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I admit that I never really liked plain hummus unless it had a lot of garlic in it. I have other favorites, including lemon and dill, roasted red pepper with cumin, and this smoky roasted carrot hummus.

Here is a basic recipe for hummus if you have never made it yourself.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove
1/4 cup tahini
1 tsp ground cumin
zest of one lemon
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
fine sea salt

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse the garlic until it is finely minced.

2. Add the tahini, cumin, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil and puree to make a paste.

3. Add the chickpeas, pulse, and add up to 1/4 cup of water to thin it as needed until your desired consistency is reached.

4. You can store hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Smoky Roasted Carrot Hummus

Ingredients:

3 large carrots
1 tsp coconut oil
Basic hummus (see above)
1/2 tsp smoked hot paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
fine sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C or 400 F. Scrub the carrots well and slice them in half lengthwise. Rub each carrot with a little of the coconut oil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Roast the carrots until they are tender and blistered but not overcooked, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Remove the carrots from the oven and place them in a food processor with the hummus, paprika, cayenne, and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. Season with salt. 

4. Enjoy with crackers, vegetables, in a sandwich... Whatever you like!
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I really enjoy pumpkin soup in its many Asian varieties. This cozy soup is great in the evenings and it comes together easily in a saucepan of a slow cooker. This recipe is for a slow cooker, but it's easily modified. 

Ingredients:

4 cups pure pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 tbsp red curry paste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 can coconut milk reserving 1-2 tbsp for garnish
pumpkin seeds for garnish

Directions:

1. In a 5 to 6 quart (4.7-5.7 L) slow cooker, stir in the pumpkin puree, chicken broth, red curry paste and garlic powder until combined. 

2. Cook on low heat for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours.

3. Stir in the coconut milk and cook on high for 20 minutes or until heated through.

4. Serve warm and garnish with the reserved coconut milk and pumpkin seeds!

I have started to make herbal lemonade, and it's quite good. This satisfying and festive drink not only tastes good, but it is actually good for you.

Ingredients:

2 cups herbal tea (mint or lemon balm or a fruity tea would also be great)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
lemon slices for garnish

Directions:

1. Put 1 cup of the tea and the honey into a saucepan over low heat. Stir until the honey liquifies and blends into the tea.

2. Pour the tea-honey mixture into a pitcher and add the remaining 1 cup of the tea and the fresh lemon juice. 

3. Chill and serve garnished with fresh lemon slices.
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4. Feel free to add lemon balm or mint to the tea! Enjoy the taste!

Sweets and meals around Easter really should be more of a tradition than it actually is. I like the smell of my kitchen at Christmas, but I love the smell of my kitchen at Easter because it is so obviously about resurrection and new life! Here are a couple of favorite recipes if you need some kitchen inspiration. 

First, hot cross buns are sweet, lightly spiced rolls with cinnamon and nutmeg and studded with tangy craisins or raisons. Originally, they were a Saxon tradition that turned into an Easter tradition to celebrate Good Friday. If you have any left overs, you can cut them in half and make a really delicious French toast!

Ingredients for Hot Cross Buns:

1/2 cup raisins, currants, or craisins + 1 cup boiling hot water
3/4 cup very warm milk, divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup (I used whole milk, 2% is fine)
1/2 cup white sugar + 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened 15 seconds in microwave
1/2 tsp salt
1 envelope active dry yeast (about 3/4 Tbsp or 2 1/4 tsp) – I used Red Star Yeast
2 large eggs, well beaten
3 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour 
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp (a large pinch) ground nutmeg

For the Egg Wash:1 egg, well beaten with 1 tsp water

For the Glaze:1/2 cup Powdered sugar mixed with 2 1/2 tsp Milk

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup raisins/craisins with 1 cup boiling hot water. Let sit 10 min then drain well and set aside.

2. In a large measuring cup, combine 1/4 cup warm milk with 1/2 tsp sugar and sprinkle 3/4 Tbsp yeast over the top. Stir and let sit at room temp until bubbly and doubled in volume (10 min).

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup very warm milk with 1/2 cup sugar, 4 Tbsp softened butter and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir until butter is melted. Add 2 well beaten eggs and proofed yeast mixture. Stir in 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon and pinch of ground nutmeg.

