Very Experimental Hummus

I had a craving for hummus and an itching to buy a food processor to make some fun foods. I love kitchen gadgets! Originally I was going to use plain Greek yogurt instead of Tahini (because Tahini is expensive and I didn't have any around), but then I saw that my avocado had ripened quicker than I had anticipated so I decided to throw that in to see how it would turn out. You be the judge.

This is how I cut my mangoes too.

Look at that beautiful plating!

Serving suggestion. My dinner.

Very Experimental Hummus
Ingredients

• 15.5oz can of chick peas
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Procedure

1. Drain the can of chick peas and then rinse them in a colander.
2. Cut the avocado in half, remove pit, and cut each half into small squares. See picture above.
3. Measure out all ingredients and place into food processor.
4. Pulse, blend, processor, etc. until hummus is the consistency you want.
5. Serve over pita, bread, or crackers.

Tuna Pasta Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Short entry today. I am rushing to post something before getting ready for work tomorrow. Just wanted to note that for most of my experiments I guess the proportions and if I use the same quantity for most of the ingredients, it's because I didn't feel like using and washing another measuring spoon. The garbage disposal has a tendency to eat the measuring spoons so I'd prefer to use as few at a time as I can. I wonder if other cooks/chefs do that.

Om nom nom dressing. Looks legit!

Delicious!

Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients

• ~1.5 cup frozen broccoli florets, defrosted
• 4 oz of mushrooms cut into small pieces
• 1/4 medium onion finely diced
• 1 can tuna in water
• ~8 oz cooked pasta (I used rotini)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

The dressing
Ingredients

• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp basil
• 4 tbsp non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
• pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Cook the mushrooms and onion in a pan with the olive oil on medium heat until mushrooms are cooked.
2. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Drain the water from the canned tuna. 
4. In a large bowl, mix the dressing, tuna, mushrooms, onion, and broccoli.
5. Serve chilled.

Spinach and Mushroom with Yogurt Alfredo

Last week I went to the store and bought a giant tub of Greek yogurt. I figured it's a healthy breakfast item and I am trying to eat more healthy. However, the tub advertised that it's "great for cooking" so I decided to try and make an Alfredo sauce with it. Note to self: next time make sure you buy plain Greek yogurt instead of vanilla flavored. It turned out sweeter than expected, but definitely edible. This is the result.

The smell of mushrooms, onions, and spinach cooking together  made me really hungry.

Looks like regular alfredo to me

Finished product in the pan.

Ingredients

• 1/8 medium onion thinly sliced
• 4 oz baby bella/cremini mushroom thinly sliced
• fresh spinach (as much or as little as you like)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp shredded parmesean cheese
• 3 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Cook the onion in a large non stick pan with the olive oil.
2. Add the mushrooms to the pan when the onion has begin to turn clear/see through. Cook until mushrooms have started to shrink and loose some water. Stir occasionally.
3. Wilt the spinach in the pan. Add the garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to the pan. Mix /stir occasionally.
4. Add the cheese and yogurt when the spinach has completely wilted. Mix well
5. Serve mixed with pasta or over pasta.