White Bean and Roasted Garlic Hummus

I love all types of hummus and just recently I was over a friend's house for a jewelry demonstration, (Yes I did get a little bauble for mother's day) and she was serving this beautiful white bean hummus from a local gourmet shop. So of course knowing me as you may, I had to do a little research on the old net looking for a white bean recipe I'd like to try. 

I found this recipe over at the blog SavorySimple, only the recipe there called for Tahini which I did not have in the house. No worries...I made the hummus without it and it came out just yummy. The ingredients are pretty simple, all you need is a can of cannelloni beans, one whole bulb of garlic, olive oil, water, juice from one lemon and some salt and pepper. 

• 1 whole bulb garlic
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 15.5 ounce can cannelloni beans
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup water
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• If you want to add the tahini you will need 1/2 cup.

Slice off the top of the garlic bulb so that all the garlic cloves are visible. Place bulb in a small oven proof bowl like a ramekin, pour a little drizzle of olive oil over the top and season with salt. Place in an oven set at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes, remove from oven and let cool. Once cool squeeze the garlic out of their skins into a small bowl and mash with a spoon.

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. 

I like this served with a mild black bean chip or with some fresh veggies! 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

XO

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The Perfect Little Appetizer ~ Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

I'm a pushover when it comes to tomatoes...I love them, and so do my kids. This little appetizer marries together two of my favorite ingredients, tomato and avocado. 

First you will need to cut the tops off and hull out the middle of 30 cherry tomatoes. Drain them inverted on a paper towel.

Then combine the following...

1/2 of a medium avocado

2 ounces of cream cheese softened

2 T of basil pesto (I make it using the Knorr brand)

1 tsp lemon juice

You can beat these together with a hand blender or food processor. Then using either a small spoon or a pastry bag, fill the little tomatoes  with this super yummy mixture! If desired you can garnish the tomatoes by sprinkling snipped basil on top of them

The weekend is almost here so we will have Grace's lacrosse game on Saturday, then if the weather is nice we have a lot of outside work to get done.

Do you have any special plans for a beautiful spring weekend?

XO

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Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Easy Peasy Florentine Rolls

My gosh how about this spring weather? Just gorgeous I tell you...my my spring has finally sprung here in the northeast corridor of the U.S. I am so loving all of the beautiful blooms in yellow, white and purple...every view is simply stunning!

Just recently I picked up a special issue copy of Better Homes and Garden's and this recipe made the hit parade as one of the best loved recipes since the 1930's. What attracted my eye to it was all of the creamy cheese and spinach in it. This was a 2005 winner from Nancy Thompson of Seattle Washington. Could she be any farther away from me???

Anyhow this is what is in Nancy's recipe.

4 green onions, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 T EVOO

1 - 6 oz. package of fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup snipped basil

salt and pepper to taste

1 13.8 oz pkg. of refrigerated pizza dough 

1/4 cup feta cheese

2 T toasted pine nuts

1 T melted butter

1/4 cup of finely shredded Parmesan cheese

First preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large skillet, heat the EVOO and toss in the green onion and garlic and saute until the garlic is soft, not burned. Add the spinach a basil and cook until just wilted, then season with salt and pepper. Set the spinach mixture aside and let cool. Drain off any excess liquid.

On a floured surface, roll out the pizza dough into a 12 X 8 inch rectangle. Brush the dough with a little more olive oil and then spread the spinach mixture on top within one inch of all four edges, then top with the feta cheese and pine nuts. Starting from one of the short ends, roll the dough up "jelly roll" style. Cut the roll into 10 to 12 slices and place each slice, cut side up, in a muffin pan sprayed with cooking oil. Brush the tops of the rolls with butter and then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool for 2 minutes, serve the rolls warm and

ENJOY!

Wouldn't these would work well for a special Mother's Day brunch? What do you think?

Hope you are having a wonderful "middle of the week" day!

XO

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Enjoy your Reuben without all the Calories ~ Low Calorie Turkey Reuben

This is my take on the Weight Watcher's low fat, low calorie Reuben. My sandwich carries a few less calories because I used Arnold's Bakery Light 100% Whole Wheat bread which is only 40 calories per slice, as opposed to the regular whole wheat bread which usually packs about 120 calories per slice.

But no matter what bread you use this is a super yummy and satisfying sandwich. In this healthier version the Swiss cheese is replaced by non-fat cream cheese, and instead of the corned beef, low salt turkey and turkey pastrami are used. (Turkey pastrami also replaced the turkey pepperoni in the Weight Watcher recipe.) Then I plugged in a slice of tomato for color and flavor.

What you will need...

2 slices of whole wheat bread

1 T fat free cream cheese

2 T. sauerkraut rinsed and patted dry with paper towel

2 ounces low salt turkey breast

2 ounces turkey pastrami

slice of fresh tomato
Lower sodium sauerkraut, rinsed

Carrot curl and olive for garnish

What you need to do...

Spread cream cheese on one slice of the bread. Then add your turkeys and sauerkraut plus tomato and place other slice of bread on top.

In either a non-stick skillet or a Foreman Grill, cook sandwich until golden brown and then remove from heat. Skewer the carrot curl and olive with a toothpick, garnish your sandwich and then EAT!!!

For lunch today I paired the sandwich with my homemade tomato basil soup.

I hope you give this one a try...I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Have a great day!
XO

Nutritional info:

Weight Watchers           calories per serving 293; 6 g fat; 30 carb

   My version                 calories per serving 230; 3.5g fat; 22.1 carb 

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Being Featured Over at Stone Gable Blog

I am so thrilled to announce that TheBigGiantFoodBasket is being featured today over at the gorgeous blog Stone Gable "On the Menu Monday" party!

Woohooo!!!

The recipe being featured...

