Rosemary's Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Many thanks to Rosemary for taking us along on her beautiful day of hummus.

How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, by Rosemary Gretton

First, make sure you have a red pepper. And garlic. And a can of chickpeas. And tahini. And fresh lemons. And olive oil.

Split the red pepper in two and remove seeds and white parts. Flatten and lightly coat the red pepper with olive oil.

Separate several cloves of garlic from the garlic head.

Michael’s Relatively Low Fat Guacamole

The nutrition facts for this delicious guacamole were designed using the great tools at Calorie Count!

Michael’s Relatively Low Fat Guacamole

Ingredients:

1 med. to large avocado, well ripened

1 tsp. Tony Chachere's salt substitute

1 tsp. garlic powder or 1 large clove, peeled and minced (to taste)

1/3 cup finely diced onions

1 - 2 Tbsp. bottled or canned NM green chili (you choose the heat level; recommend Hatch)

1/8 tsp. "all purpose" seasoning herbs (McCormick's, for example)

1/8 tsp. cumin

1/4 cup fresh tomato, seeded and finely chopped

dash of black pepper

1 tsp. lime juice + zest of one or two limes

3 oz. plain, no fat Greek yogurt (Fage recommended)

1 Tbsp. plain sweetened almond milk

Directions:

Split the avocado length-wise and remove the pit. Scoop the avocado out of the peel and place into a small mixing bowl.  Mash it up thoroughly with a fork. Add all the other ingredients and mix well, using the almond milk to bring the mixture to the desired thickness/consistency.

Cover the container and chill for at least a half hour.  If you are going to be keeping the guacamole longer, return the pit to the mixture; this will keep it from turning dark.  This recipe should be enough for two people or four light nibblers as an appetizer.

Serve with GREAT chips!

Broccoli Soup with Blue Cheese

Choose a soft blue cheese for this soup, the flavor is mild with just a bit of a bite and the texture very creamy and suitable for soup. The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count!

Broccoli Soup with Blue Cheese

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1 head broccoli, cleaned, stems peeled, and chopped (approximately one pound, you can easily sub in frozen)
1 small onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 red potatoes, chopped - leave the skin on, just cut off any rootlets
8 cups vegetable stock, low sodium
3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
salt and pepper to taste, but do go easy on the salt
Optional: slivered almonds as a garnish

Directions:

Put the olive oil in a large pot and heat over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the broccoli, onion, zucchini, carrots, and red potatoes. Stir to coat with oil. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple times. Add the stock, return to a simmer, cover and simmer about half an hour or until the vegetables are thoroughly cooked and super tender.

Using either an immersion blender or a hand held potato smasher slightly blend the ingredients. You don't want a smooth soup, leave enough chunks to make it interesting. A chunky soup will fill you up better than a smooth soup even though the calories remain the same.

Stir in the blue cheese and simmer until it melts (no boiling please, a gentle simmer). Season with pepper, taste. If you need salt add some, but there is a lot of salt in cheese so you should be fine without it. You might try a few dashes of Tabasco sauce instead of salt.

Serve as is or top with slivered almonds.

Crazypotato98's Curried Carrot Spread

The nutrition facts for Crazypotato98's delicious spread for crackers, chips, and vegetables can be found at Calorie Count!

Curried Carrot Spread

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup onion
1 clove garlic
1 t curry powder
1/4 t ground cumin
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup Great Northern Beans
1/8 t salt
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Boil carrots until tender. Drain. Cook onion, garlic, curry powder and cumin in oil until onion is tender. Add carrots, onion mixture, beans, water and salt to blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Serve over crackers or chips.

Crazypotato98's Carrot Cocktail

A wonderfully healthy alternative to alcohol. The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Carrot Cocktail

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sliced carrots
1 1/2 cup apple juice
1/8 t thyme
1/4 t lemon peel
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 lemon slice

Directions:

Cook sliced carrots in boiling water until tender. Drain and cool. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend til smooth. Chill and enjoy.

Janice's Corn, Tomato, Avocado Salsa

Quick to make and delicious. Control the heat through the number (if any) of jalapenos you use. This recipe is delicious without the jalapenos too.

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Corn, Tomato, Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 t sugar
2 ripe peeled, seeded, and diced avocadoes
1 large diced tomato
1 cup thawed from frozen corn kernals or fresh corn sliced from your just picked ear of garden corn!

1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

Directions:

Mix

Now, that wasn't hard at all was it?


Extra stuff:

excellent as a topping for chicken, on lettuce, in pitas, etc.

Janice's Garlic Spinach Dip

Very delicious and simple to make.

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Garlic Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

10 oz spinach, cooked and drained (usually one box)
10 cloves of garlic, finely minced
8 oz Neufchatel Cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Tabasco to taste
Toasted pita wedges

Directions:

Put it all (except the Monterrey Jack) in a bowl and blend. Add 1/2 of the Jack cheese and nuke til heated throughout. Sprinkle the rest of the Monterrey Jack on the top and serve!

