Salmon with Red Pepper Pesto

If you need a quick dinner idea for this busy weekend or any busy weekend, this is a great one. It has just a few steps and tastes fabulous. My kids absolutely loved it. I found a great deal on some wild caught fresh salmon and had some roasted red peppers in my fridge, so this dinner was a no-brainer. The salmon cooks up in no time and while it cooks, the sauce is blended quickly in the food processor. Fast and easy, but also delicious.

Have a great weekend!

Here is the recipe for Salmon Red Pepper Pesto

"Cooking School"- Chopped Steak Salad

My daughter picked salad for our next "Cooking School" experience. We decided to make at least 2 kinds of salad. This was the first one we picked because it was a main dish salad that had lettuce as a main component. I also thought it would be fun to make a homemade Italian dressing since I prefer homemade dressings to bottled ones.

Also, please notice that I made a salad that contains beef. We cooked a flank steak. I am amazed. And it was easy. And it was tasty.

My daughter helped chop, rinse, cut and prepare the dressing. This was a great one to make together because there were lots of steps that she could help with.

This salad was fairly easy and perfect for a main dish salad. I don't think it would have been as good without the homemade dressing, but that is obviously just my opinion. Fresh herbs really made this dressing delicious.

Here is the recipe for Chopped Steak Salad from Real Simple Magazine
* I cooked the flank steak for a few more minutes than the recipe called for


Here is the recipe for Homemade Italian Dressing using Fresh Herbs
* I used fresh Italian Parsley, Basil, and Thyme
*I only used olive oil
*I didn't measure my vinegar or oil- just mixed it until it looked right

Turkey-Hummus Sliders

I saw this recipe in Food Network Magazine and thought it was such a fun idea. It was an out-of the ordinary way to use hummus (hummus is mixed into the ground turkey mixture) and perfect for little hands.

I can usually always find mini whole wheat pitas at my local grocery store, but as soon as I put these sliders on the menu, the mini pitas were nowhere to be found. At first I thought I would just turn this into a pita creation, putting all the ingredients into a pita half and eating it that way, but that kinda takes away the fun and cute part of this slider.

So, I just got full size whole wheat pitas and cut out small circles with a biscuit cutter, making sure that I kept the closed edge at the bottom, so the two sides would still stay together. It may not be as cute as the original idea, but it worked!

My husband really raved about this one, which kinda surprised me. (I left the tomato slice off of his). He loved the combination of the pita, hummus, little burger and the cucumber-feta mixture. He said it tasted great and reminded him of something that would be served in a restaurant. My kids really liked it too.

I think it is essential that all the parts of this slider be served together. I don't think that it would taste as good with just the sliders. The cucumber-feta mixture, whole wheat pita, and hummus spread on the bottom of the pita are must-dos. All of the components work together to make this a really tasty, bite-size winner of a meal/snack.

Recipe for Turkey-Hummus Sliders From Food Network Magazine
* I used 94% lean ground turkey
* I used roasted red pepper hummus
* I used dried oregano in the feta-cucumber mixture because I didn't have dried mint
* I used less oil to cook my sliders

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club Celebrates Corn

I have joined the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club and couldn't be more excited about it.
Every month the five members of this club-
Jamie - Mom's Cooking Club,
Val- More than Burnt Toast,
Sandi-Whistlestop Cafe Cooking,
Helene- La cuisine d'Helene, and
Mary Ann- Meet Me in the Kitchen- pick a theme and build a menu around that theme, using Cooking Light recipes. I love Cooking Light and use their recipes all the time, so I knew this would be a lot of fun for me.

Sandi picked this month's theme - A Celebration of Corn.
Here is the full menu-
Sandi chose Curried Corn-Crab Cakes as the main dish,
Jamie picked Double Corn Bread to go on the side,
Val chose Creamed Corn with Bacon and Leeks as a vegetable side,
I decided on Greens with Roasted Corn and Pepper Salad as a salad, and
Helene rounded out the meal with Lemon-Cornmeal Cookies for dessert.
Please go check out each of their blogs to see the delicious item they prepared for this month's feast!

I wanted to make a salad that featured corn and I was lucky enough to be able to use some fresh local corn-in place of the frozen corn the recipe called for, thanks to the long growing season here in Georgia.

