Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Hello, blog!

I made these incredible muffins this morning and had to share the recipe, because everyone needs a solid blueberry muffin in their arsenal.
They're a little bit fancy and that's what makes them so great. If you bake them for guests, songs will be written in your name. Your fame will spread far and wide.
You need to make these muffins.

These muffins are swirled on top with a lemon-blueberry sauce and then generously topped with a classic streusel topping.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Recipe from Just Another Day in Paradise

Ingredients:
Streusel Topping
3 Tablespoons white sugar
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 Tablespoons melted butter

Muffins
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/8 cups sugar, plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. If your oven cooks on the hot side normally, reduce the heat. Some people have commented that 425 was too hot. I would recommend getting a thermometer for your oven if you aren't sure.

Prepare standard muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or liners. Bring 1 cup blueberries, water, and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing the berries with your potato masher or fork several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced by about half. This will take about 6 minutes. After the blueberry sauce is cooked add the lemon juice and stir. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and well combined. Slowly mix in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not over mix.)

Using a cookie scoop or large spoon, divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar or streusel evenly over muffins.

Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

x

Tuna Stuffed Zucchini

I saw my friend post about yummy tuna melts on Facebook this morning. Then it hit me how badly I NEEDED tuna melts. One problem though: no bread in the house. Which... kind of a big problem in terms of tuna melts. I popped out into the garden and found some zucchini that had been missed and were quickly growing and needed eating. AND SO MY NEW FAVORITE LUNCH WAS BORN.

Audrey (age 3) was super pleased with the thought of eating 'zucchini boats' and gobbled hers up. Margaret (19 months) preferred hers with crackers, but whatevs. I'll forgive her because she's cute and she doesn't know what's good for her.



Tuna Stuffed Zucchini

olive oil
salt
1 medium zucchini

1 can tuna in spring water
2-4 Tbsp. mayo (depending on how moist you want it)
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard
4-5 crushed saltine crackers
1/2 small red bell pepper (capsicum), chopped fine
lemon juice
dried dill weed
salt & pepper
few drops of worcestershire sauce

shredded cheese for melting
---
Heat oven to 400F (200C). Slice zucchini in half and scoop out the seeds to make a 'boat'. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Grill in hot oven for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

While zucchini is in the oven, mix the tuna filling. To make the tuna filling mix together the tuna, mayo, garlic, mustard, crushed crackers, squeeze of lemon juice, dill, salt & pepper (to taste), and worcestershire sauce. Add extra mayo as needed.

Fill the zucchini boats with the tuna mixture, top with cheese, and grill for 2-3 minutes.

x

Mince and Lentil Pie

We're like most families. We try and stick to a tight budget and we plan meals around what we can buy. This results in us not eating a lot of meat and when we do I usually try and stretch it further by shredding chicken here or adding lentils there. This is one of those cases. And it's delicious. I based the recipe off a steak pie recipe that I inherited from Phil (He's a really great cook, you know). I added a little of this and changed a bit of that. This mince and lentil pie is amazing and SUPER filling. Both Phil and I commented on how much more filling it is vs. just a mince pie. Did I mention it's ridiculously delicious? I'll be honest and say that you don't even really notice the lentils. They just blend right in making this a great choice for picky eaters.

We'll be making this again soon!

Mince and Lentil Pie

2/3 cup of dried lentils
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion (I sometimes use more depending on the size of the onion)
1 pound of ground beef
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tablespoons oil (I just eyeball it)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp celery seed
black pepper
pinch of chili pepper
1/8 cup of worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup of soy sauce
2 cups of beef stock

2 Frozen pre-made flaky crusts

Rinse lentils and boil on medium heat for 10 minutes (you want them to be partially cooked and still have a bite to them, they will finish cooking with the pie filling).Drain and set aside. In a hot pan add the oil, garlic, and onion and saute until soft. Add the ground beef and brown the meat. Add the lentils and mix. Sprinkle the mixture with flour and mix again. Add the spices, worchestershire sauce, and soy sauce and cook until liquid is almost gone. Add the stock and cook until the meat is coated in a thick gravy (I usually add more flour here to thicken it up nicely to go in the pie. It needs to be thick so you can cut slices). Transfer to container and cool.

