- Page 46 of 69 - Wholesome Recipes Made for Sharing

December 1, 2014

Six Layer Mediterranean Dip

We all need simple appetizer food around this time of year, right? My small group from church is having a Christmas party next week and I’m planning on bringing this Six Layer Mediterranean Dip. Colorful, healthy, and tasty! I occasionally make hummus “pizza” for lunch- basically pita bread with a layer of hummus topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, and feta. I used this same combination of ingredients to create this six layer dip and served it with whole wheat pita wedges on the side. I love that this can be assembled ahead of time and it’s a fairly portable appetizer to bring along to gatherings. Although it’s best eaten on the same day it’s assembled (the cucumbers and tomatoes release a fair amount of water), the leftovers still made great packable lunch food for Ryan and the kids. So glad to have a new way to enjoy some of my favorite Mediterranean flavors.

Six Layer Mediterranean Dip

Ingredients

Hummus

⅔ cup dried garbanzo beans (chick-peas), soaked at least 6 hours
juice of ½ lemon, plus extra lemon juice to taste
¼ cup tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon- 1 teaspoon sea salt

For assembly:

½ cup diced English cucumber
1 roma tomato, diced
10 pitted kalamata olives, sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
¼ cup crumbled feta
whole wheat pita wedges for serving

Instructions

For the hummus:

Drain the garbanzo beans and place in a saucepan with enough water to cover the garbanzo beans by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and drain, reserving the cooking liquid for later use.
In a blender or food processor, add the garbanzo beans, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, garlic, cumin, salt, and ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cooking liquid. Blend or process on high speed until hummus is smooth and creamy. Season to taste with additional salt and lemon juice.

To assemble:

Spread the hummus in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Next layer the cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onion, and feta. Serve with pita wedges.

Notes

hummus slightly adapted from Williams-Sonoma Vegetarian

November 27, 2014

Maple Apple Breakfast Bread

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1

Today I give thanks for God’s steadfast love enduring even in the moments when I am most unlovable and for His love that carries me through all of the joys and struggles of life. His love endures forever.

Leaving you with a simple recipe for this Maple Apple Breakfast Bread that we’ve been enjoying as our happy start to our past few days. This bread is whole wheat, naturally sweetened, and a festive way to transition from fall to winter. I used a combination of white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour to keep the texture light and and the buttermilk makes the bread incredibly moist and tender. I finished it off with a coconut sugar glaze that soaks into the bread ever so slightly. We loved this glaze, but a light dusting of powdered sugar would also be nice alternative to the glaze.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Maple Apple Breakfast Bread

Ingredients

Bread:

1½ cups white whole wheat flour
1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1¾ teaspoons baking powder
1¾ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ cup usalted butter (8 tablespoons), melted
¾ cup maple syrup
3 eggs. lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2½ cups chopped peeled apples, I used Pink Lady

Glaze:

½ cup coconut sugar
1-2 teaspoons water

Instructions

Bread:

Preheat oven to 350. Butter or spray a 8½-inch bundt pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir together until just combined. Fold in chopped apples.
Bake for 50 minutes -1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes in pan and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Glaze:

Whisk ½ cup coconut sugar in a blender on high speed until it becomes powdered sugar.
In a small bowl, mix the powdered coconut sugar with 1-2 teaspoons of water until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

Notes

adapted from The Black Dog Summer of the Vineyard Cookbook

November 24, 2014

Chicken Rosemary Parmesan Meatballs

A few weeks ago when I had wanted to make these Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists, I went for buying an entire rosemary plant, rather than a small bunch of rosemary that cost almost as much as a whole plant. The lady at the store promised that as long as I was careful to soak the roots with water everyday, the plant would last for at least several months. It did not. (sad face) There are now only a couple branches that are still alive and green and I am getting ready to toss it and move on. This is why I am not a gardener.

In my determination to get one last use out of my quickly fading rosemary plant, I decided to make these Chicken Rosemary Parmesan Meatballs. So perfect for dinner on a snowy day! I used this recipe from Annie’s Eats, except I swapped out the dried basil for fresh rosemary. It made a delicious substitute and I am so glad that I could find one last use for my rosemary plant. We enjoyed this served over polenta along with a crusty baguette, but it would also go well with pasta. Now that the snowy weather is here, it’s time for comfort recipes like this!

Baked Chicken Rosemary Meatballs

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

For the sauce:

1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, liquid reserved
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1½ tablespoons tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
⅓ cup heavy cream

For the Meatballs:

1½ pounds ground chicken
½ cup whole wheat panko crumbs
⅓ cup finely minced onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg lightly beaten
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

To Finish:

4 ounces shredded mozzarella, about 1 cup
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
2-3 tablespoons minced fresh basil or parsley, for garnish

Instructions

For the sauce:

Place the whole tomatoes in a blender or food processor, reserving most of the liquid. Puree tomatoes until smooth, adding some of the reserved liquid if necessary.
In a cast iron skillet or large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until onions are softened and begin to become translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes and mix together until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook over low heat until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the cream.

For the meatballs:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, panko, onion, parsley, rosemary, parmesan, garlic, eggs, salt, and pepper. Use hands to mix ingredients together until well combined. Form meatballs about 1½-inches in diameter.
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs in one or two batches, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Add meatballs to tomato mixture.

To finish:

Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and parmesan on top and bake until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley or basil. Serve warm.

Notes

To make this ahead of time, I assembled the meatballs and sauce together and left off the cheese. About 30 minutes before I was ready to serve, I reheated the meatballs and sauce over the stove before adding the cheese and baking.

slightly adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Dinner, a Love Story