This salad was really easy, with just a few steps and very good. First, you roast the corn until it is slightly browned and then, you mix the corn with roasted red peppers, and a few other ingredients. You let that mixture chill for an hour or so, and then use it as the topper for a pile of beautiful mixed greens. The finishing touch is toasted pine nuts, scattered on top.
This was a great dish and we enjoyed it. I used nonfat greek yogurt instead of the sour cream, but I do that all the time in recipes, so I don't think it change the taste of this salad.

Thanks for checking out this month's CL Virtual Supper Club- I hope you enjoyed it!


Recipe for Greens with Roasted Corn and Pepper Salad
* I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream
* I used fresh corn instead of frozen

Greek Night- 2 dips, soup, salad, appetizer, main dish, drink and dessert

A couple of weeks ago my son studied Ancient Greece at school. He had multiple options for his final project and we decided to have a "Greek Cafe" as part of the experience.

When I was a kid, I used to love to do restaurants to surprise my dad when he would come home from work, so I knew this would be really fun for all of us.
The kids dressed up and placed all the appropriate signs annoucing our cafe. The cutest part was how they thought that someone driving down our street might just be hungry and stop in to join us.
My son made the signs and came up with the name for our cafe. I asked for his input on the menu and spent the afternoon getting all the dishes ready for our Greek Night.

We started with a drink called "The Greek Lantern". I have absolutely no idea if it is really a Greek drink, but it sounded really interesting, combining a large amount of fresh parsley leaves, lime juice, lime zest, club soda, water and ice. It actually was quite refreshing and surprisingly yummy.
Next we had a Roasted Red Pepper with Feta dip and Lemony-Garlic Hummus with homemade pita chips. Both of these were really good, although the red pepper one was deemed "spicy" by my youngest child.

Then we had mini spanakopita, which were really delicious and not as time consuming as I thought they would be.
The soup was everybody's favorite. I have had it at Greek restaurants before and it was very simple to recreate at home. It is called Avgolemono Soup- which just means Egg, Lemon and Rice soup. You have to temper eggs to make it, but boy was it delicious. My kids loved it.
I made a light version of Baklava that I found from Cooking Light. It was also much easier than I thought it was going to be to make. It turned out good, but was quite sweet, so could only be enjoyed in small portions. I actually had some leftover baklava mixed into this lemon ice cream a few days later and that was an amazing dessert.

What Greek menu would be complete without some sort of Greek salad? I actually made 2 versions of this salad since we have two people in our house who don't like tomatoes. The second version I made with chopped red pepper to replace the tomato. These leftovers were delicious on a green salad and also in a pita sandwich.
We had Chicken Souvlaki skewers, which my son loved. The Tzatziki sauce that went along with this was my youngest child's favorite thing. She was eating it plain and dipping all sorts of veggies in it.

Here's a closer look at the Baklava. We had lots of fun on Greek Night!

The Greek Lantern

Ingredients

• 1 cup (packed) Parsley Sprigs
• ½ tsp Lime Zest, grated
• 1 cup Cold Water
• ½ cup Fresh Lime Juice
• ½ cup Sugar
• 1 (10 ounce) bottle Club Soda

Instructions

• Blend all the ingredients, except club soda, in a blender, for about one minute.
• Take a large glass measure and strain the preparation through a fine-mesh sieve.
• Put ice into tall glasses and pour the prepared drink.
• Top with club soda and serve

Lemony-Garlic Hummus

Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

2 16 oz cans of chickpeas (Bush’s is my canned bean of choice!)
1/2 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
juice and zest from 3 lemons
3 TB tahini
4 cloves garlic, crushed
big pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
5 TB olive oil

Combine first 6 ingredients into bowl of food processor. Blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Slowly stream in olive oil until combined and smooth. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Serve with fresh cut veggies, crackers, chips, pita chips or crostini for a nice appetizer platter.

Note: this recipe makes a large batch. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to a week.

Recipe for Roasted Red Pepper with Feta Dip


Recipe for Greek Salad
* I drastically reduced the amount of olive oil and feta cheese that this recipe called for. I just drizzled the mixture with a little olive oil and then used more lemon juice. I only added a couple of oz of feta cheese.


Recipe for Mini-Spanakopitas
* the egg white/olive oil mixture they said to brush the phyllo dough with, didn't work for me.
I used cooking spray instead.

Recipe for Avgolemono Soupo (Egg, Lemon, and Rice Soup)

Recipe for Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce
* I used greek yogurt

Recipe for Baklava with Wildflower Honey
* I used orange blossom honey

Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips

I don't usually get posts up this quick, but somehow I did with this one.
We had this salad for dinner a couple of days ago and it was really good.