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Roll out your pie crusts to your desired thickness and place one in pie tin. Fill the pie with the lentil mixture and top with the other pie crust. Pinch the crusts together and trim around the sides. Score the top and brush with a bit of oil. Bake until golden brown.

Broccoli Salad

This recipe came from my grandma. She's always made it and it's a huge favorite of mine! It's simple and the broccoli is fresh and packs a great crunch. It boasts a sweet simple dressing that matches nicely with the smokiness of the chopped bacon. This salad is a winner. It makes a big batch but it's easy to half.

BROCCOLI SALAD

10 Cups broccoli florets rinsed and drained very well.
1 Cup raisins or more
12 strips of crisp cooked bacon crumbled

Dressing*:
2 Cups mayonnaise
1 Cup sugar
4 Tbl. white vinegar

Make dressing and toss with all the ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate and
mix bowl every so often to get the dressing distributed well.

*Sometimes, I need to make extra dressing, depends on
how well the broccoli absorbs it.




I'm going to go serve myself a big helping right meow. Have a great weekend, y'all! xo

The Bread Series: Basic Wholewheat Bread

We're fans of homemade bread around here. Our aim is to always bake our own bread. It's cheaper and what's better than fresh bread with a slab of butter? The answer is nothing. While I don't always have the time, I do love a good homemade bread. I've had a lot of requests for my various recipes so I thought I would share a few of our favorites. These are tried and true and feature regularly in this household. First up is a traditional wholewheat loaf that's simple to make. I'll also be sharing recipes for my mom's famous bread, Phil's artisan crusty bread, and my dad's french bread (which is a great quick bread that I like making for dinner guests).




This bread is the one I bake most often. It's simple to make and doesn't call for any fancy ingredients. I find that it needs to be kneaded fully and it needs to rise longer so that it gets nice and tall. I use a mixture of wholewheat and white flours but you can use whatever flour you like. This bread is a great basic bread, I've adapted it into sweet or savory breads with no problem. Simply add in more sugar for a sweet bread or add in flavors like garlic or tomato paste for a more savory bread.

Traditional Wholewheat Bread

3 cups flour (whatever kind you like)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp yeast
bread improver (optional, I use 1 tsp)

Mix together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add:

1 cup water
1 Tbsp olive oil

Mix ingredients then knead for 8-10 minutes. Set the dough in an oiled bowl and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Knock back, shape, leave to rise again until doubled and bake at 180C for 35-40 minutes.

---------
I knead all my breads with a stand mixer and bake in a preheated oven. Before I got a stand mixer we hand kneaded all our bread with the same results. No fancy equipment needed here!

Ranger Cookies

Sometimes you just need your Mama. And sometimes, when she isn't around, you'll settle for her famous cookies instead. I made these awhile back when I was homesick and a pregnant hormonal crazy mess. I just needed my Mama but she lives far away. So I made these cookies instead. It did the trick (but only because I knew she was coming for a visit soon!).

My emotional need for cookies aside... THESE ARE MY FAVORITE COOKIES EVER.

They have just the right amount of chewiness couple with the perfect crunch of cornflakes. Perfectly sweet and not over the top. I can't imagine there being a more perfect cookie out there. Except maybe if there was chocolate drizzled on top. I like chocolate drizzled on things. I just had that idea now, FYI, and I wish I had thought of it earlier. DOH!

Ranger Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening (or butter)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups corn flakes
2 cups quick oats
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut

Preparation:
1. In large bowl: cream shortening, sugar, and brown sugar.
2. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.
3. In another bowl: mix corn flakes, quick oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add to other bowl.
5. Stir in coconut.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 275-300 degrees/electric ovens.
7. Place dough on greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 mins. 8-10 mins./electric ovens.

Yield = 7 dozen

Top-Notch Apple Pie

I have a confession. I used to be a recipe hoarder.

It's true. Back before my blogging days I would work on recipes and get them JUST how I wanted them. I would serve them up. Then I would never ever share my recipes. Because... then you wouldn't need me to make them for you anymore!

Then I got over myself.

Well, almost. I'm still kind of hoarding my carrot cake recipe. It's THAT good.

Anyway... this apple pie. Before finally settling down with this recipe I tried SO many recipes! None were quite right, none were JUST how I wanted, so I set out trying this and tweaking that. I've worked on this recipe a long time, folks. YEARS. When I finally got it right the heavens opened up and sang.

Now I'm sharing my recipe. Because I love you.

