Garlic Hummus

 

Garlic Hummus

100g dried chickpeas*
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 small lemon
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp tahini paste**
1/2 tsp salt
water, as needed
sunflower oil, to serve
smoked paprika, to serve

*Soak chickpeas overnight and cook in a pot for 1 hour. 

**To make tahini paste, place sesame seeds in a small saucepan and roast, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant. Don't let them brown too much. Grind them in a coffee grinder or a small food processor until turns into paste. It will take time to get a smooth paste so add a splash of water or oil to add some moisture.

1) In a small saucepan, heat a teaspoon of oil. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring occasionally,  until golden brown and fragrant.

2) Add cooked chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, sunflower oil, tahini paste and salt into your food processor and pulse to make a smooth paste. Add as much water as you want to achieve a preferred consistency (start with 1 tablespoon).

3) Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle some smoked paprika on top and drizzle with sunflower oil. Serve with pita, flatbread or veggies.

Recipe by collecting memories

Mozzarella Sticks with French Onion Dip

I don't know how many times I found myself staring at mozzarella stick pictures on the internet. They look so good with all that melty cheese and crispy bread crumbs around it. I can't tell you how happy I am that I finally made them myself! For some reason, it often takes so much time for me when I decide to make something yummy that I've been craving for a long time.

Enough about these mozzarella sticks. You probably already know that they are amazing.

But this French onion dip...

This is MORE than amazing. Basically it seems like a simple dip. But these c a r a m e l i z e d onions change everything. It adds sweetness to a sour/salty dip. Actually I think that onions make every meal taste much better, they are my favourite ingredient. Especially when they are caramelized.

I hope you're already checking if you have all the ingredients and are preparing to make this right now. If you're too lazy to make mozzarella sticks, do make this dip because it's so good with everything. Really, so good.

Mozzarella Sticks

12 sticks of mozzarella string cheese
1/2 cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 - 2 cups bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika flakes
1 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano*
oil for frying

*You may use/omit any seasoning you like. For example, I also like it with dried basil.
**The amount of the ingredients may vary here: it depends how much you flour the sticks or how much bread crumbs stick to your cheese so be ready to add some more ingredients if needed.


1) Place flour in a small dish. In another bowl, combine together eggs and milk. In a third bowl, combine bread crumbs with garlic powder, sweet smoked paprika flakes, pepper and oregano. Cut mozzarella sticks into halves.

2) Roll a half of mozzarella in flour, dip into egg-milk mixture, and roll in bread crumb mixture. Press crumbs in place so mozzarella stick is fully coated. Continue with remaining pieces. Place coated mozzarella sticks on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

3) Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Remove frozen mozzarella sticks and fry a few pieces at a time. Fry about 30 seconds - 1 minute (depending on the heat), turning sticks until they are golden brown, and drain on paper towels. Continue with remaining sticks. Serve with french onion dip. Avocado-garlic dip and garlic-dill dip is also fine!! Eat these while hot!

French Onion Dip
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
200g sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
large pinch salt
large pinch white pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin

1) Place onions and oil into a small saucepan and cook until onions are dark brown color, stiring occasionaly.

2) Drain any liquid off the onions and let cool completely. Combine onions with remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Add salt to taste.

Onion Rings with Garlic Dill Dip

These onion rings are a perfect appetizer. They can be eaten plain but the garlic dill dip makes them even better. This dip can also be served with crackers, baked potatoes or anything you like.

 Onion Rings

1 large or 2 small onions
1/2 - 1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp sweet paprika flakes
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
salt, to taste

1) Slice the onions into rings and set aside.
2) In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and combine it with buttermilk. Set aside.
3) In another bowl, mix together the crumbs, paprika flakes, white pepper, cumin, oregano and salt.
4) Place the flour in another bowl.
5) Take one onion ring, dip into buttermilk mixture, dip in flour, than again in buttermilk and finally in bread crumb mixture. Repeat with remaining onions.
6) Heat the oil in a pot. Fry onions for a few minuter, until nicely browned.

Garlic Dill Dip

200g sour cream
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp dried basil
pinch white pepper
large pinch salt

Combine all ingredients. Add salt to taste and buttermilk (depending on the consistency you want the dip to be). Serve with onion rings and enjoy!

Baked Potato Chips with Avocado Garlic Dip

These homemade potato chips are a healthier version of your favourite chips because they're oven baked, not fried. It took time for me to cut them into thin slices because I don't have any magical cutter but it was worth that. Served with avocado dip they are a great appetizer. Really, this avocado dip made all the difference. Isn't it amazing that a dip can be healthy without any mayonnaise or other components and still be so creamy and delicious? Since I tried avocado with pasta, I realized that it can be used in so many ways like sauces and dressings and substitute that unhealthy stuff we are used to eating. Can't wait to try other recipes with avocado!

Avocado Dip
1 medium ripe avocado
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp dried or fresh basil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
pinch salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients and process in your food processor until smooth. Or use a mixer and blend everything.

4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch salt

1) Preheat oven to 190C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
2) Mix oil, paprika flakes and salt in a bowl. Add potatoes and toss to cover both sides. Place the potato slices on parchment paper and bake until dark golden brown and crispy. Serve with avocado dip.