Hummus

Hummus is a nice vegetarian alternative, and a fun dip to bring to parties. There is one ingredient that is kind of weird - tahini. You can usually find it near the pickles and olives. It's sesame paste, basically ground up sesame seeds. The natural oil in the seeds separates out, just like with natural peanut butter, so you have to stir it will to get it all mixed again before measuring. That can be a little messy! And it has a very strange smell if you're not used to it - but when all the ingredients are combined, it is delicious!

I'm going to give the basic recipe first, then the additions to make the roasted red pepper version which is even tastier.


Hummus - Plain

Combine in a food processor:

1 can of garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained
(or boil 1/2 cup of soaked dried beans for 2 hours)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp tahini (it is thick, so you may have to scrape the spoon)
2 Tbsp olive oil (don't add it all right away)

Blend in the food processor until completely pureed, adding olive oil as needed to get the desired consistency. You can also reserve some of the liquid from cooking the garbanzos to mix in if it is still too thick.

Serve with veggies, crackers, pita chips, pita bread, homemade bread, or just dig in with a spoon!



Now, to really step up the flavor...

Hummus - Roasted Red Pepper

Start with the same ingredients as the plain hummus, but use only 1 Tbsp olive oil.

Add 1/2 tsp cumin, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper (or as hot as you want it!) and some roasted red peppers - I usually add half of a a 12-oz jar.

Blend everything in the food processor, waiting to add any olive oil - the liquid from the peppers may make the oil unnecessary for texture.

This is the one I like to bring to parties!

Corn Tortilla Quiche

This is a tasty baked egg casserole that doesn't require the use of a pastry crust - just some leftover corn tortillas. There are a ton of options for the filling - I usually use just sausage and cheese, but you could easily substitute chopped ham, ground beef, or vegetable chunks.

It can be easily doubled and makes a great potluck or brunch dish - and has the added benefit of being gluten free as well, in case that is a consideration.

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com but it doesn't seem to be there anymore - so it's a good thing I wrote it down when I did!


Corn Tortilla Quiche

3/4 lb pork sausage, cooked (the original recipe used a whole pound)
5-6 6-inch corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, whatever you like)
1/4 cup canned diced green chiles - about half a can
6 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt (original recipe used cream)
1/2 cup cottage cheese (or double the yogurt)
1/2 tsp chili powder


1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Grease a 9-inch glass pan. I prefer a square pan, but a pie pan works as long as you're careful.

3. Tear tortillas into smaller pieces and layer them in the bottom of the pan, two tortillas deep.

4. Layer sausage, cheese and green chiles on top of the tortillas - or, mix it all together in a bowl and dump it all in at once.

5. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then stir in yogurt and cottage cheese.

6. Pour egg mixture slowly over the cheese/sausage mixture, being careful to distribute it evenly. If it looks like it will overflow, poke into the filling in the pan with a fork here and there to allow the liquid to sink into it more easily.

7. Bake 45-55 minutes, until center is set and puffed. Let rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

This can be easily doubled and baked in a 9x13 inch glass pan.

Yogurt Ranch Dip

This is something I've been making about once a week since last year. It's great for people like me, who cannot eat raw carrots and broccoli without some kind of dip, but feel that slathering sour cream all over your veggies sort of defeats the healthiness goals. I first started getting ranch dip mix and using yogurt instead of sour cream, but I hated using a store-bought mix with all those preservatives. I wanted to be able to just use dried herbs to make my own mix.

This recipe is based on several different ones I found in my initial search. It's pretty easy to tweak.


Yogurt Ranch Dip

Makes almost 2 cups

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (regular or Greek)
1/2 - 1 Tbsp dried chives
1/2 - 1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 pinch black pepper (I just grind the pepper grinder 8 or 10 times)
1 pinch granulated sugar
1 tiny pinch of dill (I use half of a 1/8 teaspoon measure)
1/4 cup light ranch salad dressing (I don't really measure this, just give one good squirt.)

Just mix it all up! I happen to have a tiny whisk which works perfectly, but a fork is fine too. It fits nicely in a 2-cup container. I like to start with one cup of yogurt, mix in all the dry ingredients, then add the ranch dressing and the rest of the yogurt. It's best if you can mix it ahead of time so the flavors can set.

A word of warning about the dill - a little bit goes a long way. Just the tiniest amount really makes that ranch flavor, but any more than that and you end up with dill dip. Which some people probably like. I do not.

It's a lot of measuring, but I'm at the point where I don't need to check the recipe any more, so it goes fairly quickly. And I'll mix up several packets at the same time so I just have to add the yogurt and salad dressing.

Regular plain yogurt can get kind of runny, but it does not have as strong a sour flavor as Greek yogurt, so I prefer it. I will sometimes put 2 cups plain yogurt into a coffee filter in a sieve, and drain out quite a bit of liquid - I end up with about 1 1/2 cups of very thick yogurt, perfect for dip!

Welcome to my kitchen!

Welcome to my kitchen! My name is Brenda Appleby, and among other things I love to cook. This will mostly be a way to document my favorite recipes so that I can share them with friends online. I probably won't be posting photos of every step, but if the finished product is pretty enough I may well include that!

I hope you enjoy!