Also, if I've denied you this recipe in the past. Please forgive me. I love you too. I really do.

Actually, this is two recipes. One for my piecrust which is SUPER flaky and... perfection. It's an all butter crust that's very easy to make. And VERY versatile.

---------------
FLAKY PIECRUST
---------------
Double piecrust - MAKES ENOUGH FOR A DOUBLE CRUSTED 9-INCH PIE OR TWO 9-INCH PIE SHELLS

2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) (226gms) cold unsalted butter cut into tablespoon sized pieces
1/2 cup ice water
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Notes:

Using the two different types of flour in addition to the cider vinegar cuts down on gluten production which yields a flaky crust. If no cake flour is available you can substitute it for regular flour, but the addition of the cake flour yields the best results.

I've done both and both work fine but I prefer adding the cake flour.


Using a food processor:
Pulse the flours and salt together quickly to mix. Add butter and pulse 4 times for about 1 second each (just to cut the butter into smaller pieces). Combine ice water, yolk, and cider vinegar. Pulsing rapidly, pour the liquid through in a thin stream. Continue pulsing until the dough forms large clumps and ALMOST forms into a ball (20-30 pulses). Keep an eye on it, you may not need all the liquid. Don't over pulse and overwork the dough (I mean it's fine if you do, but it just won't be as flaky in the end)

Making the dough by hand:
Combine the flours and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and cut it into the flour using a pastry cutter/blender until the mixtures looks like corn meal. Combine ice water, yolk, and cider vinegar. Sprinkle in gradually, tossing the mixture with a fork and stirring just until the dough gathers into a ball. Keep an eye on it, you may not need all the liquid.

Transfer the dough to a sheet of glad wrap. Divide the dough in two (one slightly larger than the other) and press into one-inch disks. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Notes: Aim to handle the dough with your hands as little as possible. Warming the dough with your hands will melt the butter too soon and will make a soggier/gummy crust.


-----------
APPLE PIE
-----------
1 double pie-crust

FILLING
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 1/2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
6-7 cups apples (peeled, cored, cut into quarters, then crosswise into thin slices)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, but into small pieces


2 Tbsp heavy cream
Sugar (can be substituted for raw sugar)

Preheat oven to 450F (230C). Adjust one oven rack to center of oven and the second one to the lowest position.

Roll out the larger piece of dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle. Fit into pie plate, leaving the excess dough. Refrigerate.

Filling: combine the sugars, cinnamon, flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add apples and lemon juice. Combine well.

Roll out the second piece of dough to an 11-inch circle. Spoon the apple mixture into the bottom crust in the pie-plate, mounding it slightly in the center. Distribute the butter evenly over the apples. Brush the edges of the pastry with water and carefully place the second piece of dough on top. Press the edges of the dough together firmly and trim the excess dough. Cut 6 slits in the top of the pastry in a spoke pattern. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle sugar on top.

Place the pie on the lower rack and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375F (190C) and transfer the pie to the center shelf, bake for another 45 minutes. Check for doneness of the apples.

Note: Keep an eye on the pie and make sure it isn't browning too quickly. If it seems to be browning too quickly place a loose piece of foil on top. Remove the foil a few minutes before removing the pie so that it crisps up again.

Cool for several hours on a wire rack before serving. This ensures that the filling thickens up and isn't too runny.

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Honestly, what's better than creamy, soft frozen yogurt? (nothing) A bit of tang balanced with a hint of sweetness. Sometimes you just NEED frozen yogurt and ice cream just won't cut it.

This one is for you. ♥


Tiny toddler hand couldn't wait while mama took photos...
Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

1 cup greek style yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 firmly packed powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together the greek yogurt, milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla until completely smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour (or don't, because I didn't this time. It was a frozen yogurt emergency, yo).
Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the ice cream maker's instructions.

Notes: It was sweet but not tooooo sweet. That said, next time I may use less sugar (just for some more zing) and serve with fresh berries. ALSO, you don't have to use powdered/icing sugar, but it's all I had on hand aside from raw sugar. I didn't have the patience to dissolve the raw sugar beforehand. Cravings are not to be messed with.

We both had seconds. Because, obviously.

Homemade Bagel Recipe

I posted this recipe for homemade bagels a few years ago with the promise that I would do it again soon and take better photos. Ahem. So here we are two years later!

