Chilli Hommus

An impromptu lunch invitation for a couple really close to our heart was received on Friday night when they popped into our house and once we realized that we were free we took them up on the offer.  Especially with it being a day of record heat temperatures in Melbourne and their house being equipped with good air conditioning and a spa!

All we had to bring with us was some "nibbles".  Knowing that they were going to serve up cold meats and salad for lunch I couldn't very well take an antipasto platter or anything that too was full on cold meats.  Upon discussion with my husband we decided that a couple of homemade dips would be nice and of course, different than the norm.

Next decision was which dips?  We ended up making a Hommus with Chilli, a Beetroot and Mint, a Chilli Jam and a Smokey Mustard.  All whipped up in under 30 minutes and tasted incredible.  The freshness in all of them was amazing and the fact that we knew they were based on good and healthy ingredients made them even nicer.  

Dips are a really easy dish to prepare - infact they are insanely easy.  The majority of dips have minimal ingredients not to mention you are in control of what ingredients you use and I bet most of them will not contain any of those nasty numbers that you find on preservatives, additives and colourings.  I actually also find it is cheaper to make your own dips than buying those pre-made from the shops.

We made this hommus without tahini only because I didn't have any on hand.  I have made hommus many times and always used tahini so I was a little skeptical as to what the outcome would be.  To our surprise it was really nice and actually quite unnoticeable that it was missing what I would have considered an important ingredient to this dish.  I added a little sesame oil to give the flavour a hint of the nuttiness but you don't need to do this if you do not wish. The chilli quantity can be adjusted to suit your tastebuds - add more or less to suit.

Chilli Hommus

Makes: approx 1 1/2 cups

Serves: approx 18 x 20 gram servings

SmartPoints per serve:  1

2 x 400 gram can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 to 4 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

juice of 1 lemon juice

2 teaspoons chilli flakes (add more if you prefer)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch smoked paprika, for garnish

Add the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, sesame oil, lemon juice, chilli flakes garlic, cumin, and salt to a food processor.

Process until smooth and creamy.

If needed, add additional water to thin out the hummus.

Place in a serving dish, drizzle with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika.

Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Homemade Guacamole

You really cannot serve Mexican especially Spicy Chicken Nachos without Homemade Guacamole.  It's that perfect accompaniment that pleases the tastebuds along side all the warm wonderful spices that Mexican food is laced with.

 

One of the major positives about this dish is that it's such an easy side dish to make, taking only minutes and the flavour is just an explosion in your mouth compared to shop brought prepackaged dip.

 

Homemade Guacamole

 

Serves: 8

ProPoints per serve: 2

 

2 ripe avocado

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

150 grams cherry tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves

1 red bullet chilli (seeds removed if desired) finely chopped

juice of 1 fresh lime

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Cut avocados in half, remove stone and peel.  Dice each half and place in a large bowl.  Mash gently until chunky.

 

Add onions, cherry tomatoes, coriander, chilli and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper.  Mix until well combined.

Refrigerate until required.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Coriander Chilli and Cashew Mussels

I cannot actually say this is my dish, proudly the contents of this post are brought to you by my husband, Noel.

 

Mussels are a fairly new ingredient that we use in our kitchen, our tastebuds only developed to liking them over say the last 5 years prior to that touching them was only done by using a long stick LOL.  For me it was the same with oysters.... Oh well they do say flavours develop with age!

 

One of the perfect things about mussels is that they cook in next to no time meaning that any dish can be on the table in literally under 15 minutes depending on how decadent or basic you wish the flavourings to be.

 

We had recently purchased a carton of a favourite dip (I guess you could use any flavour dip of course) and forever looking for new flavours to cook with it was decided that the dip mixed with coconut milk would be an interesting taste on gathering many flavours that we love together.

 

Whilst these were very nice and would definitely be a hit as an entree or casual dinner with friends I still prefer a tomato maybe tomato chilli flavour base for my mussels. 

 

Coriander Chilli and Cashew Mussels

 

Serves: 4

ProPoints per serve: 7

 

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup Coriander Chilli and Cashew Dip

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and sliced

1 cup lite coconut milk

1 kilogram Blue mussels, bearded and rinsed

Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok until just about smoking.  Reduce heat to medium and add onion cooking for 3 - 4 minutes or soft.

Add coriander dip, stirring, and cook for a further 2 minutes.  Add the chilli and coconut milk stirring for a further 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Increase heat to high.  Add mussels and quickly toss to coat.  Cover and steam for 2 - 3 minutes or until the majority of mussels have opened.  Remove lid and toss continuously for a further 2 minutes..

Serve immediately.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Baked Brie with Sundried Tomatoes

Okay I have to admit this... my world DOES actually revolve around food and being a foodie, believe it or not.

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In fact since I started up this food blog I have come across so many others out there just like me, blogging their culinary delights and kitchen masterpieces. Some are even game enough to blog about their disasters!! There are so many foodie blogs that I read and have linked all of these to my blog, a few I have chatted with via comments and emails while there are others I just read, but I am always adding some of their dishes to my never ending list of foods to make in the future.

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One person's blog that I read daily is Kevin's. Kevin's blog is called Closet Cooking and he is based in Toronto, Canada.I must say that some of his dishes are amazing, not to mention the quality of his photo's just make you want to lick the computer screen. So when I read this Baked Brie with Sundried Tomatoes I immediately knew we had to try it. Like Kevin I have to admit for not being a huge fan of Brie but in this recipe it had such an interesting flavour when coupled with the sun-dried tomatoes and the herbs.

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Baked Brie with Sundried Tomatoes

Source: Closet Cooking

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Serves 2

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250 grams brie, rind removed and cut into cubes

60 grams sundried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon thyme, chopped

pepper to taste

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Preheat oven to 175C.

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Mix everything together in a small bowl.

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Transfer to a small baking dish. The mixture should fill the baking dish to the brim as it will shrink when baked. I used just one small ramekin between the two of us... you could divide into individual serves if you wish.

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Bake in oven until the brie is melted and starts to bubble, about 20-30 minutes.

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Serve dip hot with crackers or dippers of your choice.

Mint Raita

This is my take on a favourite condiment for Indian Food, especially Tandoori flavoured meats such as Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks. Traditionally this would have grated cucumber in it but as only two out of four of us like it I omit the cucumber. Saves on arguments that way!!
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Mint Raita

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Serves 8

Points per serve: 0.5

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1 cup low fat natural yoghurt

2 tablespoons mint, finely chopped

1 teaspoon caster sugar

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Mix all ingredients together until combined.
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Place in refrigerator until needed. The longer the dip stands the more the flavours will develop.