The salad caught my eye in a recent issue of Vegetarian Times. It looked too delicious to pass up and seemed like the perfect summer meal.

First you crisp up some lightly seasoned corn tortilla strips in the oven. While that is happening you mix up a quick, light dressing. The dressing starts with warming some olive oil, garlic and spices, which is then combined in the food processor with lime juice, scallions, and cilantro.
The dressing was really good!

Then all sorts of veggies are chopped and added to a bunch of romaine. You've got celery, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, fresh corn kernels, roasted red peppers and really, whatever else you want to add. I decided to add sliced mushrooms since my family likes them. Oh, and don't forget the pinto beans, for some protein.

My son doesn't like dressing on his salad, but this time I decided to go ahead and dress the entire salad before serving it to my family. I gave everyone a large bowl of salad and we all dug in.
The kids really liked this salad, even my son- with the dressing.
I loved it too. It was really fresh and delicious.
The tortilla strips gave just the right amount of crunch and the dressing was the perfect compliment for all the veggies. I had the leftovers for lunch today. Wish there was more for tomorrow!


Recipe for Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips
* I seasoned half of my tortilla strips with chili powder and half with paprika (for the kids)
* I used grape tomatoes, halved, in the salad
* I added sliced mushrooms to our salad
* I omitted the red onion

Lentil Salad with Walnuts and Scallions

The other day I made Lentil Minestrone (recipe to come), even though some people in my family don't really care for soup and definitely don't want to eat soup in the summer.
I made a comment about it on twitter and Nancy sent me the link for this delicious lentil salad as another way to enjoy lentils that doesn't involve soup.

As soon as I looked at the ingredients I knew that I would love it and quickly put it on the menu for the next week.

I absolutely love lentils. You might think I say I love everything, but there are a few things I don't love.
Lentils are definitely a top 5 food for me though.

When I was mixing up the dressing I realized that I was almost out of olive oil, so I only used about 2 Tbls. It still worked out great.
I loved this salad warm and cold.
I enjoyed the leftovers over salad greens.

Recipe for Lentil Salad with Walnuts and Scallions

Meditteranean Layer Dip

Growing up we frequently enjoyed 7 Layer Dip at family get-togethers and parties.
There are many different variations on this recipe, but ours was usually as follows- refried beans on the bottom, a packet of taco seasoning or taco spice blend mixed with sour cream next, then guacamole, chopped tomatoes, sliced olives, shredded cheese, and sliced green onions.
Serve it with tortilla chips and it makes a fantastic appetizer and/or snack.

I saw a recipe for the same type of layer dip in a magazine over the holidays, but the flavors and ingredients were Meditteranean instead.
I didn't follow the recipe, but I did see the idea, so it's not like I just imagined this up completely on my own.

I put this together and served it with pre-made whole wheat pita chips. I usually like to make my own pita chips, but because of time, I bought pre-made this time.

I started off with hummus as the bottom layer, then a thin layer of plain fat-free greek yogurt, sliced fresh spinach, chopped roasted red peppers, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber, sliced black olives, chopped green onions, chopped fresh parsley and then, crumbled feta over the whole thing. I finished it off by squeezing fresh lemon juice over the whole thing and boy, did we have a winner of a dip!
We actually ate this for lunch and everyone in my family loved it.
I love all of these ingredients and flavors anyway, but combining them in this way was really great.
I had to remove the tomatoes from the section my hubby ate, but he liked it once I took those off.

I scooped all the leftovers into a plastic container and ate them as lunch for a couple of days.

This would be a great appetizer for a party or a great lunch/snack, so throw it together and see what you think!


I didn't really measure the amounts when I was throwing this together. I just layered the ingredients and topped each layer with the next, by the amount that looked good.

Meditteranean Layer Dip inspired by a magazine, put into play by Me
hummus
plain fat-free greek yogurt
sliced fresh spinach
chopped roasted red peppers
chopped cucumbers
chopped tomatoes
black olives
chopped green onions
feta
chopped parsley
fresh lemon juice

On a platter or plate, spread a thick layer of hummus.
Top this with thin layer of greek yogurt, spreading almost to the edge, but leaving a 1/4-1/2 inch of the hummus uncovered.
Next add a few handfuls of sliced fresh spinach.
Top the spinach with the chopped peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, green onions, and parsley.
Sprinkle the desired amount of feta cheese over top and squeeze the juice from 1/2 or 1 lemon over the entire dip.
Serve with pita chips.
Refrigerate leftovers, if any.

