EASY ROASTED GARLIC HUMMUS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large head roasted garlic recipe below
• 2 Tbsp olive oil preferably extra virgin
• 1 oz can chick peas drained and rinsed, 15
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp tahini paste
• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
• tsp scant 1/4 ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary minced
• 2 - 3 Tbsp water
• GARNISH:
• Minced fresh parsley
• Minced roasted garlic
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Sprinkle of sumac or cayenne pepperoptional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To a food processor add chick peas, lemon juice, tahini paste, salt, cumin and rosemary, and pulse for about 1 minute.
2. Scrape down sides and bottom of food processor, add about 3/4 of the roasted garlic, (set the rest aside to mince for garnish). Pulse until combined.
3. While the food processor is on, stream in 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2-3 Tbsp water. 3 Tbsp will yield a slightly thinner hummus and 2 Tbsp will yield a slightly thicker hummus. I usually use between 2-3. Pulse until desired smoothness is reached.
4. To serve, place hummus in a dish, make slight indentations and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with desired garnishes and serve with fresh pita, naan, pita chips or vegetables.
5. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.

https://www.thechunkychef.com/easy-roasted-garlic-hummus/

   ASIAN GARLIC NOODLES

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces spaghetti
• 12 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 zucchinis, diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 3 cloves, garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoon browns sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoons sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste), or more, to taste*
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, sambal oelek, oyster sauce, ginger and sesame oil; set aside.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp and 2 tablespoons soy sauce mixture, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
4. Stir in mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchinis and carrot to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in spaghetti, shrimp and remaining soy sauce mixture until well combined, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.

CHEESE AND GARLIC CRACK BREAD

CHEESE AND GARLIC CRACK BREAD

Ingredients

• 1 crusty loaf , preferably sourdough or Vienna
• 3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (or other melting cheese)

Garlic Butter

• 100 g /3.5 oz / 7 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
• 2 large garlic cloves , minced
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
2. Combine butter, garlic and salt in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave. Stir through parsley.
3. Cut the bread on a diagonal into 2cm/1" diamonds but do not cut all the way through the bread (just like you would cut a french stick for garlic bread).
4. Use your fingers or a knife to pry open each crack and drizzle in a teaspoon of butter and stuff in a pinch of cheese. This might sound like a bit of an effort, but I promise you it is worth it! You don't need to be super neat, it's nice to have some of the butter drizzled over the crust.
5. Wrap with foil and bake for 15minutes until the cheese has mostly melted, then unwrap and bake for 5 minutes more to make the bread nice and crusty.
6. Serve immediately.

https://www.recipetineats.com/cheese-garlic-crack-bread-pull-apart-bread/

PARMESAN GARLIC SPAGHETTI

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces spaghetti
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, garlic and red pepper flakes over medium heat until the butter has melted. Cook, whisking constantly, until the foam subsides and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, about 4-5 minutes, skimming foam as necessary.
3. Remove from heat. Stir in pasta and Parmesan until well combined, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

creamy honey mustard chicken with crispy bacon

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 level tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic, (or 3-4 cloves crushed garlic)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt to season
• 5 skinless and boneless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs)
• 1/2 cup diced bacon, trimmed of rind and fat (I used 4 small bacon rashers)
• 1/3 cup cream (light or reduced fat) *SEE NOTES FOR SUBSTITUTION OPTIONS
• 1 cup milk (skim, 2% or full fat - almond milk may be used for a dairy free option)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (corn flour) mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. In a large, shallow dish, combine the honey, mustard, garlic, oil and salt to taste (not too much salt if serving with bacon as the bacon will add a salty flavour when served). Coat chicken evenly in the sauce. Set aside.
2. Heat a nonstick pan (or skillet) over medium heat. Fry bacon until crispy; transfer to a plate. To the same pan, sear chicken fillets on each side in the oil left over from the bacon until just beginning to brown (about 3 minutes per side -- not completely cooked through as we will finish them in the sauce).
3. Add any remaining honey mustard sauce into the pan along with the cream and milk. Bring to a simmer while stirring occasionally to mix the favours through the sauce (about 3 minutes), until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a warm plate.
4. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the centre of the pan, mixing it through the sauce until it thickens. Place chicken back into the pan; coat with the sauce. Top with the bacon and garnish with parsley.
5. Serve over steamed / roasted vegetables for lower cal options. Also great with pasta, rice or mashed potatoes!

CREAMY TOMATO ITALIAN PARMESAN CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 chicken breasts*
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Italian Seasoning Herb Grinder, plus more for garnish or 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large skillet add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper the chicken. Cook the chicken on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until brown on each side and cooked until no longer pink in center. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
2. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a couple of minutes until tender. Add the tomato sauce, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and italian seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken back to the skillet. Top with shredded parmesan cheese. Serve over pasta of desired.

Gluten Free Funfetti Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 3/4 C gluten free all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 2/3 C granulated sugar
• 1/4 C sprinkles
• 1 C coconut milk (from a carton), room temperature
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 egg whites, room temperature

For the Frosting

• 1/2 C shortening
• 1/2 C dairy-free butter
• 3 C powdered sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 Tbsp coconut milk
• food coloring, optional
• sprinkles, for decorating

Directions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray 2 6-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and line them with parchment paper cut to fit the pan.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix on low speed until combined. Mix in the sprinkles.
3. In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, combine the coconut milk, oil and vanilla extract. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, use and electric hand mixer to whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.
5. Turn the stand mixer on low and slowly pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer to medium and mix until combined, scraping the bowl as necessary.
6. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently fold half of the whipped egg whites into the batter. Repeat with the remaining egg whites until fully incorporated.
7. Gently pour the batter into the two prepared pans, dividing the batter between the two evenly. Bake at 325 degrees for 33-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes then remove them from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

For the frosting:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the shortening and dairy free butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until lumpy. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for about a minute until the frosting is smooth. Add milk, almond extract and food coloring and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides and beat an additional 30 seconds, if necessary.

To frost the cake:

1. Use a serrated knife or cake leveler to level the top of the cakes and cut each cake layer in half to create 4 layers.
2. Place one layer on a cake stand and top with about 1/3 cup frosting. Smooth the frosting over the cake and stack another layer on top. Repeat with each layer. With the last layer, frost the tops and sides of the cake. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving.

VEGAN VANILLA CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS

Wet Ingredients

• - 1 (240g) cup non-dairy milk 
• - 1/3 cup (70g) coconut oil OR 1/2 (130g) cup nut/seed butter*
• - 2/3 cup (105g) coconut sugar
• - 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• - 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Dry Ingredients

• - 2 cups (240g) oat flour
• - 1/2 cup (60g) tapioca starch**
• - 1 tsp baking powder
• - 1/2 tsp baking soda
• - 1/2 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk together the wet ingredients.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. Add the wet to the dry, and stir until well combined.
4. Divide batter into 12 cupcakes lined with paper liners or sprayed with oil. Fill each almost to the top.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F or until golden brown and firm when lightly pressed in the middle.
6. Cool completely before frosting (I actually like to chill them overnight first).
7. Frost and enjoy!
8. Keep leftovers in the fridge. They will last 4-5 days but dry out with time, so are best eaten within the first couple of days.