Baby Shower Madness!

I got to help host a baby shower on Saturday.  I was in charge of the 'savory' side of the food, while another friend took care of the sweets.  The guest of honour has a a few dietary restrictions (the main ones being no wheat, dairy, or soy), and another guest has an air-born nut allergy, so I got creative with the menu.  I wanted to find recipes that everyone would enjoy, and I think I succeeded.  There wasn't really anything left over.  

On the menu for Saturday [in order from left to right] :

(* indicates things brought by other people)

• "Floral" Arrangement of Fruit  (strawberries, red grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon on bamboo skewers, stuck into floral foam in a terracotta pot.  Use green leaf lettuce around bottom for 'greenery')

• Lemon Kale "Chips"

• Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

• *2 different types of blueberry bread

• Roasted Garlic Hummus with veggies and Falafel Chips (store-bought, but inspiration for a future recipe!)

• Deviled Eggs (I do mine really simply: Yolks, 3-4 good squirts of yellow mustard, Jane's Crazy Mixed-Up Salt (seasoned salt), and a dollop or 2 of mayo, then sprinkled with paprika after filling the whites)

• *Homemade Salsa and a variety of chips

• *Zucchini Cupcakes

• Rice Krispie Pops (make Rice Krispie Treats, allow them to cool most of the way, then take large pinches, roll into bite-sized balls and finish cooling on waxed paper.  Insert Popsicle sticks into balls, then decorate with sprinkles, chocolate, etc.  For display, put floral foam into a vase or wide-mouthed jar, then insert the pops into the foam to make a 'floral arrangement' -- I put a little pink fabric into the jar to hide the floral foam)

Yummy Hummus

This is a fantastic hummus recipe.  It comes from "Dede's Mediterranean Kitchen" (dedemed.com) [sidenote: this is an incredible resource for all things Mediterranean!]  I have made it many times, and every time, I figure for sure it will be enough, but it always gets snarfed down rather quickly, and I'm left wishing I'd made a second batch for backup.  :-)  I usually add a lot more garlic than the actual recipe calls for, and on occasion have roasted an entire head of garlic and use the whole thing.  Alistair says the more garlic the better, but at a certain point, if using raw garlic, it becomes too sharp, which is why I opted for roasting it.  
This is also a great base for experimenting with flavoured hummus-- you could do roasted red pepper, cilantro/ lime/ cumin, 3 olive blend, sun-dried tomatoes, hot peppers, etc... if you can think of it, it can be done!  :-)

Yummy Hummus
Ingredients:
¼ c. plain Greek yogurt
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed
½ c. tahini (sesame seed paste)
½ c. fresh squeezed lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon (optional, for more "lemony" flavour)
2-3 cloves of garlic
½ tsp of salt
2 Tbsp water (if too thick)
3-4 fresh mint leaves

2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped (for garnish)
1 tsp cayenne pepper or paprika (for garnish)
¼ c. olive oil (for garnish)

Directions:
Mix first 9 ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth and to desired thickness.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  Optional: Garnish with parsley, cayenne pepper and olive oil.  Serve with fresh veggies, corn chips, rice chips, pita bread, etc.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

[this is not a great picture, because I cropped it from a larger one...]

These were very easy to make, and a fun experiment.  I've always wondered what else you can do with chickpeas besides make hummus or put on a salad, so this was a nice treat.  They are hard and crunchy, like nuts, and I was tickled when my friend Kathy, who has an air-born nut allergy, took the leftovers into her office, so she could 'munch on them while she worked.'


Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients: 
2 (14 oz.) cans chickpeas 
1 tsp curry powder 
1 tsp ground cumin seed 
1 tsp celery salt [I did not have this, so I made my own with celery seed and sea salt- not quite equal parts, more celery seed than salt, then blended them up together in a spice grinder]
1 tsp garlic powder 
½ tsp sea salt 
1 ½ tsp olive oil

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the spices and the olive oil. Mix into a paste, adding a bit of oil if need be. Empty the drained and rinsed cans of chickpeas into a medium-sized bowl. Pour the spice mixture in with the chickpeas and mix well with a rubber spatula (so as not to break the chickpeas). Spread on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (single layer) and cook in a 375 F oven for about 1 hour. Because ovens vary, it’s important to know that these snacks should be hard and crisp, not burnt and not soft. You may need to leave them in the warm oven for a bit to harden them up. Enjoy. 