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I am taking my mom to the airport today. It has been a really fun week.

I am easily influenced by other peoples blogs, pictures, and suggestions when it comes to trying different recipes.

A couple weeks ago, Tracey sent out a tweet about this pasta from The Pioneer Woman, so I went to her blog to look at the recipe.
Her gorgeous photos and the fact that this pasta had to do with roasted red peppers, which I love, helped me decide to make this for dinner that night.

I had everything on hand, so it really didn't take long at all.
I used whole wheat pasta because that is what I always use.
I roasted my peppers in the oven, since I don't have a gas stovetop.
I also omitted most of the heavy cream at the end and just splashed in a couple Tbls of half and half instead.
Delicious!

Tracey's post and recipe for Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Pioneer Woman's post and recipe for Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

One Year Ago-Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes

Salmon & Noodle Bowl

This is the last day of my 1-sentence posts, so come back tomorrow for something a little more verbose (maybe); I like to cook fish because my family adores it and this recipe was so fast I couldn't believe it- you just cook up some noodles, and add a few things, top it off with some salmon and everyone wins!

Salmon & Noodle Bowl from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine: Market Fresh Suppers

1 9-oz pkg. refrigerated fettucine
2 Tbls olive oil
1 lb skinless, boneless 1-inch-thick salmon, cut into 8 pieces
salt and pepper
6 cups packaged fresh baby spinach
3/4 cup bottled roasted red bell peppers
1/2 cup reduced- calorie balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (I used Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, brush 1 Tbls olive oil on salmon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat an extra-large skillet over medium heat; add salmon. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until salmon flakes, turning once.
Remove salmon; cover and keep warm.
Add spinach, peppers, and remaining oil to skillet. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Drain pasta; add to skillet.
3. Add dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide spinach-pasta mixture among four bowls. Top with salmon.

One Year Ago-Root Beer Freeze and Perfect Party Cake

CEiMB- Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese, stuffed inside a turkey burger (I used 93% lean), in my opinion, these couldn't be better- Peggy was the one responsible for this yummy choice; go visit her blog to see what she thought, to get the recipe (or go to the link below) and then, make one more quick stop at the CEiMB Blogroll to see what others stuffed inside their burgers and what their results turned out to be!
(Sick of the 1-sentence posts yet? or do you prefer short and sweet?)

Recipe for Stuffed Turkey Burgers

One Year Ago- Cheese-Stuffed Chicken in Phyllo and Dorie's Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes with Praline Buttercream and Ganache Filling

Summer Squash Stacks with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

I saw this recipe in Southern Living magazine, and thought it just sounded like a really simple summer dish. I made it on the same day that we had the Garden Sliders, so I ended up roasting a whole bunch of zucchini and summer squash in the oven and pretty much did my own thing as far as this recipe goes.

These stacks were supposed to be taller and probably wider, but I wanted to make them smaller and simpler, so we just had 1 slice of summer squash, 1 slice of mozzarella, and 1 slice of zucchini per stack. Some of them we topped off with a slice of roasted red pepper, just for fun.

The roasted red pepper sauce was really good. We used it as a spread for our sandwiches later and it held up really well.

I love summer. So many fresh vegetables and fruits that can be easily prepared to make delicious meals!



Summer Squash Stacks with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce from Southern Living Magazine

• 1 medium-size yellow squash, cut diagonally into 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices (about 3/4 lb.)
• 2 medium zucchini, cut diagonally into 16 (1/4-inch-thick) slices (about 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (8.8-oz.) package fresh mozzarella cheese
• 16 basil leaves
• Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce
• Garnish: freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Brush squash and zucchini with oil; place in a single layer in a jelly-roll pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

2. Cut mozzarella into 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices. Cut each slice in half. Place half of zucchini on a serving platter. Layer with half each of mozzarella and basil. Top with yellow squash. Layer with remaining mozzarella, basil, and zucchini. Top with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce. Garnish, if desired.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

• 1 (7-oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

1. Process all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.

Herbed Turkey Strips with Roasted Peppers and Beans

This is a dinner that I made a couple of months ago.
I am nearing the end of the recipes I have left in my drafts and this is one meal that was simple and delicious, but somehow just kept getting pushed out of the way.
I mean, why post dinner when you can talk about dessert, right? I am kidding of course, but sometimes cakes and cookies are more fun to look at.