Same easy recipe! Sans the cell phone pictures.

This recipe yields 8 large bagels with a soft interior and a thin crunchy outside. Like every good bagel should. TRY THIS RECIPE! My dad taught me how to make these and they are amazing.







Homemade Bagel Recipe

4 cups bread flour
1 Tbls sugar
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 Tlbs vegetable oil
2 tsps instant yeast
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups of warm water

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. The dough should feel stiff, but if you can't get all the flour incorporated add the extra bit of water.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until uniform and smooth.

Cut the dough into 8 equal sized balls and rest for 10-20 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 425F or 220C.

Now, we roll the dough into bagel shape, and there are several ways to do this. My favorite is to roll the dough back into a ball and poke through the center. This opens the dough and you can tug the round of dough into the shape of a bagel.
OR
Roll the dough into a a little snake on the counter that is longer than the width of your two hands, then wrap it around your dominant rolling hand. Wrap the dough rope around your hand and squish the overlapping ends together.

Let the bagels-to-be rest on the counter for 20 minutes, grease a large baking tray, and bring a pot of water to boil.

After the bagels have rested they will begin to look puffy and are ready to be boiled. Boil the bagels for a minute on each side, then let them dry out for a minute or two before placing them on the baking tray. Repeat until all the bagels are boiled.

Bake the bagels for 10 minutes, flip the bagels over, and bake for another 10 minutes... and Wah-LAH! Perfection. (This last time I made them I didn't flip them over, just baked for 20 minutes and they were great!)

Let the bagels cool for at least 20 minutes before eating them.


I like them served warm when they're freshly baked or toasted the next day with butter and cream cheese, or with my new favorite, sun dried tomato pesto.

SUCCESS!!

I interrupt my regular blogging schedule to bring you this breaking news:

I DID IT!!! I MADE REALLY YUMMY PAD THAI AT HOME!!! Seriously so good. Best I've had in awhile, if I'm allowed to say that.

Recommending this method again for any adventurers out there.

Don't stop believing.

Follow the journey here and here.

Best Ever Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is the best ever. I'm mildly obsessed with it. I've made it several times in the past weeks BECAUSE IT'S SO EASY. And mind numbingly tasty. I was passed down to me by my friend Rachel and I CAN'T STOP EATING IT!

The beauty of this pasta salad is that you can put in it whatever you like! It's less of a recipe and more of an inspirational guideline ;)

The veggies are the real star in the dish. Don't be afraid to go overboard. And get bold, cut em nice and chunky. You'll want to TASTE them. I used fresh veggies from the garden, so I just used whatever I had on hand!

Best Ever Pasta Salad:
boiled and cooled pasta
fresh tomato
green beans
green onion
cucumber
tuna (optional)

Salad dressing:
2Tbsp of good quality mayonnaise
1/2 tsp chopped up garlic
1/2 tsp mustard
1tbsp vinegar

-Chop your veggies nice and chunky and add to the drained pasta. Add tuna (optional) and salad dressing and mix thoroughly. Chill and serve!
Variations:
Try adding some feta cheese! Or forego the tuna and add some chopped salami! YUM!

xo

Perfect Refried Beans

These beans are my baby. My pride and joy. I've spent YEARS making this recipe, folks. Years. I've been making them a long time and have tweaked the recipe here and there until I got it exactly how I want it. I've achieved perfect refried beans status*.
All these years it was the half an ONION I was missing. THE ONION!!!! Very important.



Perfect Refried Beans:
2 cups of dried pinto beans
half an onion (still in half)
6 slices of bacon or a bit of salt pork (optional: but highly recommended)
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tbsp pork lard, bacon fat, vegetable shortening or olive oil (for vegetarian option)
salt to taste

Put the beans, half an onion, and the bacon into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a full boil then lower the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Be sure to check the water level and make sure it doesn't get too low. I usually keep a boiled jug of water on hand and add extra water several times. Add in the spices and simmer for 30 more minutes.

Remove the bacon and the onion and strain the beans reserving 1 cup of the bean broth.

Add the lard/fat/oil to a wide sturdy frying pan on medium heat. Add the strained beans and some of the bean broth to the pan. Using a potato masher, mash the beans until they become a thick puree/paste. Continue to add more bean broth until you've reached your desired consistency. Add salt to taste. (They need a lot of salt)

(Optional: Instead of mashing them, I like to use a stick blender to puree them, then add them to the pan to refry. It's faster and I prefer a smoother consistency)

Serving suggestion: Serve warm with some shredded cheddar cheese on top and a dollop of sour cream alongside your favorite Mexican dish.



