Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Hummus Habit


When my friend Julie recently referred to her favorite hummus as Crack Hummus, I thought, "Touché pretty lady, touché." Now, I know I shouldn't make light of a drug problem, yet I can't help but wonder if beneath my hankerin' for hummus there lies a hardcore habit in the making...one I'm not quite ready to quit.

And never one to hummus alone, I called my Tart and she ran right over. After handing the baby to her hub of course. We would NEVER hummus in front of a child.

In lieu of our usual recipe, we decided to take it up a notch and googled 'best hummus ever'. The first recipe from Epi-log on epicurious.com was originally created by Mitchell Davis and then adapted by Melissa Clark. We messed with the measurements and halved it in an effort to keep our craving under control.

slightly adapted by the Tarts

1/2 tsp. cumin seed
1 garlic clove
1 15 oz. can chick peas, drained
1/3 cup tahini
juice of one lemon
pinch of chili powder
* approx. 1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Toast cumin seed in a skillet over medium-low heat, until dark. Be careful not to burn. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or a Mexican molcajete and pound into a powder. Add garlic and pound until they become a paste. Scrape into food processor or blender along with chick peas, tahini, lemon juice and chili powder and pulse or blend. Add oil in a stream until well mixed.

*I actually let the oil stream straight from the bottle until it has the consistency I prefer. If you'd like it more exact, start with 1/4 cup and then add more oil if need be.

Next, add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl, lightly drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with more chili powder or paprika and serve with your choice of carrots, cucumber slices or pita...


...and enjoy. We sure did.

Well friends, until we crack again...

Thursday, July 22, 2010

The Tartinators: Rise of the Enchiladas



After a much needed hiatus filled with baby wrangling, deadlines and the customary summertime slam, the Tarts are back and armed with a recipe that could terminate even the most advanced hunger pangs...

Chicken OR Tofu Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa

We found this recipe over at Real Simple and adapted it to our Tartbuds. It's the perfect dish to drop off to a new mom who can't find the time to sleep much less cook, right Erin?


adapted from Real Simple

1 1/2 lbs. tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 Jalapeño peppers, stemmed & seeded
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Sea Salt
* optional - 1/8 tsp agave nectar

The original recipe calls for raw tomatillos which give the salsa a nice fresh taste. We opted to broil them for a roasted, smokier flavor. We also added onion and garlic just to give it some extra umpf.

Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse sticky residue. Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken skin.


In a food processor or blender, combine tomatillos, onion, Jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and agave nectar and pulse until ingredients are blended. Add salt to taste and pulse again. Cool in refrigerator.

adapted from Real Simple

2 small zucchini, diced
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (from 1 ear, or frozen and thawed)
1 Anaheim chile pepper, diced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
2 chicken breasts or 1 12 oz. pkg firm tofu
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (6 oz.)
12 6-inch corn tortillas
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Olive oil/olive oil spray
Sour Cream (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

With this section we added chile and cilantro and for our veggie readers we've added a tofu version. I had it last night and it holds up! For a vegan version, just replace with a cheese substitute and leave off the sour cream. Doy, right?

For chicken enchiladas, place breasts in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and allow chicken to continue cooking in hot water. (If short on time, just boil the crap out of it; will just be a little tougher) Remove chicken from water and allow to cool. Shred and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, onion, chile pepper and corn and cook, stirring, until onion begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Add chicken, cheese, cilantro, 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Mix to combine.

For tofu enchiladas, drain water from package and place tofu in a bowl. Smash with a fork until crumbly. Set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, onion, chile pepper and corn and cook for 3 minutes. Add tofu to pan and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. Transfer to bowl and add cheese, cilantro, 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Mix to combine.

For both versions: Wipe out skillet and heat on medium heat. Spray with olive oil spray and one at a time, cook tortillas until softened, 10 to 15 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate. (You can use oil, but we prefer the spray so the tortillas aren't super oily.)

Divide the filling evenly between the tortillas and roll up. Spray a large baking dish and place enchiladas close together, seam-side down. (If you like your enchiladas soft, brush the tops with a bit of olive oil.) Bake until heated through, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with salsa and a dollop of sour cream.


These enchiladas are delicious and so easy. You can try a variety of fillings, but one thing we recommend is to mix the cheese with the fillings so it's evenly distributed and you don't end up with a glob of goo. We hope you love this as much as we do. Okay, time to terminate, but don't worry, The Tartinators will be back:)

Friday, July 16, 2010

Long Time No Tarts

Back next week! Promise!