Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I had no idea how easy hummus is to make. I had no idea how healthy and wholesome home-made hummus could be. I also had no idea that I could eat 4 servings of it in less than 20 minutes. To sum it up: easy, healthy, delicious. Now YOU go make some!

Ingredients:
1 can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves of garlic
1 whole roasted red pepper (either from a jar or roasted yourself), sliced
1/2 cup canola oil (or olive oil), more or less depending on desired consistency
salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
1. Pour beans, garlic, and peppers into a food processor
2. Slowly add the oil in while processor is going
3. Salt and pepper to taste

Try with sun dried tomatoes, olives, or different spices.

BBQ Tempeh and Arugula Pizza

Pizza is fun to make, can be very versatile, and the ingredients are generally inexpensive! A while ago I attempted a BBQ chicken pizza with amazing results...I couldn't wait to try it out again. I wanted to try a vegetarian option without piling on the veggies, so I decided to use tempeh to hold up against the BBQ sauce. Adding arugula on top of the pizza after it's done cooking was a last minute idea to give it a little bite and added texture!

Ingredients:
Pizza dough
1 pack of 3 grain tempeh, roughly chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 1/2 cups of shredded gruyere cheese
3-4 Tbs BBQ sauce
a handful of baby arugula

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Saute the tempeh in a little bit of oil on medium heat until golden brown and slightly charred 
3. Follow recipe or packaged directions to roll and shape pizza dough onto sprayed baking sheet
4. Spread the BBQ sauce around the pizza dough
5. Sprinkle the tempeh over the BBQ sauce
6. Arrange the onions and tomato slices over the tempeh
7. Sprinkle the cheese over the entire pizza
8. Bake according to directions/recipe for pizza dough (about 30-40 mins)
9. Remove from oven, and immediately sprinkle arugula on top
10. Slice and enjoy!

Mexico!

Click the picture to view larger!

This past January I traveled to Mexico to attend an amazingly beautiful wedding of a family friend. The backdrop for this occasion was the city of Tepoztlán in the mountains, just south of Mexico City. I have never been to a more beautiful place in my life! We hiked, we danced, and we thoroughly enjoyed any Mexican delicacy we could get our hands on. I put together a collage of some of the amazing dishes we were fortunate enough to try during our visit - Everything from fresh fruit and yogurt in the mornings to perfectly grilled steak, chicken, and portobellas, to FLAN! We were seriously spoiled.

Surrounding the hacienda we were staying in were lime trees - made for wonderfully fresh and delicious margaritas! I also came upon an interesting drink while perusing the market one weekend: Micheladas. It is essentially beer and tomato juice or hot sauce with chili powder on the rim of the glass. SO GOOD! You can see the process in the picture second from the top on the right side.

Pictured second from the left at the top is the incredible ice cream shop, Tepoznieves. They have the most outrageous, delicious, and totally original flavors including: Cantelope,  Kiwi, Butter Raisin, Rice (yep!), even  ice cream with granola and chopped fruit!

The food we ingested until our bellies ached was ridiculously fresh and REfreshing! Absolutely nothing like the "Mexican" food we have the in states, that's for sure. I had some of the most inventive and creative salad dressings that I can't wait to try out for summer salads, so stay tuned!