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Zucchini Hummus Recipe

3 · Apr 30, 2014 · 3 Comments

// Zucchini Hummus Recipe brought to you by Pompeian Olive Oil //

A few months ago, I had the exciting opportunity to travel to Israel to go on a food tour of that amazing country. Our first full day there, we were on a quest to find the best hummus in the country. Now hummus in Israel is a BIG deal! Here in America when we get hungry we head out to some fast food joint and grab a burger to eat on the go. In Israel, they have little hummus huts and that’s where everyone goes when they want to grab a quick bite to eat. Our quest took us to Jaffa…

… Just outside of Tel Aviv. Here is where the famous Abu Hasan Hummus hut is located, hidden within the winding streets of this ancient city.

Abu Hassan is famous for one thing… Hummus! That’s about all they make and they make it well. Everyday people line up outside this little hole in the wall shop to get their hummus and when the hummus pot is empty, the shop closes for the day, so you have to get there early!

Abu Hasan’s hummus is unlike any hummus I have ever tried in the US. It’s rich and creamy with a flavor that just grabs you and then haunts you forever. They top the hummus with chickpeas, garlic, paprika, parsley and then they float a full flavored olive oil on top. It’s truly an amazing culinary experience.

When I returned home, all I could think about was that hummus. What I would give for one more taste of that magical creation. I TRIED to recreate it with a few tricks that I learned while in Israel and it was good, but not Abu Hasan good. So, I kind of gave up my quest until the other day.

This last week I spent some good quality time with Aimée and Bettijo from Paging Supermom, while we were attending SNAP, the creative blog conference. While we were sitting at Café Rio in the Salt Lake City Airport, Aimée mentioned one of her favorite recipes and it kind of blew my mind… Zucchini Hummus! Yea, that’s what I said… Zucchini Hummus, for real?

I have heard of making hummus out of white beans instead of chickpeas, but I have never heard of making it with zucchini! I was intrigued and had to give this new idea a go. I did a little research and then put into practice the hummus tricks I learned in Tel Aviv at the Dan Gourmet School of Culinary Arts and came up with my recipe for Zucchini Hummus.

Now, one of the keys to this tasty and good for you treat is the olive oil. For this application, you need a good, full flavored olive oil that is fruity and can hold up to the bold flavors from the garlic and cumin. I used a fabulous full flavored olive oil from Pompeian’s Varietals collection. The magic of the premium Varietals collections is that each type of oil is pressed from one single type of olive. I used the Koroneiki oil which is from the first cold press of the Koroneiki olive.

It’s bold and fruity with a peppery finish that is just perfect for my zucchini hummus. I used it in the hummus as well as floating some on top as a flavor booster as well as a garnish.

I was BLOWN AWAY when I tasted it for the first time. It truly took me back to Israel. It’s not Abu Hasan, but to me it’s a fresher, even healthier way to savor the flavors of one of my favorite place. Here is how you make it…

Zucchini Hummus

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Prep time

3 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

8 mins

This fresh take on humus will blow you away and have you constantly coming back for more!

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Recipe type: light meal

Cuisine: Israeli

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1 cup Tahini
2 medium zucchini
1 lemon
½ teaspoon citric acid
2 tablespoons of garlic paste
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon of Pompeian Varietials Koroneiki Olive Oil

Instructions

Peel and chop your zucchini and add to the bowl of your food processor.
Juice your lemon and add half of the lemon juice to start to the zucchini.
Add the tahini, citric acid, garlic paste, cumin, sea salt and pepper and blend slowly adding the olive oil while blending.
Taste the hummus and see if the seasoning needs some adjustment. You may need to add a little more of the reserved lemon juice or possibly salt. You can tweak it to your taste.
Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Serve with veggies and pita chips or use as an addition to salads or sandwiches.

Disclaimer // This post is sponsored by Pompeian, I received product and payment for this post.

Sweet & Savory Christmas Gift Idea // Compound Butter

36 · Dec 18, 2013 · 6 Comments

I love the long seated tradition of entering the kitchen at this time of year to create all kinds of goodies to share with family and friends. I also LOVE receiving these gifts every year. You can always feel the love that goes into each and every recipe that is shared. One thing I DON'T love is how frantic and hurried the season has become. Sometimes we just don't have time to bake for days and days in order to put together these treasured gift plates.