[EJ's notes: these took 2 tries at baking to get them crunchy.  After an hour they were fragrant and dark brown, but not crunchy.  After I finished making the kale chips, I turned off the oven and stuck the chickpeas in, and just left them for about 2 hours while I visited with a friend.  They were much better the 2nd time around.]

Lemon Kale "Chips"

These were SO easy!  A tasty, nutritious alternative to standard chips, even my "sometimes like pulling teeth to get him to eat veggies" husband munched on a handful of these, and commented, "these are really good!"  I'll probably be making them again very soon...  :-)   


[EJ's notes: this recipe makes about a medium-small bowl's worth... perfect if you've never tried kale crisps before and aren't sure if you (and your taste-testers) will like them.  Next time, I will probably double it.  It may seem like a TON when you start, but they cook down quite a bit.  If you're still unsure about it, you could half this recipe pretty easily, although I'd probably leave the salt the same.]

Lemon Kale "Chips"
Ingredients: 
2 bunches kale, washed and de-stemmed
2 Tbsp olive oil 
2 Tbsp lemon juice 
¼ tsp course sea salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Chop or tear kale into 1 inch pieces.
Place kale in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine oil, lemon juice and salt, then with hands, massage into the kale until evenly coated.
Place kale on parchment-lined baking sheets in single layer.
Bake at 350° for 12 minutes, or until kale is dark green and crispy.  (If cooking 2 pans at once, rotate halfway through-- and you may need a minute or two more)
Cool and serve.

Stuffed Shells/ Manicotti with a Twist

 This is Heidi Swanson's (101recipes.com) take on manicotti/ stuffed shells, with my own additions.  I added fresh spinach, and the recipe has a hint of lemon, which is a surprising and refreshing twist on the same old recipe.  Also, you make your own marinara sauce, which just adds to the freshness of this recipe.  Its quickly becoming a standard in our house.  I can't seem to find the jumbo pasta shells up here, so I used manicotti, which is just a little trickier to fill, but has the exact same effect.  (P.S. I took the pictures before I spread the sauce around, so you could see the stuffing...)


Stuffed Shells/ Manicotti with a  Twist
Ingredients:
Sauce:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
4 medium cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed red tomatoes
1 14-ounce can crushed red tomatoes 
Filling:
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 bunch of chives, minced
1 bunch fresh spinach, chopped
zest of one lemon, divided

25-30 jumbo dried pasta shells or one large package manicotti
grated Parmesan for sprinkling on top

Directions:
Oil a 13 x 9-inch baking pan, or equivalent, and sprinkle 1/2 of the lemon zest across it. Set aside. Get a big pot of water boiling, and preheat your oven to 350F with a rack in the middle.
To make the sauce, combine the olive oil, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and garlic in a cold saucepan (large). Stir while you heat the saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute just 45 seconds or so until everything is fragrant - you don't want the garlic to brown. Now stir in the tomatoes and heat to a gentle simmer, just a minute or two. Remove from heat and carefully take a taste (you don't want to burn your tongue)...If the sauce needs more salt add it now. Let cool.
To make the filling, combine the ricotta, egg, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until combined, then stir in the mozzarella, remaining lemon zest, chopped spinach and 3/4 of the chives. Set aside.
Cook the shells according to package instructions in well-salted water - until al dente. If you overcook, the shells will tear as you attempt to fill them. Drain and let cool long enough to handle with your hands.
Spread 1/3 of sauce across the bottom of the prepared pan. Fill each shell with ricotta, and arrange in a single layer in the pan. Ladle the remaining sauce over the shells, sprinkle with Parmesan, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, uncover for the final 15 minutes or until the shells are cooked through. Sprinkle with the remaining chives and serve hot.

Zesty Beef and Vegetable Soup (Crockpot)

 I'm going back in my archives today, trying to figure out how many recipes I have planned on posting and haven't done yet.  Today is my day to try and get caught up.  I made this soup in December (!) and it was really good.  Its probably best to wait until the weather gets cooler to try this one, because its definitely a 'warm your core' type of soup.  But don't forget about it, because its really worth making! 



Zesty Beef and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients: 
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups pre-shredded coleslaw mix  ~OR~
shred your own-- 1/2 each red/ green cabbage and 2 carrots
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn
1 (9 oz) package frozen cut green beans
4 cups hot-style vegetable juice (or regular, + a few generous splashes of Tabasco-style hot sauce)
1 (14 1/2 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions:
* In a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic until meat is browned and onion is tender.
* In a crock-pot, combine meat mixture and all remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine.
* Cover, and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hours.

Complete the meal with corn bread, if you like.