4. Using the dough hook attachment mix in 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup at a time until soft dough forms. Knead 8-12 min on speed 2 or until smooth and elastic. Dough will still stick a little to the bowl but not to your fingers.

​If kneading by hand, use a wooden spoon to stir, then turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead 8-12 min using just enough flour to prevent sticking to your hands.

5. Add drained raisins/craisins (pat them dry with paper towels if they still seem too wet) and transfer dough to a large buttered bowl, turning it to bring the buttered side-up. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free room 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in volume (you can also proof in a warm 100˚F oven).

6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half then continue cutting dough until you have 12 equal sized pieces. Roll dough into balls and transfer to a buttered 9×13″ baking pan. Cover with a tea towel and let them sit in a warm, draft-free room 30 min until puffed.

7. Now you should preheat your oven to 375˚F. Generously brush the tops with egg wash and bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan.

8. Once buns are just warm (not hot), stir together the 1/2 cup powdered sugar and about 2 1/2 tsp milk. You can add more powdered sugar to thicken it up if needed. Transfer glaze to a ziplock bag, cut off the tip of the bag and pipe a cross shape over each of the buns. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Second, roast leg of lamb is one of the easiest "special occasion" recipes there is. The simple herb, lemon, and garlic marinade is all this great cut of lamb needs before it’s roasted to pink perfection.

Ingredients:

1 (5 to 6 pound) boneless leg of lamb (should come tied up, if not, have the butcher tie it for roasting)
2 lemons (juiced)
6 cloves garlic (crushed)
1/4 cup fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt (as needed)

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients, except for the olive oil and salt, in a large bowl.

2. Rub the leg of lamb thoroughly with the marinade until coated. You may even push some herbs and garlic into any cracks and crevices.

3. Place the lamb in a plastic bag, and marinade in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 6 hours.

4. Remove the lamb from the fridge, and let sit out for 45 minutes to come up to room temperature.

5. Remove the lamb from the marinade and place on a rack in a large roasting pan. Rub with the olive oil, and season very generously with the salt. Keep the side with the most fat facing up.

6. Preheat oven to 450 F.

​7. Roast for 15 minutes in the hot oven to browning the surface.

​8. Then reduce the oven to 315 F. and roast for approximately 10 minutes per pound (for a 5 to 6 pound leg this will be about an hour).

9. The best method for checking the doneness is using a digital meat thermometer and removing the lamb when the internal temp reaches 135 F. This will give you a nice pink and juicy roast. Let the lamb for at least 20 minutes before slicing. It's best sliced thin, against the grain of the meat.

Tip
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While the meat is resting, you can pour off the fat from the roasting pan, place it over a medium flame, and deglaze the browned bits on the bottom with a cup of water, or stock. Simply scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula while the liquid simmers, until all the caramelized juices have dissolved. Pour this over the sliced lamb when served.

This is lovely served with roasted potatoes, a vegetable, and crisp green salad! Enjoy!

Hopefully, the pictures inspire you to try this one! These were a hit! 5 ingredients for the chicken along with cilantro, sesame seeds and lime for garnish!

Ingredients

2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2/3 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
2 inch fresh ginger root, minced
4 to 5 lb (1.8-2.3 kg) chicken drumsticks

Garnishes
fresh cilantro 
sesame seeds 
lime juice 

Directions: 

1. In a large resealable container, combine the soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, fish sauce, and ginger. Place the chicken on top and toss to coat well. Place it in the fridge and allow the chicken to marinate 3 hours or overnight.

2. Put the chicken in the bottom of 6 quart (5.7 L) slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours.

3. Carefully transfer to a foiled lined baking sheet.  Brush any of the remaining sauce and broil on high for about 3 minutes on each side. Add more sauce when you turn the chicken. 

4. Remove from the oven and garnish with cilantro, sesame seeds, and lime juice. 

​5. Enjoy!

These muffins were amazing. They looked rustic. They were easy to prepare, healthy, and contain lots of dietary fiber.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs ground flaxseed or 3 tsp ener-G egg replacer or two eggs
6 Tbs water (4 Tbs if you are using Ener-G egg replacer)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped raw apples
1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C. Lightly grease your muffin tins or use muffins cups.

