Classic Hummus

3 cups cooked chickpeas, or 2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained twice,
hot or warmed in microwave
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup tahini

DIRECTIONS

Purée warm chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, and 2/3 cup water in food processor 3 to 4 minutes, or until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary. Add tahini, and purée 2 minutes, or until mixture has consistency of soft cream cheese, adding 1 to 2 Tbs. water, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Serves: 8
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Calories: 189
Fat: 10g
Protein: 8g
Carbs: 20g

Hummus with Tomato-Mint Salsa

2 medium tomatoes, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup diced white onion
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 recipe Classic Hummus (click here)

DIRECTIONS

Stir together tomatoes, diced onion, oil, mint, and lemon juice in small bowl; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Let stand 5 minutes. Spread Classic Hummus in shallow dish, and mound salsa in center.

Serves: 8
Serving: 1/4 cup hummus & 3 Tbs. salsa
Calories: 228
Fat: 13g
Protein: 8g
Carbs: 23g

***** (out of 5-star rating)

I packed this for my lunch and threw in a whole-wheat pita bread for dipping to round out the meal. Sooooooo good!

Mini Loaded Red Potatoes

10 red potatoes (2 inches in diameter)
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
3 pieces vegetarian bacon
5 tsp. Greek yogurt
10 tsp. shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
6 chives, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice off small portion from one side of each potato to create flat base. Toss potatoes in bowl with oil and salt. Arrange potatoes, cut-side down, on baking sheet. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until soft.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon according to package directions, then chop.
3. Allow potatoes to cool slightly, then slice top off each potato and scoop out 1 Tbs. flesh. Stuff each potato with 1/2 tsp. sour cream and 1 tsp. cheese, then sprinkle with bacon, chives, and paprika.

Serves: 10
Serving: 1 stuffed potato
Calories: 140
Fat: 3g
Protein: 4g
Carbs: 24g

**** (out of 5-star rating)

I made these for my lunch- I actually heated them up in the microwave and it was delicious! They tasted like the potato-skins that you would find at an Applebees. I packed 3 of them for my lunch and was satisfied. I am planning on making them again for an appetizer to bring to a party.

Jewel-Tone Pancakes with Creamy Yogurt-Dill Sauce

Yogurt-Dill Sauce

• 6 oz. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Pancakes

• 3 medium beets (1 lb.), trimmed and scrubbed
• 2 medium carrots (6 oz.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. To make Yogurt-Dill Sauce: Whisk together yogurt, dill, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 days.

2. To make Pancakes: Preheat oven to 250°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside. Shred beets and carrots in food processor fitted with grating blade, or grate with box grater. Place beet-carrot mixture in large bowl, and toss with garlic and salt. Add egg and egg whites, and mix well.

3. Lightly spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Drop 1/4 cup beet mixture into skillet, and flatten slightly to form 3-inch-diameter pancake. Repeat, forming 3 other pancakes in pan. Cook 4 minutes, or until undersides are golden brown. Flip pancakes, and cook 3 minutes more. Respray pan, and repeat process with remaining batter, keeping prepared pancakes warm in oven. Drizzle with Yogurt-Dill Sauce, and serve immediately.

Serves 8

Serving: 1 pancake and 2 Tbs. sauce

Calories: 44

Fat: 1g

Protein: 4g

Carbs: 6g

** (Star-rating out of 5)

I have never really eaten or cooked with beets before so I've been trying out different recipes with beets trying to decide if I like them. I wasn't too crazy about these. They smelled really good and, truth be told, I didn't hate them but I definitely put less than the 2 tablespoons of dill sauce on them. I like dill, but this was really dill-y. Surprisingly my co-workers really liked theses and I was able to get rid of the rest of them. A few asked for the recipe which is I why I'm posting it here even though I probably wouldn't make them again. I'll have to keep trying out the beet-thing until I find one I like.