Spinach Artichoke Dip

I saw this article on Slate and was very intrigued since we love spinach artichoke dip but never found "the one" recipe that was amazing.  This recipe is amazing, and I like that it's sort of scientific about why it's so good.

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt and black pepper
1 pound frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and roughly chopped (I used 2 cans)
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine all ingredients except artichoke hearts and spinach in food processor and pulse until well mixed.  Add spinach and pulse a few more times.  Add artichoke hearts and pulse until desired consistency is reached.  Bake in an 8x8 baking dish for 20 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.

Black Bean Hummus

I found this recipe on a website called Weelicious that has kid friendly but different recipes. I really like a lot of her recipes, but I often find that they are less flavorful than we like (maybe to appeal to kids?). I tend to add more of whatever seasoning she's using and even a little spice, like hot pepper. She also is way more conservative about sugar than I am. I note this so that if you happen to wander over to the website and think some of the food looks crazy, just note that I substitute sugar for agave and I'm not afraid to make things tastier. All in all, she provides a good base for starting. With all this said, this black bean hummus recipe is excellent-with a few additions.

1/3 Cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 Small Garlic Clove * I use 2 medium to large cloves
1 15 Oz Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Water *As my other hummus recipe recommends, I use the liquid from the beans
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon * or more
1/2 Tsp Cumin
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped (you can use the stems — they have tons of flavor) *I use about 1/3 cup

*I also add 1/4 tsp of chili powder and a few sprinkles of hot red pepper flakes

1. Place the pepitas in a dry sauté pan and toast over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the pepitas start to turn golden.
2. Place the pepitas and garlic clove in a food processor and pulse for 1 minute.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.

Hummus

This hummus recipe is from Ina Garten at The Food Network . I will warn you, once you make homemade, you can never go back to store bought hummus. Good thing this is easy to make.

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)* I usually add a bit more, almost 1/3 cup of lemon juice.
• 2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas
• 8 dashes hot sauce

Directions

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature.