Easy Hummus Recipe

Please enjoy our guest blogger, Jamie, and her wonderful hummus recipe.

Jamie’s passion for food and cooking began as a young girl, while watching her Italian mother in the kitchen. During her time studying at UC Santa Cruz, she came to love the process of cooking and experimenting in her own kitchen. Her curiosity has pushed her to learn how to make a lot of her own products from scratch instead of buying it at the market like hummus, granola, yogurt, pickles, and much more. As the Alternative Food Chef at a Yosemite summer camp, Jamie cooked for campers and staff with dietary restrictions. This challenged her to use unconventional ingredients to create hearty and healthy comfort food. Jamie is currently studying to become an Occupational Therapist and would love to incorporate cooking into her practice one day.

Chickpeas are a type of legume also known as garbanzo beans. In Arabic, the word for chickpea is hummus, which we know as a creamy, garlic-y spread made from chickpeas and tahini (sesame seed paste). You can find all different types of hummus at your local grocery store, but often times store-bought hummus is chock full of unnecessary additives and preservatives that you can’t pronounce. Luckily, it is incredibly easy to make!

Since I ran out of tahini, I decided to spice up my hummus by adding roasted red bell pepper and garlic, but if you have tahini, I would recommend using it. Also, I used chickpeas that I cooked from scratch, which takes longer since you have to let them soak overnight, so feel free to make the hummus using canned chickpeas instead.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

¾ C chickpeas (dry) or 1 can cooked chickpeas
3-5 Cardamom Pods (optional)
½ Red Bell Pepper
4 cloves of garlic
½ lemon
2-3 T Olive oil
S and P to taste
2 t Paprika or Chipotle Powder
¼ C Tahini

Directions:

Sort through Chickpeas and pick out any off-color or shriveled ones. Soak Chickpeas in water overnight. If using canned beans skip to step 3.

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place in large pot and cover with a couple of inches of water. Add a pinch of salt and cardamom pods or any other fresh herb you like (adds a nice aroma and subtle flavor to chickpeas). Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 60-90 min or until tender.

While the chickpeas are cooking, place bell pepper and two cloves of garlic (skin on) in aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the foil pouch in toaster oven or oven at 350 degrees F for about 45 min.

Once chickpeas are tender and the bell pepper and garlic are roasted, place in food processor or blender, adding a few tablespoons of the water that the chickpeas were cooked in. Make sure to take the skin off the garlic.
Roughly chop the other two cloves of garlic and add it to food processor along with the juice of half a lemon (or a little more to taste), olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika or chipotle powder.

Blend until smooth, top with drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika, and enjoy!

Yum!

Hummus is loaded with protein and fiber and will help you to stay hungry and fit!

Jul112014

Cinnamon Sugar “Duffins”

Who doesn’t love donuts? Who doesn’t love muffins? Boy, do we have a treat for you today! Enter Duffins (coined by Hungry this past weekend). What the heck is a duffin?! It has ingredients that make it taste like a donut, but it’s actually baked instead of deep fried! Holla for that!! This is one we will be coming to again and again.

Batterrrr

Dust em!

Cinnamon Sugar Duffins

2014-07-10 21:33:37

Yields 12

A delicious easy way to satisfy that donut craving without all the deep fry

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

12 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

12 min

For the Duffins

1 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk (I mixed whole milk with vinegar to make buttermilk)
1/4 cup g. sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
5 tbsp soft butter

For the coating

3 tbsp butter, melted
1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

For the Duffins

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and grease up your muffin sheet (can be mini or full)
Mix together the egg, butter, sugars, vanilla extract until light and creamy
Beat in the buttermilk (or milk + vinegar)
Add the remaining ingredients in, but make sure to not over-mix
Fill your muffin pan with the mixture and bake for 9-15 minutes. It's a big range depending on what type of muffin pan you use
Once done, let them cool. While you do this, create the coating

For the coating

Melt the butter in a bowl
Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl
Dip the tops of each duffin into the butter and then into the cinnamon sugar mixture
Serve

By Hungry and Fit

Adapted from Averie Cooks

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

There you have it. A healthier version of donuts that you don’t have to feel guilty while enjoying that same taste! These cinnamon sugar duffins are a crowd pleaser. Our favorite: delicious without the guilt. Have fun with it, let me know how it turns out for you! Make this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

Jul032014

Stuffed Strawberries (4th of July Recipe)

This is a re-post of a recipe made last year, but it was so good, I had to bring it up again! It’s a perfect 4th of July recipe and it’s healthy and delicious. Sure, pie and such are popular on Independence Day, but you can’t beat this. You get your sweet fix without the heaviness of the usual foods. This special dish involves fruit, dairy, and happiness and doesn’t take longer than 15-20 minutes to make! I got it from here and added a bit of lemon into it and took out some sugar.

Beautiful sight

Hard not to eat it all

Yum yum yum

Stuffed Strawberries

2014-07-03 07:31:43

A healthy treat for the 4th of July

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Prep Time

15 min

Prep Time

15 min

Ingredients

a tin of strawberries (I just usually get the regular pound at the grocery)
a tin of blueberries (same thing)
5 oz marscapone
juice of a lemon
lemon zest
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Wash the fruit and pat dry all of it
Take the strawberries and cut the green ends off and also a little portion of the tip so they can stand upright on a platter
Take a melon baller and ball out of the bottom, creating a crevasse.
Once your strawberries are all "pitted" and plated, let's turn to the filling. Put 5 ounces of marscapone cheese and put it in a small-medium bowl
I would next do the lemon juice. Cut the lemon in half and squeeeeeze all that juice out.
Next, grind the lemon on a grater and get a good amount of zest (people say 1 tsp, but I eyeball it)
Then, throw the powdered sugar and vanilla in and stir! Mix it all up really well
Now comes the most difficult part: take the marscapone mixture and put it into a re-sealable bag and snip a corner off. Use this contraption to fill the pits in the strawberries up with the mixture
Once all the strawberries are filled to perfection, place the blueberries on top of the cream in the strawberries. And that's it!

By Hungry and Fit

Adapted from Gina Marie's Kitchen

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

This is an easy, healthy treat you can substitute for pie or something else you’d like to stay away from on those holiday food feasts. How could you do wrong with this one? It’s easy to do, pretty to the eye, and delicious enough to impress. I’m sure whoever you are celebrating with this year will enjoy this special, healthy treat. Make this recipe if you’re looking to stay hungry and fit!

Jun162014

Protein Oat Pancakes

As some of you know, our 5-Minute Protein Pancakes recipe is one of our biggest hits. I would say I eat pancakes at least once a week, so I am always trying new recipes. With the help of Silk, I’ve come up with another–Protein Oat Pancakes! I know it’s weird to describe pancakes as “juicy,” but they are wonderfully akin to that on the inside. It’s not just some flat pancake without any umph– this pancake has personality! Plus, they are healthy and full of protein!

To make this recipe, you’re going to need a few items–one of which is Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk. Before you head to the grocery, sign up at Silk.com for some free coupons!

Dry ingredients together

Silk milk!

Ready to be stirred up

Wet and dry mixed together

Protein Oat Pancakes

2014-06-16 11:31:14

Yields 7

Pancakes filled with healthy grains and protein

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Prep Time

7 min

Cook Time

5 min

Prep Time

7 min

Cook Time

5 min

Ingredients

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/2 cup 0% Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Mix together the dry ingredients
Mix together the wet ingredients
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet using some sort of spoon (you don't want to over-mix the batter)
Grease up a pan and once hot, spoon some of the batter into the pan (I was able to fit two pancakes in my pan at a time)
These cook fast, so be ready to flip! After three or so minutes on each side, flip and finally take out
You can serve with butter, syrup, fruit, or just eat it plain!

By Hungry and Fit

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

Simple, sweet, and nutritious. How can you get better than that? Make sure you head over to Silk’s Facebook page and like them! You can find tons more recipes like these and also ways to earn free coupons. You can also make a big batch of this overnight for the whole week! Talk about a yummy week of breakfasts. Let me know how these turn out for you! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Jun092014

Healthy Huevos Rancheros

This brunch favorite can be yours in ten minutes or less! Okay, sorry that sounded like a sales pitch, but I’m super passionate about this dish. My spin on it is delicious and healthy! It’s always my go-to when I don’t feel like doing a lot of cooking, but still want to stay on the nutritious side. It’s pretty simple and I’m always happy eating it. Let’s try it out.

Chop dem tomaters

Don’t forget your tortilla!

Healthy Huevos Rancheros

2014-06-08 01:15:51

Serves 1

A healthy version of huevos rancheros you can make in ten minutes

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Ingredients

1/2 can black beans
1/2 tomato
1/2 handful of spinach
1 egg
1 tortilla
salt and pepper
hot sauce

Instructions

Heat up the beans in a pot
Cook your egg
Heat/toast your tortilla
Put the beans down first, then the egg, then the veggies
Either use your tortilla as a taco or rip it up and eat it with a fork alongside the other goodies
Throw down some hot sauce and dive in!

Notes

You can use different types of beans or greens
You can add cheese as well

By Hungry and Fit

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

There you have it. I often whip it up at night when I don’t feel like doing a lot of cooking and when Hungry has found his own dinner. It’s fun to spruce it up with fresh vegetables, although tomatoes are a must (unless you aren’t a fan). Avocados would be PERFECT for this too! Have fun with it and feel free to add anything to make it yours! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

May292014

Delicious Vegetable Soup

This post is brought to you by Hungry’s mom! We composed the post, but she provided the recipe and pictures! Yum!

With spring and summer around, vegetables are flowing freely (yay!). We are truly happy for that and even happier with the recipes that come along with it! This vegetable soup is sure to keep everyone around the table happy and well-fed with nutritious ingredients. There is not much work to it at all!

Vegetable Soup

2014-05-28 23:12:44

A easy-to-make vegetable soup that can last the week

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

1 hr 15 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

1 hr 15 min

Ingredients

1 large container(approx 32 oz) organic vegetable broth
1 large can (approx 28oz) whole peeled tomatoes
1 can 16oz (or fresh equivalent) of cannellini and red kidney beans
1 cup fresh green beans
2 cups shitake mushrooms
large dash pepper
large dash olive oil
2 cups diced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1 onion, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
several handfuls fresh dill
12 fresh sage leaves
1 cup thin egg noodles or similar small pasta
pepper to taste or if you like it spicy, add fresh peppercorns

Instructions

Make sure to do all the chopping or slicing you need to do for vegetables
Add all ingredients with the exception of egg noodles to large sauce pot and bring to a boil
Simmer and cover for approx 1-1.5 hours
Ten minutes before serving, add egg noodles

Notes

Would go great alongside ciabatta bread!

By Hungry's Mom

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

There you have it. Enjoy and thank Hungry’s mom for this one! This is a great way to meal prep for the entire week and not have to worry about dinner. Big batches are smart like that. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

May232014

Healthy Version of Pizza

I crave pizza probably 85% of the time. And while it would be nice to grab a slice of pizza every time I get that craving, it’s best for my body that I don’t. That’s why we create alternatives and moderations to satisfy these cravings. This is a shout-out to my mum who would make this healthy version of pizza for me for a snack all the time. It’s time for pizza toast! This is a healthier, much cheaper version of pizza that is sure to kick your pizza craving in the butt. It is incredibly, incredibly simple and could call for some creativity if you want to get snazzy with it.

Pizza Toast

2014-05-22 20:35:05

Serves 1

A healthy alternative to pizza

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Prep Time

3 min

Cook Time

2 min

Prep Time

3 min

Cook Time

2 min

Ingredients

1 slice of bread
1 slice of cheese (enough to cover the bread)
1 tbsp your favorite "red" sauce

Instructions

Toast the bread on both sides lightly
Spread the red sauce on the toast
Put the cheese on top and bake for 1-2 minutes or until melted

Notes

Have fun with it and add more ingredients!

By Hungry and Fit

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

Super simple, super easy, and you can make it what YOU want it to be. Have fun with the cheese, the sauce (try pesto!), and whatever toppings you want. This is a great snack or light meal. Enjoy it and make it yours! Use this healthy pizza alternative to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Nymeria stealing Noke’s 3rd bed

May222014

Healthy Black Bean Brownies

The first time I heard about black bean brownies, I turned my nose up. First of all, brownies aren’t my go-to dessert (although they can be delicious, see: Judith’s brownies) and second of all, BEANS?! IN BROWNIES?! Now you’re talking crazy. However, here at Hungry and Fit we’re always looking at ways to healthify things we love so we have no limits. One day, one of my trainers brought in black bean brownies and they were darn good. Black bean brownies are a sure lesson of not judging a book by its cover, because they are gooo–oood! This recipe is a sure way to eating brownies guilt-free!

Healthy Black Bean Brownies

2014-05-21 22:25:01

Yields 12

A brownie that your taste buds AND waist line will enjoy

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

18 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

18 min

Ingredients

1 15oz can black beans
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup oil (I used olive oil)
1/3 cup of honey
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup quick-cook oats
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a square tin
Rinse out your beans
Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor
Mix it up real, real well--make it smooth!
Mix in the chocolate chips
Pour into tin
Garnish the top with chocolate chips

Notes

The more you blend it, the less grittier it will be!

