Recipes

Been in a mood to cook lately.  Here are some keepers in the House of Harris

Displaying the guac and the healthy cookie batter dip

 

Pineapple-Black Bean Guacamole

Better Homes and Gardens

Makes: 18 servings
Serving size: 2 tablespoons Yield: 2 1/3 cups total

Prep: 15 mins Chill: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 2
  medium avocados, halved, seeded, and peeled
• 1/4
  cup bottled green salsa (salsa verde)
• 1
  tablespoon sour cream
• 1/2
  cup finely chopped fresh pineapple or canned crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2
  cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1
  fresh jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and minced*
• 2
  tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 2
  tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1
  tablespoon minced garlic
• 1
  tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4
  teaspoon salt
• 1/4
  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4
  cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• Fresh cilantro (optional)
• Tortilla chips (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl mash avocados. Stir in salsa and sour cream until combined. Stir in pineapple, beans, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt, and cumin. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until ready to serve. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. If desired, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips. 

Cookie Dough Dip
Inspired by this awesome recipe.

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas or white beans (1 can, drained) (250g)
• 1/8 tsp plus 1/16 tsp salt
• tiny bit over 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup nut butter (You can get away with using only 3 tbsp. If you use peanut butter, it’ll have a slight “pb cookie dough” taste, so if you don’t want this, try the recipe in this link instead. Just don’t bake it.)
• up to 1/4 cup milk of choice, only if needed
• Sweetener (see note below, for amount)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips or Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips
• 2 to 3 tbsp oats (or flaxmeal) (You can omit for a thinner dip.)

Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a good food processor (not blender), and blend until very smooth. Then mix in the chocolate chips.  (Some commenters have had success with a blender, but I did not. Try that at your own risk, and know the results will be better in a high-quality food processor such as a Cuisinart.)
See the following link for: Sugar-Free Version.
Sweetener Notes: I used 2/3 cup brown sugar when I first made this for the party. Liquid sweeteners (agave, maple, etc.) are fine as well, as is evaporated cane juice. You can easily get away with less sugar– some people will be perfectly fine with just 3 tbsp for the whole recipe! And if you don’t want any sugar, be sure to check out the “no-sugar” version linked above. (You can also use stevia, if you like the taste of stevia-sweetened desserts. Try 2-3 packets of NuNaturals stevia, and add more sweetener if needed. I wouldn’t recommend serving an all-stevia version to party guests, though.)

Serve with fruit and grahams.

My Alteration of  Lemon Bulgar Salad

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups uncooked bulgar
• 1 1/4 cups boiling water 
• 1 cup diced seedless cucumber 
• 1 cup diced seeded plum tomato (about 2 tomatoes) 
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/4 cup chopped red onions
• 1/2 cup artichokes
•  1/2 cup grilled corn
• 1/2 cup olives
• 1/2 cup feta
• 1/2 shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup baked sweet potatoes seasoned with Lawery's season salt
• 1/2 cup of any other vegetable you want (get my drift)
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•  

• Preparation

• Combine bulgar and 1 1/4 cups boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 30 minutes or until bulgar is tender. Drain; return bulgar to bowl. Add cucumber and the next 4 ingredients (through onion).
• Combine rind and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over bulgur mixture; toss well. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
• Serve over spinach, red leaf lettuce, kale whatever.

I also did one similar to this with spaghetti, but I added balsamic vinegar, mozzarella cheese, feta, and parm. I sauted my zucchini, onion, and garlic in a sauce pan first.