2. In a medium size bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

3. In a food processor or blender, whip the flaxseed and water together, until it reaches a thick and creamy consistency.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce, oil, sugar, vanilla, and flax mixture. Beat with an electric hand-mixer or wire whisk until it is creamy smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until it is well blended. Do not overmix.  Fold in the apples and the pecans.

5. The batter will be thick rather than smooth and wet, but it's fine. If you think it is too stiff, you can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.

6. Fill the muffins tins about 3/4 full. 

7. Bake for 18-20 minutes. You know when they are done when a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

8. Cool for about 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack.

Variations and Slight Modifications:
 
I have substituted 1/2 cup mashed banana for the apple sauce.
I have added about 1/3 cup shredded carrot to the recipe.

We have this chili every year close to Christmas! It's a favorite for my Christmas baking party. A few inquiring minds have wanted the recipe for a while, so here it is in all its simplicity...

Spice Blend

1/4 to 1 jalepeno pepper finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried crumbled sage
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp dried basil

Ingredients

2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup of chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
12 ounces of ground beef
1 15 ounce can of kidney beans (white or red), rinsed and drained
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
2-3 tsp of the spice blend
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, cook the garlic in the olive oil until golden (1-2 minutes).

2. Add the onion and celery and cook for another 2-4 minutes until the onion is tender. 

3. Add the ground beef and cook until the meat is brown. Drain the fat.

4. Stir in the kidney beans, tomato sauce, spice blend, and black pepper. 

5. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or put in a slow cooker for 3-4 hours.

6. Enjoy!

You really cannot do better than to combine cinnamon and apples during winter! A friend from church made this last weekend. We all said, "Yum!"

Ingredients

2/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons and some cinnamon
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
a capful or two of vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk, room temperature
2 apples, peeled and finely chopped
4 eggs
 
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans with either baking spray or line with parchment.

2. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.

3.Beat butter and sugar together in a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated.

4.Add vanilla extract. Once incorporated remove bowl from mixer.

5. Sift flour and baking powder together in a bowl then stir into creamed butter mixture by hand. Mix milk into batter until smooth.

6. You should have about 6 cups of batter. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the batter (or 1/4 of your total batter) into one of the prepared cake pans; add 1/4 of the apples and 1/4 of the brown sugar mixture. Lightly pat apple mixture into batter. Gently pour another 1 1/2 cups of batter over apple layer; top with another 1/4 of the apples and brown sugar mixture. Lightly pat apples into batter. Repeat this with remaining batter and brown sugar/apple mixture in other cake pan.

7. There usually is brown sugar/cinnamon mixture leftover, so you can use this for buttercream frosting.

8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until top is set and not too wet looking.

9. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes. Enjoy the cake!

Yields enough for 1 double-crusted pie or 2 single-crusted 9-inch pies

Ingredients: 

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced
6 ounces cold cream cheese, diced
3 to 4 tbsp ice water
(pinch sugar, optional)

Directions: 

1. Combine the flour and the salt.

2. Cut in butter and cream cheese until crumbly, use hands to blend together into a smooth dough. It will be sticky. Split in half and wrap with plastic wrap, chill for at least an hour, the colder the better!

3. Roll out the dough and place it appropriately in the pie pan. You can now fill the pan with whatever you are using for pie (apples, peaches, etc.) 

I have this thing about soup in fall and winter. Especially ones that run on the spicy side. This was amazing!

Made with coconut milk, lime juice, tomatoes, and ginger, it’s hot, sweet, sour, and luscious all in the same bite. It’s a great vegetarian soup and you don’t have tell those around you that there is no meat in it. The flavour will pull them in!

Ingredients 

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
½ cup diced celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced into chunks
2 cups (16 ounces) canned diced tomatoes
2 cups (16 ounces) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
12 cups vegetable stock
2 cups tomato juice
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 cup flaked coconut
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk
1 teaspoon minced chile pepper
½ bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté for 10 minutes. Add the butternut squash and sauté an additional 5 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, stock, tomato juice, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, coriander, coconut, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the squash is tender, 35 to 40 minutes. 

​3. Remove from the heat and add the coconut milk, chile pepper, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Makes 12 servings