In my humble opinion ;)

xoxo
Talia Christine

Honey Lemon "Tea"

A few weeks ago I had the flu and I must have drank gallons of this delicious honey lemon concoction. The honey coats your throat and the lemon is an extra boost of vitamin C to help you get better faster! My great-grandma always used to make this honey lemon drink for us when we were kids. It was sweet and lemony and always made me feel better! My version premixes the honey and lemon which turns into a sort of marmalade which you can then pour boiling water over for a nice cup of honey lemon 'tea'.

Honey Lemon "Tea"
1 Lemon cut into thin slices
Honey
A Jar

Put the slices of lemon in the jar and fill to the top with honey. I used creamed honey and had to heat the honey over low heat to make it pourable. (The honey helps preserve the lemon! Pretty cool.) The lemon will eventually break down and the mixture will turn into a sort of marmalade. As the 'marmalade' runs low you can add extra honey and lemons whenever you have them on hand.

To make the tea pour boiling water over 1 tablespoon of the marmalade. (You may want more or less depending on your taste. I like a really strong cup!)

Variation: Try adding ginger for a spicier version!

xoxo

Recipe: Flour Tortillas

This post has been a long time coming. Lots of people have asked me to share my tortilla recipe and I've only just now gotten to it. So here it is!

Making your own flour tortillas is easy and well worth the effort! There are few things better than soft warm tortillas fresh off the skillet. A fresh tortilla can make a regular burrito taste pretty extraordinary and you'll seriously impress your friends when you have them over for Mexican night.

Don't worry about rolling them out perfectly round, they'll just have that homemade feel. ;)

They don't have any preservatives so they don't last long. Eat em up or freeze em!

Flour Tortillas

3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening (you can substitute olive oil but I prefer shortening)
about 1 1/4 cups warm water (you may not need all of it)

-Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
-Add shortening and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut in the shortening. The mixture should be crumbly.
-Add warm water a little at a time until the dough is soft. Knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic, then let it rest for 10 minutes.
-Roll out 12 tortillas and cook in an iron skillet or frying pan (note: you do not NEED an iron skillet. A frying pan works just as fine) over medium-low heat about 30 seconds on each side. You should see some bubbles start to form and that's when you should flip it.
-When the tortillas are finished cooking they should have those classic brown spots speckling them.

TIPS: Dust the balls of dough with lots of flour to keep them from sticking when you're rolling them out. This helps create more rounded tortillas.

Keep them warm after you cook them by lining a large bowl with a tea towel and covering them up.

xoxo
Talia Christine

Falafel Medallion Salad

I can't believe it's taken this long for me to discover how amazing falafel is. Lately, I've been a pretty big fan of fancy salads with all the fixins but this salad is my favorite right now.

Falafel is a Middle Eastern dish made of smashed chick peas and spices that's then fried into small patties or balls. Amazing.

Often, you can find a falafel mix in the grocery stores that's ready to cook or you can make your own. I've used a pre-made mix here but I think in the future I'll try making my own!




To make this salad:
Heat a small amount of oil in a pan until the oil is shimmering. Add small teaspoonfuls of the falafel and flatten into little patties. Fry until golden brown and crispy on both sides.

Serve the falafel medallions while still warm on a bed of fancy lettuce with mushrooms, feta cheese, spring onion, and garlic avocado dressing.

Enjoy!

xo
Talia Christine

Garlic Hummus

Hummus is one of my favorite things to eat and I've been eating lots ever since I learned how to make it! I've been making it for a few years now but this is my favorite recipe given to me by my sister in law, Lydia. It's easy too! I like to make the hummus from dried chickpeas but feel free to use canned as well!



