. My husband, daughter and friends who were lucky enough to try these were in awe. Even with the toffee textured caramel!