Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus

When I came across this recipe I was excited because the pediatrician said to emphasize protein with Talmage and this is made primarily of chickpeas and peanut butter! We used it as a dip for animal crackers, but I also tried it on apples and bananas and it was good that way as well. Talmage liked it best by itself, I think! He gobbled it up!

Original recipe from Chocolate-Covered Katie

1 can chickpeas, drained
pinch salt
pinch baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. nut butter (I used peanut butter)
1 Tbsp. milk (plus more as desired)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. chocolate chips
2-3 Tbsp. quick oats

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth. Then mix in chocolate chips. Serve with graham crackers, animal crackers, fruit, or whatever else you desire.

Notes:
-I don't own a food processor. I just use a mini-chopper and it does an okay job. It's not perfectly smooth, but the oats disguise the graininess of the beans. You can add more oats as desired.

-I tried this the first time with 2/3 cup brown sugar (as suggested by the recipe) and then the second time cut it back to 1/2 cup. There wasn't a huge difference, and Talmage loved it either way.

Cream of Mango Soup

I bought some half-and-half on closeout at Kroger the other day and was looking for a recipe to use it in. We love mangoes, so this recipe caught my eye. It has a pretty mild, yet rich taste. It is best eaten very cold and with full-fat half-and-half, although I have used fat-free half-and-half and it still worked out fine. Recipe reviewers suggested omitting the sugar and adding in ginger for a more savory soup, although I haven't tried that option. It would be a nice appetizer for this dish.

Recipe Source: Allrecipes.com

2 mango-peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks

1/4 c. sugar

zest and juice of one lemon

1 1/2 cups half and half

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Chill thoroughly before serving. Optional: Garnish with fresh strawberries or blueberries.

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

A friend of mine brought fruit salsa and cinnamon chips to our house when we had them over for dinner over a year ago. When I asked her how to make it, she mentioned the things that were in it, but no amounts, so I just kind of tried my own thing. I discovered that this recipe has a lot of flexibility to it. For this batch I believe I used:

1 mango

2 kiwi

1 apple

2-3 Tbsp. apple jelly

You simply combine them in the mini-chopper/food processor, or you can chop finely/crush the fruit by hand. For a prettier version, I have used strawberries in place of the mango. The apple and apple jelly provide a good foundation to give the salsa some solid matter to hold the whole thing together so you don't end up dipping chips into fruit juice that slides right off. Other than those 2 ingredients, though, the recipe is pretty adaptable. Just use a couple of different kinds of somewhat soft, juicy fruits you think would go well together. For the chips, you simply cut tortillas into strips, spray with Pam, sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar, and bake at 350 until tortilla chips are crisp (usually 10-20 minutes).

Do not use homemade tortillas. They are TOO thick, and if they are cooked until they are crisp, they will be very difficult to chew.

If you do, you may decide they just are not getting crispy after 30 minutes in the oven.

Then you may think it would be a good idea to broil them.

If that happens, you will be startled to see that the sugar has been carmelized and burned after just a couple of minutes.

You will take the pan out of the oven and set it on the table to take a picture of your ruined chips.

For the split second your back is turned, your toddler will reach up to get a chip and burn himself on the pan which has just been in the broiler.

After you get that taken care of, you will spill the chips all over the floor.

While you are cleaning those up, dinner will burn too.

Of course, all of that trauma is just hypothetical...not that I know from experience or anything. :) Here is what I imagine such burned, carmelized chips would look like:

Okay, so it wasn't hypothetical. Suffice it to say, next time we make these chips, I will be getting tortillas from the store. I would rather avoid all of the trauma listed above. And my teeth will thank me, too, as these chips were more like rocks.

Sweet Potato Fries with Ranch BBQ Sauce

I have such fond memories of Guru's because that is where Sam and I went on our second date. He recommended the cilantro-lime quesadilla, and I was highly impressed with him and the food. So when Mom wanted to take me out to lunch one time, I suggested Guru's, and while we were there she made the enlightened decision to order some sweet potato fries. That was the beginning of the end of our days in Provo, sadly, but Mom and I managed to get those fries at least a couple more times.

Although these fries aren't anywhere near as good as the fries at Guru's, they are a good alternative. The dipping sauce tastes somewhat similar to theirs, but once again, theirs is much better. Really, if you haven't gone to this eclectic little cafe, please fix that as soon as possible. :)

1 lb peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/4" match-sticks (you want one pound after they are peeled and cut with the ends and short pieces discarded, so buy 1 1/4 pounds or so. Fries should be fairly equal in length.)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
 1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. basil
1/2 t. oregano
additional seasonings as desired

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle olive oil over the top of potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle seasonings on potatoes and toss again. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and carefully flip with a spatula. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until browning on the ends. Enjoy!

For the sauce I just combine equal parts honey bbq sauce and sour cream mixed with this seasoning (1 small carton to 1 Tbsp. of seasoning).

Even Talmage loves these (probably because they are dipped in sour cream), so they must be good!