Hummus
1 c dried chickpeas (or 2 c cooked/tinned chickpeas)
boiling water
juice of 2-3 lemons
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
2-3 Tbsp tahini (sesame paste - you can get it from the health food isle)
¼ - 1 c oil (I generally use about 1/4 c and then add some water too)
1/2 tsp cumin (optional - not in traditional hommus, I just like to add some)

• Pour generous amount of boiling water over chickpeas (as they expand lots). Leave them to stand for at least an hour. Then boil chickpeas until tender (probably 1-2 hours). Drain and reserve some of the liquid. Alternatively, use tinned ones (probably 2 tins would be enough)
• Put chickpeas in blender or food processor with lemon, garlic, salt and tahini (and cumin if you're using it). Add the oil starting with 1/4 cup. If the mixture is too dry add some of the reserved liquid. Whiz the mixture til smooth, stopping the blender and pushing down the mixture several times.
• Add remaining oil slowly until it is a good consistency. Taste it to see if it needs extra of anything (as the proportions are fairly flexible)
• Refrigerate. It stays well in fridge for a week and freezes well too.




So there you have it!

I like to make a double batch and freeze half of it for when I'm in the mood for some hummus. Serve with pita chips or veggies! Audrey's favorite snack is hummus and bell pepper strips.

xoxo
Talia Christine

Sushi Bowl

I love making sushi at home but sometimes I just don't have to time to assemble and roll the sushi rolls. Enter the sushi bowl. It's a quick and easy meal that we SUPER LOVE around here!


You will need:
Avocado
Carrot

Imitation crab meat (You can substitute the real stuff if you like)
Mayonaise
Sriracha sauce

Cooked rice seasoned with sushi vinegar

Furikake (Rice seasoning)



Begin by slicing the carrot into thin slices. Slice the avocado in half, remove the pit, and slice into thick slices.


Shred/mash the imitation crab meat with a fork.



Add in mayonaise and sriracha sauce to taste and mix thoroughly.



To serve: In a small bowl layer the rice mixed with sushi vinegar then sprinkle with furikake rice seasoning.


Using an ice cream scoop or large rounded spoon, gently place a scoop of the imitation crab mixture on top of the rice. Garnish with carrot sticks and avocado slices. Optional: serve with soy sauce and a dab of wasabi.



Yum!

xoxo
Talia Christine

Recipe: INCREDIBLE Zucchini & Chorizo Soup

This soup blew my mind. This past weekend one of the ladies made this for dinner for our girls' weekend. Guys... I'm generally not a soup kinda gal. This soup rules. And it's GORGEOUS! C'mon! It packs a punch with spicy spanish chorizo. This isn't sissy, watery soup. This is smooth and filling. And really really flavorful.



The cast of characters:
Spicy chorizo sausage, a large brown onion, garlic, ground cumin, zucchini, frozen peas, chicken stock, and grated cheese (optional, I didn't add any)



Slice and chop your chorizo and fry the sausages in a little oil. Cook them for about 2-3 minutes.



After cooking the sausages, let them drain on a paper towel to drain.





Chop your onions, garlic, and zucchini. Don't worry about chopping your onions or garlic too fine since you will be processing the soup in a food processor later.

Sautee the onions in the pan for two minutes.



Add in the garlic, cumin, and zucchini and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Cook until the zucchini is nearly tender, but not quite done.

Add the frozen peas and stir around. Frozen peas, guys! So easy!




Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the zucchini is tender.



If you are using a food processor:
Let the soup cool a bit and process in small batches.

OR

If you are using a stick blender:
Blend away!

Gorgeous. Look at the color.



Bring the soup back up to heat and stir in the sausage.

And serve.




Zucchini & Chorizo Soup

• 200gram chorizo sausage, finely chopped
• 1 large brown onion, finely chopped.
• 2 tsp garlic
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 700 gram zucchini, coarsely chopped
• 500 gram packet frozen peas
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 100gram grated cheese (optional)

Fry sausage in little oil. Cook 2-3 minutes and then drain on paper towel.
Add onion to pan and stir for two minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin & zucchini. Cook & stir for further 4 minutes.
Stir in peas and stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Cool slightly.
Process soup in batches until smooth. Place in clean pan over low heat. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until hot. Season with salt & pepper according to taste. Stir through sausages and serve.


I served this soup to Audrey for lunch today with some artisan crusty whole wheat bread. That girl ate it all up and wanted more. Kid approved. And full of yummy veggie goodness.

Big thanks to Josella for the recipe! So yummy!

Edit(Comment from Josella):

Talia. I forgot to tell you, the soup is 100x better is you make it the day BEFORE you want to serve it. It goes even creamier when its left in the fridge and then reheated :-)

See? This is a win-win, guys.

xoxo
Talia Christine