Groovie Smoothie

I made my favorite coffee smoothie today. That's it. That's all I wanted to say. It's delicious and I think you will want to make it too. Smoothies are so easy to make and can be really healthy too. You can take about any fruit, frozen or fresh, and add any liquid, and make a great smoothie. To add thickness, add ice and/or yogurt. Here's my favorite smoothie recipe:

Coffee Banana Smoothie

1 banana
1 cup coffee (you can make it black or fix it to your liking)
2 tablespoons almond butter (or peanut butter)
1 tablespoon honey (or agave syrup)
6 ice cubes

Mix all that junk together in a blender and drink.it.up! It's so freaking fantastic that you will want to drink it all stinking day.

If you want to experiment and make your own smoothies, here's how below:

Take frozen or fresh fruit such as mangoes, bananas, berries, peaches, or one of those mixed fruit bags from the grocery store. Add a liquid like juice, milk, tea, or coffee. Then add extra flavor by using nut butters, honey, agave, yogurt, or cocoa powder. You can even add flakes of coconut or oatmeal, boy would that taste yummy! It's a fact that if you make a berry smoothie and you add spinach or kale, you WILL NOT taste the greens because the tartness of the berries cancel it out. It is tried and true. I've done it. I like it. Try it. Love it.

*sweet sidenote : take any smoothie you make and freeze it to make ice pops!

Hummus, wonderful hummus...

How everyone knows how much I LOVE hummus! It's so wonderful by itself, as a dip, or as a sandwich spread. My favorite thing to do with hummus is to spread it on bread and make a veggie sandwich (besides eating it with a spoon). That's right - a veggie sandwich - sliced tomato, cucumber, onions, romaine, feta, and a full schmear of hummus. My mouth is watering right now. I personally thank my father-in-law David for introducing me to hummus AND for showing me his secret recipe. I make mine a little different (without the secret ingredient) but it still comes out so awesome! Let me share:

 Simple Hummus Recipe:

1 16oz can of chickpeas
2 tbsp tahini (pureed sesame seeds)
1 clove of chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
Juice of half a lemon (be sure to sift out the seeds)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, cumin, and lemon juice to a food processor and blend. Add olive oil and blend again. Add a little water at a time until you get a nice smooth texture.

Sometimes I add fresh cilantro to the food processor and it tastes like Panera Bread's cilantro hummus.  Also, I make a well in the center of the hummus and add all kinds of chopped vegetables and drizzle some olive oil on it. A little red pepper, cucumbers or pickles, red onions, green olives, fresh cilantro or fresh parsley. Enjoy! I think I'm going to make some now...

*Note - you can find tahini at Shoprite that I know of

 

Homemade Sazon

A few of my friends like to eat sans MSG so I have made a spice recipe that replicates the common Sazon that you find in the stores. Though there is controversial evidence that MSG is harmful, we like to avoid it, just to be safe in our household. 

Homemade Sazon Spice Blend

1 tablespoon each: salt
                                  garlic powder 
                                  ground coriander seed
                                  oregano
                                  ground annatto seeds

1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tsp black pepper

Mix all of the above. 1.5 teaspoons = 1 Sazon packet


I have tried this recipe without the annatto seeds and it is still delicious. I make it in bulk and keep it in a glass jar for when I want to spice up my beans. You can adjust the spices to your liking.