Avocado Hummus Dip

OK, I admit it. I am obsessed with avocados. The creamy, nutty flavor is so unique and satisfying, unlike any other single food. I’m always looking for new ways to use this food of the gods, and I’ve discovered a good one. It’s Avocado Hummus Dip, and I can’t get enough of it. I use it as a dip for fresh vegetables, a dip for tortilla chips, on top of quesadillas, spread on sandwiches, and sometimes I just eat it by the spoonful.

This is probably one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made. All you need is one chopped avocado, a can of white kidney beans (rinsed and drained), 3 cloves garlic, juice of half a lemon plus zest, and some olive oil and salt and pepper. Just dump it all in the food processor or blender, process it until smooth, and... that's it! This dip tastes great right out of the food processor, and even better after its been in the fridge for a few hours.

If you are making this for a party, I recommend making it the day you plan to serve it. After it sits overnight, it tends to turn a little brown. The flavor is not affected at all, but its not as pretty as when its fresh made!

Since this is a hummus dip, it technically should be made with chick peas. However, I prefer the smooth, creamy texture of the white kidney beans. Either one will work!

 

Avocado Hummus Dip

1 very ripe avocado, chopped
1 can white kidney beans (or chickpeas), rinsed and drained
3 garlic cloves
Zest and juice of half of a lemon
2 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to food processor or blender, mix until smooth. Add extra salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Tastes best if chilled for 1-2 hours before serving.

Breakfast for Dinner: Sausage Quiche

Breakfast for Dinner, aka brinner, has been a controversial topic in my household. I can eat a big stack of pancakes covered with maple syrup and a side of bacon any time of the day - breakfast, lunch or dinner. Or anytime in between, really.  My husband, on the other hand, loves his breakfast but only in the morning. And when my oldest daughter was about 3 years old, I made pancakes for dinner and she refused to eat them. Because pancakes are for breakfast ONLY. I had to make her a grilled cheese sandwich that night.

So brinner was reserved for very rare occasions, usually my birthday or other day special day where everyone has to eat what I pick. That is, until now. Tonight I made a sausage quiche for dinner, and everyone loved it. I've never made quiche for breakfast, but this one combined the delicious flavor of breakfast with the heartiness of a dinner. It pleased brinner lovers and haters alike! And as a bonus, it takes only a few minutes to whip up and makes hardly any mess!

Breakfast Quiche
5 eggs
3 TBSP milk
2 TBSP flour
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 fully cooked breakfast sausage links, chopped
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
9 inch unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sautee onion and breakfast sausage in 2 teaspoons olive oil until onion is soft and sausage is lightly browned. 

In large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add flour and salt and pepper, whisk until well combined. Stir in sausage and onion mixture, cheese, and spinach. Pour into unbaked pie crust.

Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and center is set.

Approximately 4 dinner-sized servings.

Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

Growing up, we only ever had one kind of chocolate chip cookie. Not the hard, crunchy kind...not for us! My mom made the softest, most delicious chocolate chip cookies in existence. Although this is my favorite cookie in the world, I have to admit that I don't make it too often, and that's because of the boxed pudding mix in it. Have you read the ingredients in boxed pudding? Well, I'll save that for another post. The thing is, the pudding is the key. I have yet to find another recipe that produces the same texture and flavor as this.

My mom was a wonderful cook. But as I look back through her recipes, most of them are a list of ingredients with some very vague instructions. I guess that's how she learned to cook - by doing, not following instructions step by step. Luckily, I've made these with  her plenty of times throughout my childhood to know exactly what to do!

 

Start with your basic cookie ingredients - flour, butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, chocolate chips, and a very cute 4-year-old helper.

Start by creaming the butter with the white and brown sugars.

Then, get your helper to measure the vanilla and add it to the bowl.

Add eggs and mix well using an electric mixer. I'm very fortunate that my awesome friend Karen has a bunch of chickens and gives me fresh eggs. If you've never had fresh home-grown eggs, you are missing out! The taste is unbelievable.

Add flour, pudding mix, and baking powder, and mix well. I usually do this part by hand, it seems to go faster and easier than using the mixer.

Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Totally unnecessary close up of the finished dough. Isn't it delicious, though?

That's it! Spoon onto a cookie sheet and bake about 8 minutes at 375. Keep a close eye on these, they go from raw to baked to burnt very quickly!

Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 C flour
1 C butter, softened
1/4 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
12 oz semisweet or milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Start by  creaming together butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pudding mix, and baking powder. Add to butter mixture and stir until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes or until edges start to turn brown. Keep a close watch on these, they go from raw to baked to burnt very quickly.


 

California Un-Roll and a Welcome

Welcome to Fabulous Forks! Here you will find lots of recipes, bargain shopping tips, and occasional stories about my adorable family and my obsession for running. Now that I've got that out of the way, lets get to some food!

It took me thirty-five years to try sushi. Cold, raw fishy just didn't seem like something that should pass my lips. Then on a whim, the hubby and I decided to try it for our 8th anniversary dinner. And surprise surprise, I actually liked it! I love trying new and different rolls, but my one sushi staple is still the California roll (crazy, right?).

So when we're not able to hit up our favorite sushi joint, I like to whip up the California Un-Roll. Rice, cucumber, avocado and crab, topped with soy sauce, sriracha mayonnaise, and toasted sesame seeds...easy, fast, and delicious!

First step is to cook 1 cup white rice according to package directions. When its done cooking, mix 3 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar with 2 tsp sugar, nuke it for 30 seconds, and pour over rice. Stir it up to be sure all the rice is coated with the vinegar and sugar mix. Now, cool the rice. I put the rice in a bowl then add it to a larger bowl of ice water. It takes about 15 minutes to cool using this method. If the ice melts, add more.

While you are waiting for the rice to cool, chop the crab and veggies. I always use avocado and cucumber, but I've also added carrots or radishes with good result. 

Also, make the mayo-sriracha mixture. I won't give exact amounts for this, because the sriracha is purely to taste. I start with about a quarter cup of mayo, and my husband and I each mix our own. Mine comes out a pretty pale peach color, his a fiery orange.

To assemble, start with a bed of rice, then top with crab, veggies, mayo sauce, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

California Un-Roll
1 8oz package imitation crab
1 cucumber
1 avocado
1 cup white rice
2 tsp sugar
3 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar 
Dash of salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Sriracha to taste
2 TBSP toasted sesame seeds

Cook 1 cup of white rice according to package directions. While that is cooking, chop crab and veggies into bite sized pieces. Thinly sliced carrots or radishes can also be added.

Combine vinegar, sugar and dash of salt in a small bowl and microwave 30 seconds. Pour over cooked rice, and stir to coat. Allow rice to cool.

To make mayo sauce, combine mayo with sriracha to taste. Assemble dish by layering a bed of rice with crab and veggies, top with mayo sauce, soy sauce, and toasted sesame seeds.