I don't remember exactly where I found this recipe, it was either Southern Living or Cooking Light. It was fast and easy.
I liked the fact that this used turkey, which is lean and healthy, instead of chicken. A little variety in the protein area of our meal. I like variety.
I served this meal over sauteed kale and we really liked it.
That I do remember.

Herbed Turkey Strips With Roasted Peppers and Beans

Prep: 20 min., Chill: 30 min., Cook: 15 min.
Be sure to grate the lemon rind before squeezing the juice needed for the recipe. Use the entire 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in the marinade if you like a tangier flavor.
1 (3-pound) boneless, skinless turkey breast, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Pierce turkey slices evenly with a fork.
Stir together Italian seasoning, 1/2 tablespoon oil, lemon juice, and next 3 ingredients. Coat turkey slices with oil mixture. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
Cook turkey slices, in batches, in remaining 1 tablespoon hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove turkey from skillet, cover, and keep warm. Add beans and peppers to skillet; cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated, stirring gently.
Cut turkey slices crosswise into 1/2-inch strips. Arrange on a serving platter. Top with bean mixture. Combine pine nuts, grated lemon rind, and parsley. Sprinkle over beans. Serve immediately.

Coming Next-Napa Noodles

Asparagus and Zucchini Frittata with Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

Here are a couple of recipes that I pulled out of magazines and threw together for a quick dinner the other night. The biscuits really were easy and fast and I was surprised at how much height they got. The frittata was also quick and delicious.
I think that dill goes really well with egg dishes and that was the main herb in this frittata. The great thing about a dish like a frittata is, you can use whatever veggies you have on hand and change up the cheese or herbs to make it a totally different dish. I love dinners like this that can be made quickly, are healthy and fill you up.

Asparagus and Zucchini Frittata

12 oz fresh or 1 10-oz pkg frozen asparagus

1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bottled roasted red peppers

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

8 eggs

1/2 cup skim milk

1 Tbls fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbls all-purpose flour

3-4 Tbls finely shredded fresh Parmesan

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 2-qt rectangular baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

2. If using fresh asparagus, trim woody bases. Cut into 1-inch pieces.

3. In a large saucepan, bring 1 inch water to a boil. Add asparagus, yellow pepper, zucchini and onion. Cover and simmer until just tender. Drain well. Stir in roasted peppers. Spread asparagus mixture evenly in baking dish and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese.

4. Whisk together eggs, milk, dill, salt and pepper. Whisk in flour, making sure it is completely combined. Pour over vegetables on baking dish.

5. Bake, uncovered, about 35 minutes or until slightly puffed. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits from Cooking Light

A light hand with the dough will help to ensure tender biscuits. This method of folding the dough creates irresistible flaky layers. To maximize the number of biscuits you get from the recipe, gather the dough scraps after cutting and gently pat or reroll to a 3/4-inch thickness.

9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk

3 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes.
3. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.




Up Next- Twd- Tartest Lemon Tart

Muhammara Dip (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)

Here is the fabulous dip I was talking about the other day. This dip is soooo good!

If it went head to head with The Best Dip Ever-Garlicky Red Lentil Dal, it would be a very close battle.

I have been looking for ways to use the Pomegranate Molasses I made a couple of months ago and this dip was calling my name. It was really simple. I just mixed it up in the food processor and then we ate it. Unfortunately, I didn't have any pita chips, so we just used tortilla chips to dip. Not that it really mattered too much- the dip was so good, you probably could've used anything and this dip would have made it taste great.
I was thinking of all the great ways I could use the leftovers, like as a spread in a pita or something, but you guessed it, there weren't any leftovers!


Muhammara (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip) 2006, Ellie Krieger
Ingredients
3/4 cup pomegranate juice or 4 teaspoons of pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup walnuts
3 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (16-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon for garnish
Salt
Pita Toasts, for serving
Directions
Put the pomegranate juice, into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until juice is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 6 minutes. Set aside to cool and thicken.
Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over a medium-high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Put the walnuts and bread crumbs into a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the reduced pomegranate juice or pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, red peppers, cayenne pepper and cumin and process until smooth. With the processor on add the olive oil in a thin stream. Season with salt, to taste. Sprinkle with cumin and olive oil and serve.
Serve with pita toasts.

Coming Tomorrow- Blogging for Babies Event- Mini Layer Cakes