Garlic Sticks

I listen to the radio as I drive to and from work every day which means that typically my entire day only consists of 20 minutes of radio listening. Therefore, I have to pick my station very carefully. In the mornings, I am always hard pressed to find a station playing music constantly so I pick my go-to station by the characters on the morning show. I've settled into a station that I like here and one of the things that they do shortly before 9am (which is typically when I'm finishing up my drive in) is list 5 random facts of the day. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes they make you think, sometimes they are a little gross. But regardless I can start my day off my learning something.

Earlier this week, one of the facts of the day was that not having friends can be hazardous to your health. The study they were quoting apparently said that being friendless is like smoking 15 cigarettes a day. How or why someone measured that is beyond me but it made me thankful for all of my wonderful friends. Throughout all of the stages of my life, my friends have helped to brighten my days and I suppose to keep me healthy. For that, my friends, I thank you. And as I move on to the next stage of my life and make new friends (here's hoping), I want to thank you in advance for keeping me healthy.

So put down those "cigarettes", invite some friends over, and fellowship over these garlic sticks. They are a perfect combination of garlic and cheese and soft and crunch.

Garlic Sticks (Topping adapted from One Preppy Cookie)
Ingredients:
1/5 recipe frozen homemade pizza dough (if you want to up the amount of garlic, when you make the pizza dough use garlic infused olive oil instead of regular olive oil)

1 tbsp freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Let the frozen pizza dough thaw over the course of the day in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature covered with towel for 10-30 minutes before baking.

Preheat oven and baking stone to 500F.

Whisk the parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and onion powder into the melted butter.

Roll or pull the dough into a circular shape, as thin as you can; brush with the butter mixture and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Transfer to the preheated baking stone.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and crunchy. Let cool for about 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve with pizza sauce (homemade or other) for dipping.

Roasted Chickpeas

Oh chickpeas. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. Creamy in a hummus
2. Mixed into a salad
3. Smashed on a sandwich

And I'm adding a new one today.

4. Crispy and by the handful

Roasted Chickpeas (Cooking technique from A Spicy Perspective although it is all over the internet)
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt*
freshly ground pepper*

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Spread the chickpeas on the baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper-- I think I used about 1/4 tsp of each. Mix to coat.

Bake for 15 minutes. Stir to mix well. Bake for additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before eating. They will crisp up a little bit.

*Feel free to try out whatever seasonings you would like.

Chipotle Hummus

I don't know what it is about warm weather, but it makes me want to make hummus. It makes me want to grill up some veggies, throw them on top of a thick slice of bread slathered with that homemade hummus, and jump in head first. Maybe it is the fact that the farmer's market is up and running and you can find lots of delicious and fresh veggies. Maybe it is because a hummus sandwich doesn't require turning on the stove. Maybe it is due to the fact that I've been working long and crazy hours and this comes together so fast.

Regardless of the reason, you should definitely dust off your food processor and make this chipotle hummus. The chipotle pepper gives it a nice smoky and spicy kick. If you aren't in too much of a rush, you should spend the time to peel the chickpeas. Like I mentioned in my last hummus post, this really does wonders for the creaminess.

Serve the hummus with tortilla chips, pita chips, or an assortment of raw vegetables. Or throw it on a pita or piece of bread, top it with some grilled peppers, onions, and mushrooms and enjoy the start of summertime.

Chipotle Hummus
Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 large garlic clove
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/4-1/3 cup water

Directions:
Optional, but recommended: Peel the garbanzo beans.

Combine the beans, garlic, pepper, tahini, lemon juice, oil and cumin in a food processor. Pulse until mixed well and chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the water until you reach your desired consistency.

Corn, Tomato, Avocado Salsa

"I put my hand upon your hip when I dip you dip we dip" -- that song reminds me of 7th grade-- the Red Hot Chicken Wings (our "team" name for the a third of the 7th grade class for these little competitions and stuff we had). For some reason whenever I hear (or think of) that song it takes me back to my end of the day class and the girls I used to sit with. To tell you the truth, I don't even know the rest of the lyrics just the hand and the hip and the dip part. Sounds awkward-- just like I was in 7th grade when I was trying to grow out my bangs and dealing with all the middle school drama.

