Hummus for Us

 Our house has been going through a lot of hummus in the last year.  It has become a great to go snack/lunch item.  Serve with veggies, crackers, pretzels...whatever you like.  The favorite around here is the thin pretzel crisps.  We've been tweaking recipes and combining what we like.  We have tried the Ultimate Hummus from Cook's Illustrated, Hummus for Real from Alton Brown, and the Best Smooth Hummus on Serious Eats.  Each has its own qualities that we like.  This is our combination of these recipes with a little help from the Instant Pot.

Hummus for Us

1 lb. dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 head garlic, peeled

water

zest and juice of one lemon

1/3 cup (generous measure) tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

pinch of cayenne (optional)

dash of garlic (to taste)

Start by putting the chickpeas, baking soda, and peeled head of garlic in the instant pot.  Fill up to the 6 cup mark with water.  Let stand for several hours or over night.  Seal the instant pot and cook on the bean setting on high for 60 minutes.  Allow to release naturally.  Put the chickpeas and garlic in a food processer, reserving the cooking liquid.  Process to break up the chickpeas.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.  Add the cooking liquid and process to combine.  We find that the hummus gets really thick in the refrigerator, so we add all of the liquid.  If you prefer, add less.  Give it a try and see if you need a bit more salt or some garlic powder.  The flavor comes together as it sits in the fridge.  Enjoy!

Shrimp Dip

Shrimp Dip

1 small pkg. salad shrimp (or use small shrimp lightly chopped)
2-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 bottle Heinz cocktail sauce
3 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce

Mix shrimp, onion, Worchestershire sauce, and 3 tbsp. cocktail sauce. Fold in cream cheese.

Layer bottom a glass dish with cocktail sauce (I use an 8"x8" Pyrex dish). Spoon in cream cheese mixture, spread out. Top with a small amount of cocktail sauce. Refrigerate 6 hrs. or overnight. Serve with crackers.

Spinach Dip

Spinach Dip

1 12 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
1 pkg. vegetable soup mix
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

Chop all ingredients finely and mix. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.

My sister-in-law likes to serves this inside a hollowed out round loaf of bread. Then serve with the chunks of bread and raw veggies.

Bean Dip

We hosted an open house yesterday and made lots of munchie food. After requests for some of the recipes I figured I ought to post them to share. Here's an old favorite.

Bean Dip

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can green chilies (optional)
1 can refried beans
1 can Armour No Bean Chili (the Walmart store brand works, but we don't like Hormel)
1 lb. Velveeta
1 lb. Mexican Velveeta (I often just use a 2 lb. pkg. of Mexican Velveeta)

Brown the ground beef with the onion. Add green chilies if using. Mix in taco seasoning according to pkg. directions. (This can be done ahead.)

In a 3 qt. Crock Pot, mix together the taco meat, refried beans, and chili. Cook on high for an hour. Add Velveeta (if in a time crunch skip the hour of cooking and just add the cheese). Stir occasionally. Once the cheese has melted, turn down to low and serve with tortilla chips.