Easy Hummus

One of the hardest things about trying to diet is what to snack on. I mean we all get munchy during the day and they do say lots of small meals are better than one or two big ones.

I have always loved hummus, but I never thought of making it at home until I found a recipe in my favorite Weight Watchers cookbook, Take-Out Tonight. They have a very easy and figure-friendly recipe in there that I have modified a bit. Now while this is probably not "real" hummus, it's pretty darn tasty. I love the lemon in this recipe. It really provides a brightness. For an extra kick I add a few slices of jarred jalapeños.

This is a great snack, with pita bread, carrot sticks, celery or endive.

Ingredients

• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 4 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 cloves garlic (3 at the most - be careful)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste (about two good pinches)
• 5 slices jarred jalapeño peppers (optional)
  

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse garbanzo beans, reserving the canned liquid.
2. In food processor or blender, combine garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, cumin, and salt. Blend until mixed.
3. With food processor running gradually add about 2/3 cup of the reserved liquid through the feed tube and process until very smooth. (Add more or less depending on consistency.)
4. Add five slices of jarred jalapeño peppers. (This is just the right amount for a nice kick.)

Creamy Broccoli Slaw

I have a new Food Network crush and it's on Ellie Krieger. Joey and I had watched her before, but rediscovered her while we were on our cleanse and were torturing ourselves by watching Food Network. We actually wanted to find some healthier ways of eating and her show seemed to fit the bill. Her show, Healthy Appetite, has become one of our favorites. Ellie not only gives you recipes that are easy and very tasty, but explains to you why they are healthy. This slaw was one of the first things we saw and we have been wanting to try it for several weeks. What I love about this is that it uses the broccoli stalks that one would usually throw away. Since it uses yogurt and very little mayonnaise it's very figure friendly. Combine that with the delicious crunch of sunflower seads and you have a hit! I followed the recipe fairly closely, but I couldn't find Greek yogurt so I strained mine. Please check the notes below if you have the same problem.

By the way, isn't Ellie just the cutest thing ever?! Just wait until you watch her show.

Ingredients

• 1 cup lowfat Greek yogurt, or strained yogurt
• 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds broccoli stalks (from about 2 1/2 pounds broccoli bunches)
• 1 large or 2 medium carrots

Instructions

1. If using regular yogurt, place it in a strainer lined with paper towel or coffee filter and set the strainer over a bowl. Let the yogurt drain and thicken for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place sunflower seeds and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet and shake to combine. Toast seeds until aromatic, about 10 minutes. Cool and reserve.
3. Combine yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Whisk to incorporate and reserve.
4. Peel tough outer layer of broccoli stalks and trim off 1/4 inch from bottoms of stalks (should be about 3/4 of a pound tender broccoli stalks remaining).
   
5. Shred stalks in food processor, then shred carrots. Combine shredded broccoli and carrots with dressing and toss to combine. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve.

Notes

I didn't have cheese cloth to strain the yogurt so I used a coffee filter. It worked quite well. I honestly cannot find plain Greek yogurt near me, so this is the best method. I would give it more than 20 minutes, though.

When I first mixed the wet ingredients I thought, "Wow, that is too much" and quickly grated more carrots. I really didn't need to.

The sunflower seeds really add a nice, tasty crunch. Try to get unsalted and roast them. If you can't then don't roast them.

Lentil-Veggie Soup

From Slow Cooker Favorites Made Healthy (Better Homes & Gardens Cooking).

This was a surprisingly delicious soup. It was actually much thinker that a soup, but thinner that a stew. As Rachel Ray would say, a "stoup." This soup has 0 grams of fat and 12 grams of fiber, so it's very healthy! It takes a long time to cook so you have to kind of plan when you are going to make it. I made it around 8 pm the previous night and we had it for lunch the next day. It reheats wonderfully.

I have a huge slow cooker, so I doubled the recipe. I makes A LOT so be prepared! Also, while it doesn't call for it, I added salt and pepper. It was just to bland without it.

Note: I planned on this being my first soup after my master cleanse. It may be a bit to hearty for most, but we had it with no troubles.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup chopped carrots (2 medium)
• 1 cup celery (2 stalks)
• 1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth or chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (14 1/2 oz) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. In a 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker place lentils, carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaf. Sprinkle with basil, oregano, thyme and garlic. Combine broth, water and undreained tomatoes. Pour over all.
2. Cover and cook on low-hear for 12 hours or on high-heat for 5 to 6 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in parsley.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

From The Vegan Chef - Vegan Recipes - Beverly Lynn Bennett

This was my first vegan recipe ever! It was simply delicious! Not hard to make at all and I followed the directions very closely. The next time I may cut the water just a tad, but besides that the soup came out perfectly. This makes a lot of soup, so plan on having it for while. It was so delicious, though, I even had seconds!

Note: This was our second soup the day after the master cleanse.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. asparagus, tough ends trimmed
• 3 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups onion, diced
• 1 T. garlic, minced
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 1/2 T. cornstarch or arrowroot
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
• 3 T. freshly chopped basil
• 1/2 t. sea salt
• 1/8 t. white pepper
• 1 cup soy milk, rice milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice
• 3 T. nutritional yeast flakes
• Garnish: thin slices of lemon
• 
  

Instructions

1. Cut the tips off the asparagus, place them in a steamer basket, steam them for 2-3 minutes or until tender, and set aside.
2. Thinly slice the stems diagonally, place them in a steamer basket, steam them for 4-5 minutes
3. or until tender, and set aside.
4. Measure the water left over from steaming the asparagus, add additional water to measure 7 cups, and place it in a large pot.
5. Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
7. In a blender or food processor, place the cold water and cornstarch, and blend well to combine.
8. Strain the cooked vegetables from the broth, reserving the cooking liquid, transfer the cooked vegetables to the food processor, and return the cooking liquid to the pot.
9. Add the fresh herbs to the cooking liquid and stir well to combine.
10. Add half of the reserved steamed asparagus stems to the food processor and puree the mixture until smooth.
11. To the pot containing the herbed cooking liquid, add the pureed mixture, reserved steamed tips and stems, and the remaining ingredients, and stir well to combine.
12. Remove the pot from the heat and set the soup aside for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
13. Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed.
14. Serve hot or cold and garnish individual servings with a thin slice of lemon.