Roasted Lemon & White Bean Hummus

I'm a big fan of hummus.  I'm not a big fan of garbonzo beans, which is weird considering hummus is made from them. It's a texture thing.

I saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and thought it look interesting, and quite possibly good.

Turns out it was good. Though I may, or may not, have gotten a bit over the top with the garlic. I don't think you can get over the top, but some folks do.

This recipe does require some planning aheads since you have to roast the lemon. I'm not convinced I tasted an "roasted" lemon, but I followed the recipe still. 

I also seemed to have out of olive oil so I used canola oil. I think that would make a big different in how this tastes.  So don't substitute if you can avoid it.

Photo courtesy of Tasty Kitchen

Roasted Lemon & White Bean Hummus
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Serves 8-10 easily

1 whole Lemon
2 cans (14.5 Ounce Cans) Great Northern Beans, Rinsed And Drained
2 T tahini
1 clove garlic, pressed through a garlic press
½ teaspoons cumin
½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 T olive oil
1 T chopped fresh parsley (optional)
2 T pine nuts, toasted (optional)
olive oil, for drizzling (optional)

Preheat your oven to 450 F.

Halve the lemon and trim off the ends so they will lay flat in an oven-safe dish. Roast for 20-30 minutes then remove the dish from the oven and let lemons cool.

In the bowl of your food processor, fitted with the blade, add the beans, tahini, garlic, cumin, salt, olive oil and a tablespoon or so of juice from a roasted lemon. Secure the lid and process until smooth.

Serve as is or dress it up with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle minced parsley, some toasted pine nuts and a squeeze of roasted lemon juice.

Bloody Mary Flank Steak

Little secret - every time I get on a plane I feel the need to have a Bloody Mary. I never have them otherwise and I have no idea why on a plane I feel like I must have one.

My dad used to make killer Bloody Mary's.  They were hot, spicy, and oh so delicious. If you like Bloody Mary's.

This recipe was super good. Though the steak didn't have as much bloody mary flavor as I thought it would. If I make this again, I'd follow the advice of a Sunday Dinner guest and use one of those tenderizers that poke holes in the meat.  Maybe the meat would take on more of the flavor.

That's not to say the meat didn't have flavor - no it had flavor, and was tasty. I, for once, didn't over cook the steak. 

Photo courtesy of The Food Network

This marinade does take about 8 hours or longer, so you'll need to plan ahead.

Bloody Mary Flank Steak
Recipe from Guy Fieri, Food Network
Serves 4 - 8
I doubled the recipe and fed 12 with just a couple pieces of steak left over.

1 cup vegetable juice (recommended: V-8)

1/2 cup vodka

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tablespoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

4 tablespoons olive oil

1-pound flank steak

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients except for the flank steak in a 1-gallon zip lock bag. Add the flank steak. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the grill to high or heat a skillet over high heat. Remove the flank steak from the marinade and wipe the excess liquid off with paper towels. Grill or pan sear both sides, then lower heat to medium and cook to medium rare.

Let the flanks steak rest, covered, with a clean towel for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut on the bias against the grain and serve.

Artichoke Dip with Fontina

I'm going through some old recipes that I've tried, but never posted to the blog.  I didn't do much posting last year as I was eating mostly Jenny Craig food. Still, I do Sunday dinners and many of the recipes I used then didn't get posted.  Here is one of those.

I don't have any notes on this recipe to remind me if I liked it or not. I'm guessing I did since I love Fontina cheese. I thinks its an under utilized cheese.

So if you're looking for a warm appetizer, this one is good.

Artichoke Dip with Fontina

Courtesy of Everyda Food

Recipe from Everyday Food

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium Onion, diced small

3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

3 cans Whole artichoke hearts (14 oz ea), drained and coarsely chopped

1/3 c dry white wine

4 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature

2 1/4 c cubed Fontina Cheese

1/4 cup chopped parsley

8 pitas, each cut into 6 wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add artichokes and wine; cook until liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes. 

Remove skillet from heat and stir in Neufchatel until blended. Fold in 1 1/4 cups fontina and parsley. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart baking dish; sprinkle with 1 cup fontina. Bake until golden and bubbling, 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss pitas with 1 tablespoon oil; spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm dip with pita chips.