Dips Spreads

 

BABAGANOUSH

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds Italian eggplants (about 2 small-to-medium eggplants – smaller are better)

• 2 medium cloves of garlic, pressed or minced (roasted if possible)

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, more if necessary

• ¼ cup tahini

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the eggplant and garnish

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish

• ¾ teaspoon salt, to taste

• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

• Pinch of smoked paprika, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prep eggplant by slicing in half, salting, and letting sit for 30min then rinse them off

2. Preheat the oven to 450 with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan. 

3. Brush the eggplant lightly with olive oil. Place them in the prepared pan.

4. Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender throughout and the skin is collapsing, about 35 to 40 minutes (this might take longer if you are using 1 large eggplant). Set the eggplant aside to cool for a few minutes. Flip the eggplants over and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon, leaving the skin behind.

5. Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl, then transfer the flesh to the strainer and discard the skins. Pick out any stray bits of eggplant skin and discard. You want to remove as much moisture from the eggplant here as possible, so let the eggplant rest for a few minutes and shake/stir the eggplant to release some more moisture.

6. Discard all of the eggplant drippings, drain and wipe out the bowl, and dump the eggplant into the bowl. 

7. Add the garlic and lemon juice to the eggplant and stir vigorously with a fork until the eggplant breaks down. 

8. Add the tahini to the bowl and stir until it’s incorporated. 

9. While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue stirring until the mixture is pale and creamy, and use your fork to break up any particularly long strings of eggplant.

10. Stir in the parsley, salt and cumin. Season to taste with more salt (I usually add another ¼ teaspoon) and more lemon juice, if you’d like a more tart flavor.

11. Transfer the babaganoush to a serving bowl and lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Lastly, sprinkle parsley and smoked paprika on top. 

NOTES

*EGGPLANT SELECTION: Large eggplants tend to contain more seeds, which can produce a bothersome texture. So, it’s better to use 2 small eggplants that weigh about 2 pounds total, rather than 1 large. Choose eggplants that are shiny and smooth (no mushy parts), and feel heavy for their size and not overripe (bitter)

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BEET DIP

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt or labneh

• 2 to 3 medium red beets (8 to 12 oz)

• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

• Salt to taste

• 1½ teaspoons lemon juice, if using Greek yogurt, plus more to taste

• Optional garnishes: fresh dill, black sesame and or white sesame seeds, olive oil, za’atar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If you’re using Greek yogurt, line a sieve with a coffee filter, and set it over a bowl. Place the yogurt in the coffee filter and place the whole set up (bowl, sieve, filter) in the fridge to drain overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place the beets in a small baking dish like a pie plate or 8-inch baking dish. Add water to reach halfway up the pan. Cover pan with foil. Transfer pan to the oven and cook until the beets until very tender, about an hour. Let cool briefly, then peel the beets by rubbing off the skins. Using paper towels might help. Roughly chop the beets.

3. In a food processor or blender, add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and a quarter of the cooked beets. 

4. Purée until very smooth— you’ll have to use a spatula to scrape down the sides in between periods of puréeing.

5. Add 1/8 cup of the strained yogurt or labneh and purée until smooth. 

6. Add the remaining beets and repeat the puréeing-scraping process until the beets are very smooth. 

7. Add the remaining labneh or yogurt and lemon juice, and purée one more time until smooth. Taste. Add more salt and lemon to taste.

8. Garnish as desired: olive oil and za’atar

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HUMMUS 

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or 1 ½ cups (250 grams) cooked chickpeas

1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice, 1 large lemon

1/4 cup (60ml) well-stirred tahini

1 small garlic clove (roasted if possible), minced

2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons chickpea can juice or water 

Dash ground paprika, sumac, or Za’atar for serving

Directions

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy.

• Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then process for another 30 seconds or until well blended.

• Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the remaining chickpeas and process them until thick and relatively smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

The hummus will likely be too thick and still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of chickpea can juice (or cold water) with the food processor turned on until you reach the perfect consistency.

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TZATZIKI

Ingredients

• ½ cup finely grated cucumber

• 1 cup thick whole milk greek yogurt

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• ½ tablespoon olive oil

• 1 roasted garlic clove, grated

• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

• 1 tablespoon chopped dill

• 1 tablespoon chopped mint, optional

Instructions

1. Place the cucumber on a towel and gently squeeze out a bit of the excess water.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, dill, and mint, if using. Chill until ready to use.

Banana Bread

Ingredients

3 to 4 medium overripe bananas, mashed (1 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (Bob's Red Mill 1:1)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease a loaf pan (and/or include a piece of parchment)
3. Mix the wet ingredients in large bowl: mashed bananas and stir in melted butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
4. Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl: add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the larger bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until fully combined. (Note that it will be slightly lumpy because of the pieces of mashed banana.)
5. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, scraping the bowl to assist. 
6. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean.
7. Cool on a rack at least 15 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan. 
8. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Mexican (Spanish) rice

https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/super-easy-mexican-rice/

4 tbsp butter
2 cups rice
1 can of tomato sauce

1 small can green chiles

1 carton (4 cups) broth

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

1. In a large skillet (one that has a lid) over medium heat, melt butter.
2. Stir in cumin, chili powder, salt, onion powder and rice for 1-2 minutes.
3. Whisk in tomato sauce and chicken broth.
4. Bring a boil, then reduce to a high simmer.
5. Cover and cook for 25 minutes (see note).
6. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and serve.

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookies

Serves: 8-10 people (for smaller recipe see below)

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1.5 large egg
1.5 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1.12 teaspoon baking soda
1.12 teaspoon kosher salt 
1.5 chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. 
• In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer on medium, combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. 
• Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
• Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. 
• Mix in the chocolate.
• Spread the batter evenly in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet. It will be thin. 
• Bake until golden brown and set but still slightly gooey in the center, 20 to 22 minutes. 
• Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature. 
• The cookie is best the day it’s made, but leftovers will last, well-wrapped, up to 3 days at room temperature.

Serves 6ish

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt 
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Soft Pretzels

 

Start with a batch of Gabi's pizza dough

Heat oven to 450

Roll dough out into thin strips, twist into pretzel shape

Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and let rest for about 15 min

Fill pot on stove halfway with water, add 2 tbsp baking powder and 1 tbsp sugar

Boil pretzels for 30 seconds on each side

Beat 1 egg with a tbsp of water and brush onto pretzels

Sprinkle with salt

Bake at 450 for 12-15ish minutes until golden brown

Cheese dip:

- 2 tbsp butter

- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

- 1 cup milk

- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar

- 1/4 tsp salt

- chili powder optional

1. Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat.
2. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking throughout, for 1 minute.
3. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly, until a thick sauce forms.
4. Melt in the cheese, whisking constantly, for 1-2 minutes and season with the chili powder and salt.
5. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm, garnished with more chili powder if desired.

Michael's passover charoset

Soak a cup of raisins in grape juice and stick in the fridge like 2-3 hours 
Don’t grate the apples till like an hour before 
2 red apples 🍎 
2 green apples 🍏 
1 / 1.5 cups nuts I used cashews last night 
Crush them 
1 lemon 🍋 
Teaspoon to tablespoon cinnamon 
Add the raisins and the juice or to your liking 
Stick in the fridge for an hour

Lemon Orzo

Lemon Orzo


Boil orzo rice/pasta

Add lemon zest (peel) - about 1 lemon

Olive oil

Basil - small bunch, sliced up very small

(Toasted!) Pine nuts - you can toast them yourself in a pan with a little olive oil