Claire's Hot Bean Dip

There is nothing simpler to prepare than Claire's Hot Bean Dip. The ingredients are common pantry and fridge items. What a fantastic treat to mix up for even surprise guests!

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Hot Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked pinto beans (drain and rinse from a can)
1/2 cup prepared salsa
2 T minced green pepper (or jalapeno)
2 T minced red onion
1/4 t hot sauce
3 T cheese (such as cheddar or Monterrey Jack)


Directions:

Mash the pinto beans with the tines of a fork. Stir in the pepper, onion, salsa and hot sauce. Spread the cheese on top. Microwave for one minute. Serve with tortillas or raw vegetables.

Janice's Artichoke & Spinach Dip

I've made this a zillion times...ok, maybe not quite so many times, but I've made it a lot. Always get raves and never have left over. Cut pita chips into triangles and toast them in the oven. Serve them warm with the dip. Very versatile. Make it suit the way you eat!

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Artichoke & Spinach Dip

Step One Ingredients:

1 of those square boxes of frozen artichoke hearts (12 oz?), or One 15 oz can artichoke hearts, drained
1 box frozen spinach (12 oz?)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 T minced garlic

Step Two Ingredients:

2 T low fat mayo
1 T lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3-6 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/4 t pepper
salt optional

Step One Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, combine Step One Ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 12 minutes. Drain, process in your favorite way to smooth things out a bit, and return to the fridge to cool.

Step Two Directions:

Remove the chilled artichoke and spinach dip from the fridg, and stir in the Step Two Ingredients. Place in a pretty bowl and serve.

Alternative Ideas:

Use Monterrey Jack Cheese, omit mayo and serve hot. I've made it this way and nuked it right before serving. You can easily increase the spinach or any of the other ingredients. Yum!

Fuzzypainters Poor Man's Shrimp Cocktail

This is a fabulous idea for a low calorie high nutrition appetizer! The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Poor Man's Shrimp Cocktail

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ketchup
2 T ground horseradish
1/4 t lemon juice
4 cups (one head) of cauliflower broken into florets

Directions:

Mix the first three ingredients well and adjust for taste - if you are not a big horseradish person, cut it in half and then taste and add as you think best.

Place the cocktail sauce in a pretty bowl in the center of a lovely plate and surround with rinsed cauliflower florets.

Most excellent!

Pat's Grilled Baba Ganoush

Remember with Baba Ganoush, a lot is open to your taste preferences. Some like more lemon, some more tahini paste........Enjoy! The nutrition facts for this wonderful dish can be found at Calorie Count!

Pat’s Grilled Baba Ganoush

Ingredients:

1 eggplant

1 t olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice – or more to taste

1/4 cup tahini – or more to taste

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Heat the grill. When the grill is hot, slice the eggplant to about 1/2 inch thick, brush with a bit of olive oil, and grill until soft (about 10-14 minutes), allow to cool and then chop.

Place eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds, and garlic in an electric blender, and puree – or place in a large bowl and blend with an immersion blender. Remove to a bowl and season the mix with a bit of salt and pepper. Slowly stir in olive oil, taste and adjust seasonings. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Buggy's Green & Yellos Zucchini Ribbons

This is the first entry in the Chefery Challenge #2! Beautiful dish that earned the Special Kudos due not only to the number of ingredients but due to the fact that the zucchini came from her own garden!

Remember for all recipes by Buggy, use the handy dandy link to the Calorie Count Conversion Tool to the right hand side of this page! Click here for the most excellent nutrition facts found at Calorie Count!

Green & Yellow Zucchini Ribbons

Ingredients:

800 grams  zucchini, 4 medium

250 grams  onion, 1 large

450 grams  tomato, 3 large

500 grams  mushrooms, 6 large

3 tbsp  Becel margarine*

1 tbsp  chili oil

454 grams  ground beef, extra lean

Directions:

Mix the ground beef with 50 grams of minced onion. Form in to 24 small meatballs. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.

the ingredients!

Cut the ends off zucchini. Cut zucchini in half. Use a melon ball tool to scoop out the seeds. Discard seeds. Use a vegetable peeler to cut the zucchini in to long strips.

Heat chili oil in a large stir-fry pan. Add remaining 200 grams of sliced onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add zucchini and stir. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

Clean and slice mushrooms in 1/4 thick pieces. In a separate frying pan with Becel margarine, cook mushrooms in batches.

Cut tomato in to wedges. Add tomato to zucchini.

Plate up zucchini ribbons, mushrooms and meatballs.

Notes:

Buggy said that she used Becel Margarine because she was out of butter. It should rock both ways so use what you prefer!