Thank you so much to the blog's author Yvonne for choosing The BGFB's recipe to highlight.

To check out more of the recipe's being featured and/or to join in the party, just follow the below link.

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Wishing you a wonderful start to your week!

XO

Refreshing Lemonade Pie

Last summer while we were on our family vacation in the deep south, I picked up Southern Living's special recipe magazine containing 135 "almost" homemade recipes. I actually made this recipe for the first time last summer but since Mother's Day will be here in just about a month, and with my own mother coming up from Florida who happens to love anything lemon, I thought why not make this incredibly refreshing dessert for her. I can imagine just sitting out on our back porch enjoying this confection's cool lemon flavor after a Mother's Day brunch.

What you will need...

This is a good "make ahead" recipe

1 graham cracker pie crust

(I made my own from scratch. I actually bought one and decided it was too small, so I added more butter and crackers and then pressed the crust into my own deep dish pie plate. I also baked the crust for 9 minutes at 350 degrees.)

2 (3.4 oz) pkgs. instant lemon flavored pudding

1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk

2 (8 oz) pkgs. of cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate

Thawed frozen whipped topping or Cool Whip

What you will need to do...

First in a medium bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk and the 2 packages of pudding until pudding thickens...about 2 minutes.

Next in a larger bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until it become fluffy. Add the lemonade concentrate and beat until smooth. Pour the lemon mixture into the cooled pie crust and refrigerate until chilled, about 8 hours or over night.

Dollop the Cool Whip on top and garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint before serving.

I think this has to be a perfect spring/summer dessert regardless of whether you live in the North or South. This pie is so creamy, yet very refreshing and light.

Do you have a favorite lemon dessert?

I would sure love to hear from y'all!!!

Have a great day!

XO

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Yummy Taco Lasagna

I found this recipe at a linky party last year and it has been a family favorite ever since. I wish I could thank the blogger who posted it because she has made my family very happy with this dish. Unfortunately dummy me did not take note of who the blogger was, so if you are out there and this recipe looks familiar to you, pleeeeease accept my undying gratitude! 

This recipe is so incredibly tasty but yet very simple to make.

What you will need...

2-3 lb. ground beef (for a lower fat option you can substitute lean ground beef like sirloin or even ground turkey or chicken.) 

12-16 oz. cream cheese depending on how creamy you'd like your dish to be

Seasonings include...chili powder, garlic, onion powder, salt & pepper, cumin and red pepper if you like it hot!
2 jars taco sauce or you can put salsa in the blender with regular tomato sauce if you don't have any taco sauce on hand   4 cups shredded cheese or taco blend About 14-15 lasagna noodles
1 cup of tortilla chips, crushed
What you need to do...   1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and then boil lasagna noodles for about 8 minutes

2) Generously season your beef and brown in a skillet. Partially melt cream cheese in microwave and then add to the ground meat and blend.

3) Spray 13×9 pan with cooking spray and then lay out your first 4 noodles lengthwise and then cut one more noodle to fit in perpendicular to the other 4 to completely cover the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon 1/2 of the beef mixture onto the pasta. Pour 1/3 of the taco sauce over the meat, and top with a third of the taco or Cheddar cheese.

4) Make another layer of noodles like the first and then add the other half of the beef, add another 1/3 of sauce, and then another 1/3 of the cheese. Top with last 3 lasagna noodles.

5) Pour the last of the taco sauce on top, then sprinkle on the last of the cheese.

6) Grab a handful of chips and crunch them up on top of the cheese.

7) Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is heated through.

And Enjoy! XO

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Foodie Friends Friday

School Cafeteria Sugar Cookies

This cookie recipe is the one both my grade school and high school cafeterias use to make, yes way back in the olden days!!! Whenever I smell the amazing aroma of these wonderful little cookies baking, I am transported immediately back to my carefree school days. And these cookies couldn't be any easier to make, just 5 simple ingredients are needed. This recipe yields 48 cookies.

The 5 super simple ingredients are...

1 lb. butter (or 4 sticks), softened

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. of good vanilla

3 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour

What you will need to do...

Cream together all ingredients and using a tablespoon, drop onto un-greased cookie sheet. Make sure there is plenty of space between your cookies because they do spread out while baking. Bake at 350 degrees until the edges become golden brown, about 11-14 minutes. And that's it! Remove cookies from the pan and let cool on wire rack.

It's just too incredibly easy to make these scrumptious confections!

Trust me when I say that they are the best sugar cookies ever...and how could they not be with a pound of butter in them right?

Have a great Day!!!

XO

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Being Featured Today...

OK I cannot believe that this is the second time BGFB is being featured as a host pick over at the Daily Dish Magazine. The theme of last week's party was Fun Kid recipes. This time my traffic light kiddie treat received the nod!

To check out all of the other fabulous features at the Daily Dish just click on the link below.

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Have a great day!!!

xo

Baked Asparagus Fries

Spring is here and asparagus is totally in season! I am always looking for different ways to prepare this green, and this recipe is sooo different from anything else I've ever come across. It's best to use the pencil thin asparagus because they are much more tender.

one lb. of asparagus

Cut the ends off of the asparagus and then cut each stalk in half.

2 cups of Panko bread crumbs and 1 cup of sliced almonds

Blend the two together in food processor or blender.

1 cup flour

2 eggs lightly beaten

Roll stalks in flour and then dip them into the beaten eggs. Roll them in the nut and Panko mixture and place on a jelly roll pan which has been coated with cooking spray.

Season generously with salt and pepper and then bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. The asparagus should be golden brown.

To make the dipping sauce blend together equal parts of sour cream and mayonnaise. Add crumbled blue cheese, a touch of blue cheese dressing and a splash of lemon juice and mix.

Enjoy!

XO

This recipe has been adapted from the blog Spoon Fork Bacon.

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