Another issue I have have… Sometimes, we get sugar overload with all of these scrumptious goodies. For the last several years, I have tried to find some savory goodies along with the sweet to give as holiday neighbor gifts. This year, my favorite sweet & savory gift for the season is compound butter. What is compound butter you ask? Well, it is butter combined with any of a number of tasty additions that can be used in various different ways in the kitchen. I am particularly fond of any type of berry butter, the ever popular honey butter and the luscious roasted garlic butter. All of these can be used on breads, French toast, crêpes, pancakes, used in sauces and even used to enhance many types of meats. I decided this year, that I am going to give little gift baskets with some homemade compound butter along with some bread…

Don't you worry, these butters are a snap to make AND you can even use store bought bread if you aren't the baking type. I am going to give you three quick butter recipes along with the fabulous printable that you can use to label your jars and your gift container if you like.

Berry Butter Ingredients

4 sticks of softened unsalted butter

1 jar of Smucker's Orchard's Finest preserves (you can use any kind you like, for this one I used cranberry raspberry preserves)

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon citric acid

Berry Butter Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add your softened, room temperature butter, the Orchard's Finest preserves, honey & citric acid. Why do I use citric acid? I like to add a bit of a tart kick to the butter without adding the liquid from the lemon. The liquid can cause issues with the consistency and I have found that citric acid is a perfect solution. You can get the hit of tart flavor without the consistency issues. I found citric acid at my local market in the canning section. If you can't find it, you can always order it online. I LOVE it and use it in all kinds of recipes.

Once you have all your ingredients in your mixer, turn your mixer on high and whip the butter for several minutes. Once it has whipped well and is nice and fluffy, take your mixture and add it to your sterilized 4 ounce Ball jars. Fill to the top and place the lid on tight. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This recipe also can be stored in the freezer really well.

Honey Butter Ingredients

4 sticks of softened unsalted butter

1 cup honey

Honey Butter Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer, place softened room temperature butter and honey. Whip on high for several minutes until light and fluffy. Once finished, carefully spoon into sterilized 4 ounce ball jars and replace the lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This butter also freezes well.

Roasted Garlic Butter

I have a fabulous recipe for Roasted Garlic Butter over at WhipperBerry that you should check out. I also, show you how to roast your own garlic and everything!

Savory & Sweet Christmas Gift

Now this is where it gets fun… I LOVE packaging! To me the way you dress-up a gift is just as important as the gift. Now, I used my favorite 4 ounce Ball jars for the butter on purpose. With these jars I can create a lovely FREE printable label for everyone to use.

Aren't they fun?! Now… I have created a couple of different ways to use these free printable labels.

Silhouette Print & Cut Users

If you are a Silhouette User, you can download the Silhouette Studio file, print them with your printer and cut out with your CAMEO or Portrait. I used the Printable Gold Foil for mine, but you could use anything that you want. Card stock, printable sticker paper or even printable kraft paper. Use whatever you feel comfortable with. Click HERE to download the Silhouette Studio Label file.

Printable Users

Now, if you would like to print and cut your labels on your own… No worries, I have you covered too! Click HERE to download the free PDF for you to use for your special gift. Just print as many sheets as you would like on whatever paper you would like, cut out the labels and affix them to your jars and gift container.

Gift Container

I found my container at Target in their seasonal decor section. I would love to link to it, but I can't seem to find it on their web site. You'll just have to look at your local store. You can also use any type of container that will fit your butter selection and the bread your choose. You could use an inexpensive gift bag and it would look fabulous!!

All in all, I am in LOVE with this gift idea and I hope that it sparks some creativity for your holiday gift giving this year. You know… not all homemade holiday gifts have to be sweet! I know some of us would love some savory treats as well!

Simple Creme Anglaise Recipe

3 · Oct 16, 2013 · 3 Comments

Creme Anglaise Recipe // Hi all of you Whipperberry fans! It’s me Jesseca from One Sweet Appetite here to talk Holiday’s. It’s almost that time of year. You know… That time when you are starting to think of great recipes to share at holiday parties or dinners? If you are anything like me, you are probably wanting to make a great impression and serve up something that is going to be easy but also make a flavorful impact on your visitors. Luckily, I have you covered with this simple creme anglaise. You can whip it up the day before and serve it as a dipping sauce or drizzle over some Vanilla Pound Cake, which I happen to have up on my site today! You will never believe how quick this recipe is or how quickly it disappears. The wonderful aroma of vanilla will fill your house and get your senses working while it gently cooks. Everyone will be drooling in anticipation!