If you are a vegetarian or have gluten allergies, consider omitting the meatballs and treating this dish as a pasta replacement!

Janice's Guacamole

Guacamole should be pure and simple and mostly just mooshed up avocados. It should never contain mayo or sour cream or any ingredient such as that. If it does, you can't call it guacamole. You could call it "avocado dip" or something like that, but not guacamole. In the Notes section is a list of extras that you can add to your guac and not embarrass your friends in Texas or New Mexico!

The nutrition facts for basic guacamole are at Calorie Count!

Basic Guacamole

Ingredients:

3 Hass Avocados
1 lime (even this is optional)
a pinch of garlic powder
a pinch of salt (a great sub here is celery salt)

Directions:

Get a sharp knife and a spoon and a paper towel. Slice the avocados in half and pull apart so that the seed is on one side. Use the spoon to scoop out the seed and discard. Use the same spoon to scoop the avocado out of the shells and into a medium sized bowl.

Slice the lime in half and juice. Add the juice to the avocado pulp and mash about with the tines of a fork. Do not mash it til it is smooth as paste. Leave it a tad lumpy.

Sprinkle with the garlic and salt (or celery salt) and mix.

That's all that's necessary, but there are some great traditional ingredients as well!

Notes:

Once the basic guacamole is made, you can add finely chopped jalapenos, Poblano or Serrano peppers, finely diced tomatoes, or a small bit of chopped onion. I usually add the peppers and tomatoes but rarely add onion. I do not ever pour in salsa because all that does is ruin the pretty bright green color that is the lovely avocado.

Mrs. Hass of Hass Avocado fame uses lemon juice instead of lime in her guacamole, so try that sometime and see if you like it better!

If you just gotta have avocado dip instead of guacamole, check out this recipe for Avocado Roasted Tomatillo Soup. All you have to do is eliminate the veggie stock and you have awesome green dip!

Janice's Pan Sauteed Ravioli

This makes a fun side dish at a meal or a much talked about treat at a party. According to my son, they are  "Awesome! Like a warm stuffed chip!"

The nutrition facts are set for a decent sized party serving (assuming you are also filling up on all the wonderful fruits and veggies at the party this is more than enough to satisfy) and are at Calorie Count!

Pan Sauteed Ravioli

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh Four Cheese Ravioli (your favorite brand - you can use the big size or the small raviolis and stretch out your serving size!)
2 t olive oil (the calorie count is set at 1 t because only that much was absorbed)
1 cup your favorite thick marinara

Directions:

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil shimmers or the pan feels hot when you hold your hand over it, add the ravioli in a single layer. Do two batches rather than crowd. Each ravioli must remain flat. Saute a few minutes checking for browning. When one side is brown, flip each over and brown the other.

Remove to a plate with a paper towel and pat down to remove as much oil as was not absorbed.

Arrange on a pretty plate with a bowl of warmed marinara. Treat the ravioli as you would chips and dip!

Or serve as the pasta part of your meal and top with marinara. Fast, easy, and delicious!

Hollie's Salsa Verde

When I go out for a delicious Tex-Mex dinner, I particularly enjoy the Salsa Verde. Now that I have Hollie's simple recipe, I don't have to wait for dinner out to enjoy this delightful sauce. Dip a few chips in some this weekend!

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

tomatillos!

Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

3 tomatillos, pealed, cores removed, left whole to retain the juices
1 white onion, halved and skinned
2 serano peppers, halved
5 cloves garlic, skinned
1 avocado, peeled and diced
3 tbs lemon or lime juice
olive oil to drizzle
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Preheat broiler.

Place tomatillos, onion, seranos, and garlic in baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt.

Broil about 15-20 minutes until charred on top. Allow to cool about 10 minutes.

In a glass blender, puree roasted veggies until smooth.

Add avocado and lemon/lime juice and blend to desired consistency.

Place in airtight container and chill before serving.

Lasts about 2 weeks in fridge. If color begins to brown, add a splash of lemon juice and stir.

Crazypotato98's Queso Dip

This tasty Tex Mex treat is a cinch to make and will be a hit at your next get-together. Can you eat queso if you are counting calories? Sure. The key is to know the calories and nutrition facts which have been analyzed for you at Calorie Count!

Queso Dip

Ingredients:

¼ cup  onion, chopped

2 tbsp  water

2 cloves  garlic, minced

12 oz  stewed tomatoes, drained and cut up

3 oz  chopped green chiles, drained

¾ tsp  chili powder

4 oz  Reduced Fat Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese

3 oz  cream cheese, cubed

3 oz  Neufchatel, cubed

Directions:

In a medium saucepan combine onion, water, and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat about 2 or 3 minutes or until water has evaporated. Add stewed tomatoes, chile peppers, and chili powder. Cook and stir until hot.