Maybe if we had eaten more homemade dips at Northeast Middle School (instead of just singing about them) there would have been less of the wonderfuls vs the nerds. Who knows. But I can tell you that this salsa will make you happy now. It is so quick and easy to whip together, there is no excuse not to do it.

Corn Tomato Avocado Salsa
Ingredients:
1 8.5 oz can corn, rinsed and drained
1 avocado, diced
1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (choose whatever kind you want, I used quartered grape tomatoes)
juice from 1/2 lime
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Mix together the corn, avocado and tomatoes in a bowl. Add the lime juice and stir to coat. Stir in the salt. Taste! Add freshly ground pepper and more salt, if necessary, to your liking.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Kettle Corn

What is your favorite kind of popcorn?

Are you having trouble answering that question? I certainly am. I love it all. Seriously. ALL OF IT. Movie theater popcorn. Microwave popcorn. White cheddar popcorn. (Fluorescent orange) Cheese popcorn. Salt and pepper popcorn. Buttered popcorn. Air-popped popcorn. Kettle corn. Really I'm not going to turn it down. EVER. I sometimes eat popcorn for dinner even though Scott continually tells me it is a snack and not a meal.

Recently I've been avoiding purchasing microwave popcorn and utilizing my air popper. The advantages of air-popped popcorn include the caloric intake (less butter if you drizzle it yourself), customizable seasonings (including salt), and the price (you can get a whole bag of kernels for $2-3 and it will last you). Most of the time I just air-pop the kernels and toss with a little bit of seasoning salt. However, the other day I was really craving kettle corn. So I did what I always do- googled homemade kettle corn and came across the following recipe. The key is to make the kettle corn on the stove top and to continually shake it while it is popping to avoid burning any sugar. Now I've made this at least 4 times in the past month. It is the perfect salty sweet snack. Making popcorn on the stove top is not quite as healthy as the air-popper but this kettle corn is worth it. And you probably have everything you need in your pantry right now. You should do it... I'll be right over :)

Kettle Corn (from Our Best Bites via Tracey's Culinary Adventure)
Ingredients:
3 tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
2-3 tbsp sugar
salt

Directions:
Place the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add three kernels of popcorn. Cover and heat until the three kernels pop. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the kernels and the sugar in a bowl and toss to mix. Once the kernels pop, add the rest of the kernels and the sugar and mix immediately with a wooden spoon. Cover and heat, shaking the pot often until all the kernel (or most of them) are popped. Sprinkle with salt. EAT (by the handful)!

Strawberry Banana Mini Muffins

What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Since I've spent the night completely unplugged from the world, I always check my email and the weather. If I'm feeling extra lazy, like I was this Saturday, I check Facebook and Pinterest while still cuddled under the covers in bed. And this week I learned that February 23 is National Banana Bread Day. Note: I'm pretty certain that there is a food holiday or month or something that we could celebrate everyday. But regardless, I had a few bananas that were on their last legs and I figured I might as well take part in banana bread day. I checked my fridge and found some strawberries that were also calling out to me, so I searched for a strawberry banana bread recipe. To make things quicker I went for a muffin AND I made them mini so I can pop them in my mouth on my way out the door on a workday morning.

What's great about this recipe is the lack of fat. There is a significant amount of sugar so they aren't exactly health muffins but they are better than what you would pick up at the coffee shop. Speaking of which, they go great with a cup or two of freshly brewed coffee.

Strawberry Banana Mini Muffins (adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 medium banana, mashed

1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg white, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 medium banana, thinly sliced
1 cup diced strawberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a mini muffin tray with cooking spray.

Mix together the flour, sugars, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the mashed banana, applesauce, egg white and vanilla and stir until combined but do not overmix. Fold in the banana slices and strawberries. Scoop the batter into the mini muffin tray, filling almost to the top.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Makes 20-24 mini muffins.

Store in an airtight container.