Start by whisking together two egg yolks with 1/4 cup of sugar. You want the color to lighten to an off white. Fill a 9×13 pan with ice and water. Set a medium sized bowl in the center. Set that aside and move on to the next step.

Combine 1 cup of half and half with 1-1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract. Heat until small bubbles begin to form around the edges.

Slowly drizzle your half and half into your egg mixture. Whisk to combine.

Return to the pan and cook on low heat until just slightly thickened.

Immediately pour into the bowl that you placed in the ice bath earlier to stop the cooking process. Serve now for a warm drizzle or refrigerate for a cooler custard sauce later.

My husband decided the cooled down version is great to eat all on it’s own. I, however, prefer it as a dipping sauce for that Vanilla Pound Cake I mentioned earlier! Both can be made the night before to save on time. Which might be convenient during all of the crazy family parties that are sure to be starting soon! Thanks for letting me take over your site today Heather! Hopefully I’ll be seeing some of you soon over at One Sweet Appetite!

Apple Butter Recipe

4 · Oct 1, 2013 · 4 Comments

Apple Butter Recipe // Ahhhh fall. So many great things to look forward to this time of year. Boots, comfy sweaters, Halloween, Thanksgiving, pumpkins, changing leaves, apples…I love all of it! It also seems to be the time of year where we see a lot more of our friends and family, and that means the opportunity to eat and share lots of good food!

So this is the perfect time for me to try out some new recipes, and do some planning for the upcoming holiday season! When I'm putting together appetizer and meal ideas for company I really try to keep things simple, and use ingredients that most people love.

This recipe is one of those dishes! Apple Butter is the perfect thing to keep on hand for a number of different occasions. It's great served on top of Brie for an appetizer, or spread on a ham & Brie sandwich for lunch, or scooped onto ice cream for dessert. It's so versatile!

Apple butter is made in the crockpot over a 10-12 hour period, so that the apples and spices have time to come together and make a smooth apple spread. Don't be afraid of the length of time it takes to make Apple Butter, it's really very simple. All you have to do is put the ingredients into a crock pot and let it simmer during the day or even overnight. Then you have the most delicious treat!

Ingredients: (Makes 1 – 2 cups) 6 medium/large apples, cored and peeled and chopped 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 to 2 tsp cinnamon pinch nutmeg pinch allspice dash salt 1 tsp vanilla (optional) Instructions:

In a crockpot, mix together the chopped apples with the sugars and spices. Mix well.
Cook in the crockpot on low for 10 hours, stirring occasionally if you can. Let the mixture cook until it is thick and dark brown.
After the 10 hours, remove the lid and blend the apple mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
Then cook uncovered in the crockpot for an additional 1 – 2 hours.
Store in sterile jars in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Serving Ideas:

Serve on a brie cheese wheel (see below).
Make a ham and brie cheese sandwich, and spread on some apple butter. You could cook it like a grilled cheese sandwich. Yum!
Serve alongside roast or BBQ'd pork.
Serve on vanilla ice cream.
Spread on toast.

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Now because I have an obsession with anything having to do with Brie cheese, I wanted to give you an option on how to serve some of your Apple Butter. Apples and Brie are a match made in Heaven. Major deliciousness going on here.

Actually the whole inspiration for me to make Apple Butter was just imagining it baked onto some Brie cheese. I thought it would make a perfect fall appetizer…apples, cinnamon & spices with cheese…a delicious seasonal dish. Mmmmmmm!

But you may notice in this picture that the apple butter is not smooth. I wanted the mixture to be chunky on top of the brie…I just like the texture better. All I did was take about a 1/2 cup of the apple butter out of the crockpot before I blended the rest. This step of course is entirely up to you.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Place a brie cheese wheel in an oven proof serving dish. Score the top with a knife, then place it in the oven for about 5 minutes, until the brie is softened.
Then mound about 1/2 cup of the apple butter on top of the brie, and bake for about 3-4 minutes more.
Serve with crackers or chunks of bread.
Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these recipes for Apple Butter!

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For even more delicious appetizers, come on over!

Cedar Planked Fruit & Wine Brie Bites | Artichoke & Spinach Dip | Tomato & Basil Bruschetta