There aren’t many party dips I don’t like.
I’m that girl that hangs by the food spread all night.
This party season I wanted to create a healthier version of a classic dip. My French Onion Dip is high in protein and low in fat, but doesn’t sacrifice taste. It’s also quick and easy to make… what’s not to love?
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Is everyone pumped for Valentine’s Day?
Like most holidays, I’m just here for the food.
Ever since Vegas came into my life I’ve become a bit more mushy. We were both just laughing at how cheesy we are. It’s awesome disgusting.
After learning her favorite dessert is red velvet cake, I’ve been creating red velvet everything. This Valentine’s Day it’s Red Velvet Protein Dip.
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This Basil Avocado Hummus recipe will result in the creamiest homemade hummus you’ll ever make! The secret for store-bought creamy hummus is below in this light and refreshing recipe.
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Any holiday that involves good food is my favorite.
Bonus if it includes fireworks.
This 4th of July I have no clue what we will do… it’s my first not in Atlanta. Usually I run the Peachtree Road Race… maybe I’ll run my own 10K? Or maybe I’ll just have a marathon cooking session…
Either way, below are a bunch of recipes that I think would make for a tasty 4th, whether you are home or away, American or just like delicious food!
Oh yeah… and this happened:
SCOTUS marriage equality ruling
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Happy 4th of July!
aka National Sunburn Day.
I have a tradition of running the Peachtree Roadrace (the world’s largest 10K) and enjoying the sweltering heat sunshine. Since I’m off doing that, today’s #strangebutgood is a round of of things you might like to enjoy during your weekend festivities.
Some are stranger than others, but I assure you they’re all good. And they’re relatively quick and easy – especially the oh-so-addicting S’Mores Brownies!
How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
If you’re not a blogger, you can still share your recipes on Instagram with the #strangebutgood hashtag.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂
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I may have to cool off at the mall. There are sales… all the things… this won’t end well.
What are your plans for the 4th?
What is your favorite poolside treat?
Black-eyed peas supposedly bring luck on New Year’s.
Don’t we all want to get lucky?
This year I could use a little extra luck, so I made sure to concoct a black-eyed pea dish to share with friends at our New Year’s Eve pairing dinner. I used traditional hummus ingredients, but replaced chickpeas with canned black-eyed peas. What resulted was a fantastic, black-eyed pea hummus.
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This is a bold statement.
I didn’t make it.
Claims like these typically make me skeptical… but I make an exception when it’s made by a Greek food blogger. After reading her recipe below you will be a believer too. I started drooling at the mere mention of truffles.
I first met Anna at a Food Buzz conference a few years ago. She immediately impressed me with her height ability to eat copius amounts of hummus #strangebutgood approach to food. Her blog has been in my Reader Feedly ever since!
When she proposed we do a hummus recipe exchange, I was a little nervous. I mean, this IS the lady that dreamed up Peanut Butter Bacon Hummus. After gathering my balls courage, I finally came up with a recipe for Guacamole Hummus. It’s pretty gosh-darn good if I do say so myself. Why wouldn’t you combine the two best dips ever?!
Note: My recipe includes THE secret for achieving perfectly smooth hummus. 😉
Check out Anna’s Luxurious Hummus below, and then hop on over to her blog for my Guacamole Hummus.
I first met Laura at a food blogger conference in San Francisco. Coincidentally it was a conference of hummus, sponsored by hummus giant, Sabra. The first night of the conference we all got absolutely bombarded with hummus. The grand finale offering was hummus dessert, which the world might not just be ready for yet. I’ll leave this to Laura as a “Strange But Good” challenge.
Anna is in the middle
I’m Anna from Banana Wonder. The six-foot spawn of a Greek mathematician and Californian hippie, I’m fanatical about almond croissants, pretzels, and most importantly, hummus. I am addicted to making and eating hummus! Ever since I got my first mini food processor five years ago, I have not stopped. The mash-ups are countless!
On this occasion, I made the most luxurious hummus ever. It’s hummus in a tuxedo and vegan snake-skin boots. It’s got cashew cream, velvety cannellini beans, white truffle extra virgin olive oil and black truffle salt. Creamy, rich, and downright elegant, this is the treat yo-self hummus.
Now, you may be thinking, but hummus is made with chickpeas… ok, ok, so sometimes I blend up other beans with tahini and to me it’s still hummus. Feel free to make it with chickpeas. I do love chickpeas, but I find white beans made an even smoother, creamier dip.
Truffle oil embodies the dip, giving it body and depth.
Truffle salt boosts the above.
Cashew cream. Well, it’s kind of like butter…
Peep Laura’s Guacamole Hummus over at bananawonder.com!
Combine cashews and water, let stand for about 10 minutes. Blend until smooth in a processor, blender, or whatever you emulsify in.
Add garlic, tahini, olive oil, salt and vinegar and blend until smooth.
Whirl in the beans until smooth.
Finish with extra cashews and olive oil if you choose.
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I emailed Anna as soon as I read this to complain that I’m out of truffle oil. Looks like a trip to Whole Paycheck is in my future…
What is your favor hummus flavor?
Do you like to make your own hummus or prefer the store-bought?
Certain meats are associated with major holidays.
Do we do this with veggies? Other than pumpkin at Halloween?
Thanksgiving is turkey, Christmas is often ham, the 4th of July is for burgers… and Easter is all about the lamb.
I really, really love lamb. It’s probably my favorite meat. Rich without being too fatty, it’s more decadent than a steak to me. It’s especially delicious with paired with my favorite herb – rosemary.
This year I decided to get with the theme and create a meatball with this Easter meat. I used a blend of ground lamb and pork. While I love lamb, it can be heavy. Pork is often used in beef-based meatballs. When I saw Gabby make her lamb balls, I couldn’t believe I did think of it first! (Thank you, Gabby!) The addition of a little pork gave the flavor of the meatballs more dimension.
Another fun ingredient was ricotta cheese. With this addition, it is almost impossible to dry the meatballs out during baking. The ricotta gave the meatballs a perfectly tender, almost silky quality!
One other note: when you make these, be sure to mince/finely chop rosemary, onion, and garlic. This way their flavor distributes evenly throughout.
Finally, I needed a sauce! Lamb always make me think Greek food, so I thought a Greek yogurt-based concoction was in order. Fresh cilantro pairs with the classic Mediterranean flavors of lemon, garlic, and coriander to liven up the heavier lamb, and compliment the cumin and cinnamon used in the meatballs.
The dip can be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge. It’s also delicious as a veggie dip, or used in place of mayo in chicken or salmon salad.
In conclusion, you should try my tasty (lamb) balls.
Did you really think I could get through a whole post without a ball joke?! Puh-lease.
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For the Balls:
For the Cucumber Raita:
For the Balls:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick foil or parchment.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ground lamb, pork, egg, ricotta, onion, garlic, lemon, rosemary, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, and black pepper until the spices are all well incorporated into the meat.
Form the meat into balls (1 heaping tablespoon each), taking care not to pack too tightly. Arrange on lined pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the meatballs are just slightly pink in the center (150 degrees).
Makes 22 meatballs.
For the Cucumber Raita:
Grate cucumber with the skin on.
Squeeze out excess water from grated cucumber and place in a medium bowl.
Add remaining the ingredients and mix well.
Makes ~1 cup.
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Unrelated, but have you guys seen this video of what 2000 calories looks like? 50 slices of bacon. Or 18.2 beers. Or 60 carrots.
For those of you who sacrificed something for Lent, what are you most looking forward to being reunited with?
Do you have lamb on Easter? Or do you associate with another meat or vegetable?
