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Sweet Potato Hummus - sweet, spicy, vegan, delicious!

Sweet Potato Hummus #SundaySupper

September 8, 2013 ·

Sweet Potato Hummus is a little sweet, a little spicy and a lot delicious! This hummus is healthy, quick and easy to make, and vegan.

Sweet Potato Hummus from Alida's Kitchen

With Football season means it is tailgating time!  Whenever I’m tailgating, at a barbecue, picnic or party, the first thing I look for is something healthy, like fresh vegetables.  And if there is something healthy to go with them, such as hummus, I am a happy girl!  It just so happens that ‘tailgating’ is the theme for this week’s Sunday Supper, and I am bringing to the party a healthy treat to go with that ~ Sweet Potato Hummus!

Who would have thought the addition of sweet potato to a basic hummus recipe, along with some spice and some heat, would result in such a tasty (and healthy!) dip.   Paprika and chipotle seasoning really enhance the sweet potato and are otherwise complementary to the traditional hummus flavors.  Sweet Potato Hummus is also very easy to make and a wonderful accompaniment to a vegetable tray, pretzel crisps or whole wheat pita chips. It would also be great on a wrap or as a sandwich spread.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Sunday Supper group brought to our Tailgate party!

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Filed Under: appetizers, gluten free, healthy, Recipes, sides, vegan, vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Cranberry Cornbread

November 13, 2012 ·
cranberry cornbread
Cranberry Cornbread puts a fun, fall/wintery twist on traditional cornbread.  We have been making chili almost weekly these days, and of course what goes better with chili than cornbread.  I used a cornbread muffin recipe from Cooking Light for the base, making a few adjustments to accommodate the cranberries.  Fresh cranberries add just the right amount of tartness which is balanced nicely with brown sugar.  Buttermilk lends a moist crumb, and the result is a delicious tart-sweet cornbread.  Cranberry Cornbread would make a nice side dish for Thanksgiving, or any holiday, and of course pairs very well with a spicy chili!

Speaking of chili, I am working on a fabulous new chili recipe to share with you soon.  In the meantime, this Three Bean Vegetarian Chili can be made in less than 30 minutes and is our current chili of choice.

Cranberry Cornbread
 
Print
Yields: 16 servings
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups buttermilk
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup yellow cornmeal
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries, halved
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8" square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl (or in a liquid measuring cup) combine buttermilk, oil and egg.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  4. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, folding until just combined. Gently fold in cranberries.
  5. Pour mixture in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Adapted from Cooking Light, September, 2012

cranberry cornbread

Filed Under: bread, Recipes, sides Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
easy parmesan black pepper buttermilk drop biscuits

Parmesan-Black Pepper Drop Biscuits

January 6, 2012 ·
easy parmesan black pepper buttermilk drop biscuits
There is nothing better than having warm fresh buns, bread or biscuits at the dinner table. Due to the time involved, that is often saved for the weekend. We’re always looking for quick and easy dinners, including accompaniments. Enter the wonderful world of drop biscuits! By simply dropping the dough instead of rolling and cutting, these can be made in around 15 minutes ~ just the amount of time you need to sear your meat, set the table, make a salad, catch up on your blog reading…or whatever you need to do. The result is fresh warm biscuits in no time. How nice is that!

easy parmesan black pepper buttermilk drop biscuits
From the original recipe, I used Parmesan cheese instead of Asiago cheese, as I was trying to use up what I had on hand.  Either way is really good.  I added garlic powder, which definitely enhances the flavor in these biscuits.  I have tried using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour and found the whole wheat pastry flour yielded subpar results.  Light butter or regular butter work fine, but I’m always happy to shave off some calories if the light version works in a recipe.
Parmesan-Black Pepper Drop Biscuits are versatile, quick and easy to make.  Great for a weeknight dinner, a last minute side or simply just because you’re craving warm biscuits.
Parmesan-Black Pepper Drop Biscuits
 
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Yields: 8 biscuits
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • 1½ tablespoons light butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • ½ cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (or Asiago cheese)
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in medium bowl.
  3. Into flour mixture, cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 knives) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cheese and toss well to combine. Add buttermilk and fold until just moist.
  4. Drop dough into 8 equal mounds on lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until edges are browned.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Filed Under: bread, healthy, Recipes, sides Tagged With: , , , , ,

Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone

October 7, 2011 ·
Years ago, I aspired to make risotto for the first time.  But I hesitated, because it was a little intimidating and seemed quite difficult.  Coincidentially, around the same time, I happened to catch a cooking show about risotto.  The chef explained step-by-step how to make it and alleviated any uncertainty I had.  Armed with a recipe from Cooking Light, I was bound and determined to perfect the art of making risotto!
Fortunately, risotto was just as easy to make as the professionals on television led me to believe.  Years later, we are still enjoying that same recipe, however since then I have incorporated a few changes to the original recipe.  I swapped oregano for thyme, added lots of fresh spinach and used vegetable broth to make this a vegetarian dish.
While we enjoy this risotto as a vegetarian entree, it of course makes for a wonderful side dish.  Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone is a household favorite, suitable for company, and a definite crowd pleaser.
Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone
 
Print
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups boiling water
  • ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 14 ounces vegetable broth
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice (or other short-grain rice)
  • ¾ cup chopped shallots
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ¼ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • ¼ cup (1 ounce) mascarpone cheese
  • 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Combine boiling water and mushrooms; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain through colander over a bowl. Reserve 1¼ cups soaking liquid, and chop mushrooms.
  2. In a small sauce pan, bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer (do not boil), keeping mixture warm over low heat.
  3. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add rice, shallots and garlic; saute 5 minutes, or until the rice gets browned and toasted.
  4. Add wine and cook until liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).
  5. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 cup broth mixture to rice mixture and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed (about 5 minutes); stirring frequently.
  6. Add remaining broth mixture ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently, until each portion of the broth mixture is nearly absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).
  7. Remove pan from heat. Add mushrooms, cheeses, oregano, spinach, salt and pepper, stirring gently until combined and cheese melts. Serve warm.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 4 servings
Adapted from Cooking Light
Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes, sides Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

July 27, 2011 ·
As my rosemary plant continues to flourish, so continues my search for tasty recipes using rosemary.  I recently made Herbed Balsamic Grilled Chicken, which required a suitable accompaniment.  For some reason it was just screaming potatoes to me.  

This recipe for Rosemary Roasted Potatoes has a nice short list of ingredients and could not be any easier.  It is very hands off, which worked well with cooking the rest of the meal on the grill (or doing whatever else you need to do).

The only changes I made from the original recipe were adding more garlic and increasing the amount of potatoes to use up my 2 pound bag.  Otherwise, this recipe is absolutely THE perfect go-to recipe for roasted potatoes.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Serves 6 to 8

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher flake salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

  1. Cut potatoes in quarters and put in bowl with the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Toss making sure potatoes are well-coated.
  2. Dump potatoes on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread out so they are 1 layer.
  3. Roast in oven for at least an hour, or until browned and crisp.  Flip twice during cooking to ensure evenly browning. 

Slightly adapted from Ina Garten

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, Recipes, sides, vegetarian Tagged With: , , ,

Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes

July 13, 2011 ·

Copyright 2011 Alida’s Kitchen. All rights reserved.

Growing up, I remember summer was filled with an abundance of zucchini, rhubarb and tomatoes. According to me, zucchini was best served as bread, rhubarb was best served as crisp and tomatoes were best served to someone else. I was not a fan of tomatoes.

Actually, I still do not care for plain tomatoes, unless they are in a salad. I like my tomatoes made into something. And I must say, these Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes are definintely something!

Of course you can’t go wrong with balsamic vinegar, fresh basil and garlic. In fact, that makes for a pretty common (and tasty) vinaigrette.  The role of the marinade in this dish is perfectly subtle.   

What takes these tomatoes from ordinary to extraordinary is in the grilling. The charring from the grill, combined with the marinade, results in tomatoes literally bursting with fresh flavor.  Topped with Parmesan cheese, Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes are an easy, healthy, and delicious side dish made on grill.

Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes
Yields 4 servings (2 tomato halves per serving)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 medium tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmesan cheese

  1. In a wide shallow bowl (13 x 9 baking dish works well) mix together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper.
  2. Add tomatoes, and turn to coat them on all sides.
  3. Prepare grill: brush grates with oil or spray with cooking spray, and preheat to medium high.
  4. Place tomatoes, cut sides down, on the grill rack.  Brush once with remaining marinade, and then discard marinade.  Grill about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until tomatoes begin to blister, soften and brown.  (Note:  They can burn easily so keep an eye on them.)
  5. Remove the tomatoes from grill and top with parmesan cheese.  Garnish with fresh basil leaves, if desired.  Serve immediately.

Adapted from Health, June, 2007

Filed Under: healthy, Recipes, sides, vegetarian Tagged With: ,