Sweet Potato Hummus

This sweet potato hummus has become my new favorite. It is healthy, delicious, and easy to make. I use this hummus as a dip for vegetables and a spread for crackers, wraps, and sandwiches. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Hummus 
1 pound Sweet Potatoes (about 2), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 (15 oz can) Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice (1-2 lemons)
1/4 cup Sesame Tahini
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 Garlic Clove, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sweet Paprika for garnish
2-3 tablespoon Water to thin

Steam sweet potatoes until tender, 12-22 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, oil, cumin, and garlic to the food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with paprika. Serve with chips, vegetables or use as a spread for wraps and sandwiches. Hummus will last up to 1 week refrigerated in an airtight container.

Recipe from Power Foods

White Chocolate Dipped Green Tea Biscotti

 Happy groundhog day! I guess Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today so we are in for 6 more weeks of winter. Oh well, look on the bright side the cold will make that afternoon cup of hot coffee or tea and biscotti taste that much better ;)

White Chocolate Dipped Green Tea Biscotti 
1 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Almond Meal
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon Matcha Powder
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Almond Extract
2 Eggs
3 ounces White Chocolate

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, salt, and matcha powder, set aside until needed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together for a few minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time scraping after each addition, until well incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and the almond extracts. Add the flour mixture in three additions until well mixed, scraping the bowl as needed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form into a log, about 12 inches, then place the log on the prepared baking sheet (the dough will be a bit soft, I used two spatulas to gently lift the log onto the baking sheet). Bake for 25-30 minutes, then remove the log from oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Once cooled, slice the log diagonally into about 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place pieces back on the baking sheet and bake for another 30 minutes, turning them half way through. Allow biscotti to cool while you prepare the white chocolate. To prepare the white chocolate place either chips or chunks into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15 second intervals stirring in between until chocolate is melted. Once the chocolate is melted and the biscotti is cooled dip the bottoms of each biscotti into the white chocolate, you can also use an offset spatula to help spread the chocolate along the bottom evenly. Place dipped biscotti on a baking sheet lined with parchment and refrigerate until white chocolate is set, about 20 minutes.

Makes 6 Biscotti , plus 2 ends

Smoothie

I love getting a big carton of blueberries every time I go to Costco. I always have this idea that I am going to make muffins and add them to salads and find many other great uses my big carton of blueberries. The only problem is that with just D and me it is really hard to go through an entire package of blueberries no matter how hard I try they inevitably go bad before I have had a chance to use them all, until now... This time when I could see my blueberries were getting close to their expiration I washed them, let them air dry and then I put them in a freezer bag and placed them in the freezer. I added a few hand fulls of frozen blueberries to my smoothie this morning and it was delicious, blueberry problem solved. 

Blueberry Smoothie

2 cups Almond Milk

4 cups Spinach

1 Frozen Banana

2 cups Frozen Blueberries 

2 tablespoons Flaxseed Meal 

First pour the almond milk into the blender then add the spinach and blend until smooth, next add the banana and blend, then add the frozen blueberries and flaxseed meal and blend until smooth. You could probably add all the ingredients at once especially if you have a really powerful blender, but I like to add the ingredients in stages because I find it helps keep my blender from getting all jammed up. 

Makes 2 Smoothies 

Granola

With so many people this time of year, myself included, watching what they eat, I wanted to share with you some of the healthy recipes I enjoy. First up, granola. This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite new cookbooks, Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson. I think what really makes this granola stand out is the orange zest so be sure not to skip it when making this recipe. This granola is delicious with milk, yogurt or just on its own.

Granola
4 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
1 cup unsweetened shredded large-flake coconut
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2/3 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
zest of 2 oranges
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Arrange racks so that one rack is in the top third and the other rack is in the bottom third of the oven. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil, set aside till needed. In a large bowl mix together the oats, walnuts, coconut, sea salt, golden raisins, flaxseed meal, and orange zest. Then in a small sauce pan over low heat melt the butter then add the the maple syrup and whisk until combined. Pour mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until coated. Divide and spread out mixture among baking sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow granola to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Favorite Recipes of 2011

I can't believe 2011 is almost over! I must say it was a pretty good year. I started my blog, began culinary school, found a a job that I love, and leaned a lot about baking. I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite recipes from 2011. I hope you all had a fantastic year and I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Cinnamon Rolls

Vanilla Frosted Honey Cake

Cheddar Soda Bread

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread

Raspberry Cream Cheese Layer Cake 

Junior Mint Brownies 

Pavlova

Chocolate Malt Ice Cream Cup Pies

Honey Goat Cheese Biscuits 

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt with Blackberry Lime Sauce 

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies 

Salted Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars 

Whole Wheat "Goldfish" Crackers 

Toasted Marshmallow and Malt Chocolate Layer Cake