Add cheddar cheese and cream cheese. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Transfer to a serving bowl. If desired, top with chopped fresh tomato. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

Notes:

if you like it hot, add some jalapenos or more chilis!

Richard's Black Bean & Corn Relish

I've had Richard's terrific relish a number of times and finally got him to share the recipe for his simple but fantastic relish! I love it scooped with chips, but it is also awesome as a condiment or side dish. In fact, I think it would make a great starting point for a Southwestern Pasta Sauce...or under polenta...infinite possibilities.

Make it as hot or mild as you like and enjoy it often. The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

Black Bean & Corn Relish

Ingredients:

2 cans Bush's Black Beans - well drained
2 cans Green Giant Shoepeg Corn - well drained
1 can RoTel Diced Tomatoe3s with Lime Juice and Cilantro - well drained
1 can RoTel Diced Tomatoes with Habaneros - well drained
1 large bunch of fresh cilantro - chopped



Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Mix well.

CRITICAL: Let sit over-nite in the refrigerator. Stir from time to time. The "aging" really lets all the flavors mature and mingle. This relish is better the second day, or even the third day!

Notes:

Make it hotter or milder by using either 2 cans of hot RoTel or 2 cans of the regular RoTel. Also you can change the amount of cilantro to suit your tastes.

This makes a big batch. The extra amounts beyond party dipping use we serve as a side dish with meals for a couple of days after or just go back and snack on it some more.

Susan's Zucchini Chips

You are taking your chances when you try out a zucchini chip recipe on a 17 year old who has repeatedly declared, "I don't like zucchini!". He was convinced to taste it anyway and THEN declared, "I take it all back! Dees da' bom!!" I think it is safe to say that Susan's recipe is a taste, nutrition, and caloric winner!!!

The nutrition facts can be found at the best FREE website to count your calories - Calorie Count!

Zucchini Chips

serves 4 normal people or one 17 year old

Ingredients:

1 medium or 2 small zucchini cut into 1/4 inch rounds slices or "chips"

3/4 cup Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs (Susan used Progresso)

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 egg  whites

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475

Mix Panko and Parmesan together in one bowl.Mix egg whites in another bowl. It helps to use large bowls for this because you can mix more at one time.

Coat the "chips" with the egg white.

Individually toss chips in Panko/Parmesan mixture. Susan patted firmly to make sure they were well coated and that all of the mix was used. If you want less Panko on yours, just toss and lightly press.

Arrange chips in a single layer on Pam sprayed non stick cookie sheet.

Bake 5 minutes on one side, gently flip the chips and bake 5-10 minutes on 2nd side until crispy.

Remove from oven and try to let them cool a couple minutes and crisp a bit before eating. They are so good, that after the first warm bite, you will have trouble resisting and will be compelled to consume them all.

The 17 year old mentioned earlier suggested that they would be even "bommer" dipped in ranch. But he's a bean pole and can afford the calories. They are awesome as is.

Notes:

For a bit of a kick, sprinkle some ground hot pepper or chili powder on the chips after flipping them! Or dot with Tabasco, dip in salsa, or anything else you can think of.

Janice's Spicy Experimental Hummus

I love spicy hummus and eat it all the time, but I've never made it before. The following recipe is still in the experimental stage, and is a combination of several interesting recipes that I found on line. I liked how some of the cooks used a variety of oils instead of tahini. I've never owned a tahini, but I usually have both sesame and olive oil so I'm going with that. As I improve it, and with suggestions from you all, we'll make this recipe the best spicy hummus around!

Woop! Let's get our collaborative cookery game on! Tell me how to make spicy hummus!

The nutrition facts (thus far) can be found at Calorie Count!

Spicy Experimental Hummus

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained

1 lemon juiced
1/8 cup sesame oil
1/8 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

In the bowl, combine the garbanzo beans, lemon juice, sesame and olive oil, garlic, jalapenos. Season with black pepper, cayenne, cumin and oregano.

Mix using the stick blender or a mixer on low speed until the ingredients start to blend, then turn the speed to medium, and blend to your desired consistency. 

Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend.

Notes:

Adjust the proportions of liquids to suit your taste. 

 Beat it thoroughly or use a blender if you like creamy hummus and not so much if you like it to have more texture.

Jane's Hummus in a Blender

The nutrition facts for this delightfully easy hummus can be found at Calorie Count!

Hummus in a Blender

Ingredients:

8 oz chickpeas
juice of half a lemon
1 good tablespoon tahini (or to taste)
1 garlic clove, crushed
6 oz water (approximately)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper...use plenty
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Place all the ingredients with the exception of the water, oil and
paprika into a blender and switch on.  Gradually add the water and
keep blending until you have the right consistency... should be that
of thick cream.   Turn into a bowl, drizzle over the olive oil and
sprinkle with paprika.