Creamy and Super Amazing Hummus

This recipe is just so SO great that I don't want to change anything in sharing it with you. So here is a direct copy/paste from Jonah Lisa Land blog

MAKES: about 1.5 cups

INGREDIENTS:
- one 15 oz can organic chickpeas
- 1/4 cup organic tahini
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp water

DIRECTIONS:

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside.  You can spend the time taking the little skins off each chickpea but it's pretty time consuming and not so much creamier that I think it's worth it.  This recipe gets pretty creamy even without that step.

Combine the tahini and the lemon juice and blend until smooth and frothy.  This is the key to getting it creamy, by the way.  You have to combine these 2 ingredients first, essentially cream the tahini, or it just won't blend perfectly with the chickpeas.

*Note: I use a blender because I have a rockin' good one and only a little mini prep food processor.  The down side is there's always a little of the good stuff down at the bottom that's impossible to get out.  You should use whichever appliance you have that you feel is best suited for this.

Add the garlic and salt and blend again.

Now add in the chickpeas about 1/3 of the can at a time and blend until smooth.  Try to get as few skins as possible, this will also help with the texture.  Scrap down the sides of the blender and push the chickpeas down to the bottom as needed.  Once you've got all the chickpeas blended in, add the olive oil and turn on the blender and just leave it for a few minutes.  I like to add in a little water too, to get the consistency just how I like it.

Basic Veggie Tomato Barley

I love this recipe, which came from my love for pasta with a hearty sauce. In an attempt to pull more grains into my diet, I decided to swap the barley in place of the penne noodles. The result was fantastic!


MAKES: roughy 4-6 servings of about 1+ cup each

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup barley prepared according to directions on the bag, except remove from heat about 2 mins before its done.
- 2T olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 small-medium zucchinis, sliced round and cubed
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped. I used a mandolin to julianne my carrots, shredding from the bottom fat end of the carrot to get short pieces.
- Salt to taste - maybe 1-2 tsp. This really depends on the type of pasta sauce you're using.
- 1 small bunch of your favorite herb(s). Try and use one that compliments your sauce the best.
- 15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained.
- 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce - I used a merlot sauce.

DIRECTIONS:
1 - sauté garlic and onions in oil until soft
2 - add chopped zucchini an carrot and simmer, covered, until they have reached your desired crispness. I cooked about 6-8 mins.
3 - add pasta sauce, beans, barley, salt, and herb of your choice. Stir. Bring to a boil and cover and simmer for 10-12 mins.
4 - serve immediately with an herb garnish of your choice.

Chunky Broccoli (and more!) Soup

MAKES: 6 bowls

INGREDIENTS:
- 6 cups vegetable stock or broth (i used a combo of both since that's what I had on hand)
- 1 rounded cup raw cashews
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 medium unpeeled potatoes, cubed
- 1 large head broccoli, including stem, chopped (about 4 cups)
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon course sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper


DIRECTIONS:
1 - Puree 1 cup of the vegetable stock with the cashews in a blender until smooth. Set aside. 
2 - In a large pot, cook the onion, celery, and carrot over medium heat in 1 cup of the veggie stock/broth for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and potatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the remaining 4 cups of vegetable stock and the broccoli, thyme, salt, and black pepper, and bring to a boil over high heat (stirring frequently so it doesn't burn on the bottom). Cover and simmer until the broccoli and potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. 
3 - Add the cashew mixture to the soup and stir until mixed. Remove the pot from the heat and puree about half of the soup in the blender. We pureed a little less to keep it extra chunky. Return pureed soup to the pot and reheat, stirring well. Serve.