By Hungry and Fit

Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

These are healthy and delectable. I usually don’t tell people they have beans in them until they try it (unless they are on a health journey). This recipe promises not to disappoint taste buds or waist lines. I am very happy for this recipe to satisfy any chocolate craving! Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

Poor puppy has been sick with giardia

May052014

Healthy Frozen Treats

If every day was like yesterday, then I’m going to need constant refreshing things to put down my gullet. Unfortunately, that may lead to unhealthier things like overdoses of ice cream and other sweet treats that don’t exactly lead to the bathing suit body we want to present in the upcoming season.

Well, ladies and gents, we have come up with a solution: SILK. No, not the nice pajamas. Silk Milk, the kind that makes you feel great and keeps you kickin‘. We have come up with a few ridiculously easy and healthy frozen treat recipes. We love that Silk appreciates keeping the calorie count low while giving us tons of flavor and goodness. No GMOs and tons of calcium. That’s what Hungry and I need. Silk keeps us healthy and strong while appeasing our taste buds.

These sweet treats will keep your frozen sweet tooth satisfied without added sugars and heavy fat. We used various kinds of Silk milk (from plain Almondmilk to Soymilk) and mixed it up with frozen and fresh fruit. These sweet treats are on a stick, so all you need are freeze pop molds!

The three Silk products we used

From top to bottom: Tropical Freeze, Dreamsicle, and Chocolate Strawberry Pop

Ready to freeze!

Ready to eat!

Healthy Frozen Treats

2014-05-04 20:38:03

Serves 6

Three delicious, healthy freeze pop recipes that will take under 10 minutes

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

4 hr

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

4 hr

Tropical Freeze

1/4 cup Silk Unsweetened Almondmilk
1/3 cup fresh or frozen blend of tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, etc.)

Dreamsicle

1/4 cup Silk Original Soymilk
1/4 cup orange juice of your choice

Chocolate Strawberry Surprise

1/4 cup Silk Dark Chocolate Almondmilk
1 strawberry

Tropical Freeze

Put the Silk Unsweetened Almondmilk with the tropical fruit into a blender
Blend until mostly smooth
Pour into mold
Freeze for 4-6 hours (all freeze pop molds are different though)

Dreamsicle

Pour Silk Original Soymilk into molds along with the orange juice
Freeze for 4-6 hours

Chocolate Strawberry Surprise

Pour Silk Dark Chocolate Almondmilk into the freeze pop mold (only 2/3 of the way to the top)
Chop up the strawberry and put it in (make sure you don't let it overflow!)

Notes

Every freeze pop mold is different so your freeze pops may take shorter or longer to freeze
Going along with that, you may need to alter the amount of ingredients as it could be too much or too little

By Hungry and Fit

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

These freeze pops are light, refreshing, and delicious. They are sure to cool off any hot day and keep those around you smiling. What’s spring and summer about if it isn’t happiness? We use Silk in recipes like this so we can feel like we are indulging ourselves while staying healthy. Sign up for the Silk newsletter to get free coupons and chances of winning Silk products! I always try to stay current with the Silk Facebook page as I am always finding new recipes and tips for using Silk. Use Silk in your recipes to stay hungry and fit!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Apr132014

The Clean-Eater’s Breakfast

I was going to title this “The Bodybuilder’s Breakfast,” but I was worried that would scare too many people off. As in they would see my head on Arnold’s body. Bodybuilding is just creating a toned and muscular body! But that aside…if you want to do some clean eating, here’s an easy way to start your day. I have this most days out of the week. It keeps me full for a long period of time and it satisfies my taste buds. Oatmeal and hard-boiled egg whites. Pretty common ingredients. Simple, nutritious, delicious.

I always put hot sauce on my eggs…you could call me obsessed

Oatmeal is such a foundation for creativity!

Clean-Eater's Breakfast

2014-04-12 11:24:45

Serves 1

A great way to start the day, full of nutrition and satisfaction

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Cook Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Ingredients

1 cup water
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (however you can use any kind, it will just take longer)
raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon
anything else you want to add- bananas, nuts, other dried fruit, maple syrup, etc
3 hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil
Take your hard boiled eggs and delicately peel the white off and drop in a bowl
Add any hot sauce you want to the eggs and cut them up with your fork
Once the water for the oatmeal boils, stir in the oats
Soon after, put in the cinnamon, raisins, and any other additions you would like

Notes

Hard-boil the eggs beforehand to make it a super quick breakfast

By Hungry and Fit

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

You can spiff up the oatmeal all you want. While I was in contest prep, I just had cinnamon in it to limit my sugars, but you can go wild with it! In college, we used to put the weirdest things in. Hey, it’s fun! This breakfast is sure to provide long-lasting satisfaction with no guilt involved. Eat clean to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC