One of the snacks prepared for New Year's Eve was this delicious, creamy and tangy Dill Pickle Hummus. It was beautiful served with some crisp vegetable sticks and homemade pita chips for a low fat and healthy snack.
I adore hummus! It is one of my favorite things to snack on with carrot or celery sticks. This is a recipe which I have small batched from one which was found on a blog called Plant Power Couple. It is a Vegan blog so I am assuming it is a Vegan[friendly recipe!
Hummus is something that I used to make once or twice a week for the Mrs. when I cooked at the Manor. She loved it to snack on with fresh vegetables and pita chips. Hers was a fairly plain one, just chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, seasoning, lemon juice and a bit of water from the can of chickpeas.
It was simple enough to make and quite tasty, although not that interesting. I much prefer my hummus to have something exciting added. Like lemon and coriander, or roasted peppers. She was always trying to lose weight however and was always opting to ingest as few calories as possible.
This version I am sharing today is a wonderfully tangy and delicious take on a classic hummus. There is nothing too out of the ordinary here, but it is interesting how with just a few different additions you can totally change the landscape and taste of what is essentially a very simple dish.
I love dill pickle anything, and often buy the Oh Snap dill pickle snacks to munch on. I used to like Dill pickle flavored chips, but not so much anymore. Dill pickles, well any kind of pickle really, are high in salt so even though they are basically fat free you should still make sure you don't eat too many.
I served this dip with a variety of crudites, just using what I already had in the refrigerator. Zucchini (courgette) cut into sticks, carrots, cucumber. Celery and pepper strips are also nice!
Pita chips are very easy to make. I like to use the Greek Pita breads. Just cut into 16th's with a pizza cutter and lay the pieces out onto a baking sheet lined with some baking parchment.
Spritz with a bit of spray oil, or brush with oil and then sprinkle with some fine sea salt, black pepper, garlic and/or onion salt, or any combination of herbs that you wish to use.
We kept it simple with just sea salt.
Bake in a preheated hot oven (400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6) for 10 to 12 minutes until crisp and golden brown at the edges. Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE DILL PICKLE HUMMUS
Really simple store cupboard ingredients for the most part.
- 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles (about 2 medium sized pickles)
- 3 TBS (40ml) dill pickle juice
- 1 tsp fresh dillweed, packed
- 2 TBS (27g) tahini
- 1/8 cup (30ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cumin
- 1 large ice cube
- 1 (15 oz/425g) tin of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
To garnish: (all optional)
- chopped dill pickles or sliced dill pickles
- chopped fresh dill
- red pepper flakes
- coarse black pepper
Just use your favorite dill pickles. I dry them off with a piece of paper toweling so that they don't make the hummus too wet. Same with the chick peas. Make sure you pat them dry.
If you don't have fresh dillweed to use you can use dried. Just make sure its not old. You will need roughly half the amount of dry dillweed as you would fresh, so 1/2 tsp.
If your garlic cloves are really large you may only want to use half the amount. it depends on how much you enjoy raw garlic. Fresh local garlic is the best!
If you want to add a bit of heat add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the mix before you blitz it. Just a pinch will do, unless you like things insanely hot!
HOW TO MAKE DILL PICKLE HUMMUS
It seriously could not be any easier. In less than 15 minutes you too, and your family, can be enjoying this fabulous snack! You do need a food processor or a blender.
Put the dill pickles, pickle juice, dillweed, garlic cloves, tahini, olive oil, salt, pepper and cumin into a food processor. Blitz until smooth.
Add the chickpeas and the ice cube and blitz together for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor periodically. It should be nice and creamy when done.
Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
Scrape into a bowl and garnish as desired.
Serve with crisp vegetable sticks or pita chips for dipping, or spread into a sandwich or wrap. Tasty and healthy!
This hummus stores very well in the refrigerator. Any leftovers will keep for up to five days, refrigerated and tightly covered.
For longer storage you can also freeze it. Freeze it in a silicone ice cube tray (for easy pop out) and once frozen, pop the cubes into a zip lock baggie, ready to take out and enjoy as needed. It will keep for up to 12 weeks. Just whisk together with a small wire whisk once thawed.
This was really good. Lovely and creamy with just the right amount of tang. In fact, it may well be my new favorite flavor. No fuss, no muss as well.
I loved that I didn't have to roast any peppers or anything else. Just dump and blitz. That's my kind of snacking. Almost instantaneous!
Here are some other delicious and healthy snack recipes that I have made which you might enjoy:
NO BAKE LEMON COCONUT BALLS - Two of my favorite things are lemon and coconut! To have them both combined in one delicious snack is just great. For them to be as quick and easy to make as these are is just the icing on the cake! No bake. No fuss. No muss. Fairly healthy, and using only a few simple ingredients.
RAW DATE BARS - Containing no refined sugars and using only five simple ingredients, these date bars are easy to make and oh so delicious! Full of fiber and natural sugar they are every bit as satisfying as the old fashioned baked date bars are. Don't believe me? Try them and I will you will agree. These are delicious!
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Dill Pickle Hummus
Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min
Creamy, garlicky and tangy, this is a fresh take on hummus. Make it quickly and easily in the food processor for a quick and healthy snack! You will need a food processor or blender for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles (about 2 medium sized pickles)
- 3 TBS (40ml) dill pickle juice
- 1 tsp fresh dillweed, packed
- 2 TBS (27g) tahini
- 1/8 cup (30ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cumin
- 1 large ice cube
- 1 (15 oz/425g) tin of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
To garnish: (all optional)
- chopped dill pickles or sliced dill pickles
- chopped fresh dill
- red pepper flakes
- coarse black pepper
Instructions
- Put the dill pickles, pickle juice, dillweed, garlic cloves, tahini, olive oil, salt, pepper and cumin into a food processor. Blitz until smooth.
- Add the chickpeas and the ice cube and blitz together for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor periodically. It should be nice and creamy when done.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
- Scrape into a bowl and garnish as desired.
- Serve with crisp vegetable sticks or pita chips for dipping, or spread into a sandwich or wrap. Tasty and healthy!
Notes
Store leftover hummus in a covered air tight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze this hummus in smaller portions in silicone ice cube trays for up to 12 weeks. Spoon into the ice cube trays, freeze, then pop out into a zip lock baggie for longer storage.
Thank you so much for visiting! Do come again!
I had picked up a small roast to make a pot of stew last week. I was going to cut it into chunks. Its pretty bad when it is cheaper to buy a small roast than a package of stewing beef, but that was the case.
My son was going to be coming over from New Brunswick with the boys to celebrate his dad's 70th birthday. They ended up not being able to come. I know I could have just put the roast into the freezer for another time, but I had spied this recipe on That's Delicious for Easy French Dip Sandwiches and I wanted to give them a go.
If you are interested in making a full recipe, and or cooking it in an Instant Pot, by all means do check her recipe out!
I did make a few other changes as well. I didn't have the exact ingredients she used to hand and so I adapted it to use the ingredients that I did have and that I knew would also be available in the U.K. so that they could also cook it over there.
The crockpot I used is this one. It is the perfect size for the smaller family and has a lid that clamps on for transporting in the case that you need to take your meal to a pot luck or some such. I have been very happy with mine and I highly recommend this one. I get nothing from telling you that, but, when something works well, I think its a nice thing to share.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
Only five simple ingredients, exclusive of the meat and things you require to serve it with. Quite simple really.
For the Beef:
- 1 1/2 pounds (approximately 678g) beef steak or roast
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 1 tsp onion powder (not salt)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/2 packet dry onion soup mix
- 2 heaped TBS beef gravy powder
- salt and pepper to taste (I didn't use any)
To serve:
- softened butter as needed
- 4 Hoagie buns
- 2 slices of Swiss cheese
- garlic and onion powder, coarse black pepper to taste
My roast was a small .6 kg sirloin roast. Not very big at all, but perfect to use in this. I removed the string and then just cut it crosswise into the strips. I guess I got about 2 cups of strips.
Make sure you use the onion and garlic powders and not the salts. Since the gravy mix and the onion soup mix are both salty, you will probably not need any salt at all. I didn't.
Au Jus mix is not available in the U.K. and I did not happen to have any in my cupboard. So I decided to use dry French Onion Soup mix.
I know that you can find this in the U.K. as well, unlike Au Jus mix. I used to buy mine by the tub on amazon when I lived there. You will need no more than 2 TBS of the mix, or half an envelope.
I think Ainsley Harriot also makes a French Onion Cup a soup mix which would work well. One packet of that would be perfect.
I did not have any packets of gravy mix but I did have my trusty tub of Bisto beef gravy and that is what I used. It works a charm and I know that is as common as muck in the U.K. No house would be without it's Bisto. I actually keep three kinds. Beef, Onion and Chicken/Turkey.
I used Swiss Cheese slices rather than Provolone as that is what I had. By all means use Provolone cheese if that is what you prefer and have to hand. Any good melting cheese would work, even Gouda.
I also opted for the longer cook time, starting mine in the morning so that it was ready by teatime. This left me free to pursue other interests throughout the day. I love meals like that.
HOW TO MAKE EASY FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
If this was any easier it would make itself.
Slice your beef across the grain into strips that are 2 to 3 inches long and no more than 1/3 of an inch thick. Place into a smallish crock pot. (Mine is a 1 1/2 QT pot.)
Add the onion and garlic powders, the gravy mix and soup mix and the water. Give it all a good stir, then cover with the lid. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours until the beef is fork tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Split the hoagie buns and spread the cut sides with butter. Sprinkle with garlic and onion powders and coarse black pepper to taste. Toast, cut sides down in a large skillet.
Strain most of the juices from the beef and keep warm. Lay the cheese slices over the remainder of the beef and allow to melt. Divide the beef and place into the cut and toasted buns.
Serve hot with individual dishes of the juices for dipping. So delicious!
These were really delicious. The meat was fork tender and almost melted in the mouth. The au jus for dipping was also incredibly tasty.
I had enough for me to enjoy today and then I froze the rest in one serving sized lots for me to enjoy another time. It would make a great filling for a small pot pie, or even a small pan of hash with some cooked potatoes added.
I love it when meals lend themselves towards creating more than one delicious outcome!
Some other crockpot recipes which you might enjoy are:
THE BEST CROCKPOT BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP - There is no need for browning or precooking any of the ingredients. You simply just chop everything throw it into the slow cooker, and walk away, letting it get on with its business. The end result is creamy, cheesy, broccoli deliciousness. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Rich and creamy, no fuss, no muss.
CROCKPOT HAM, BEANS AND POTATOES - This is a real family favorite. Its such a simple thing but the flavors are stupendous. Adapted from an old Mennonite cookbook, it is proof positive that delicious food doesn't have to be complicated. Everything simply gets layered in the crockpot and then cooked.
Yield: 4
Easy French Dip Sandwiches
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 8 HourTotal time: 8 H & 10 M
With only five simple ingredients (for the beef) and a crock pot you can make a delicious supper that is mostly hands off! Strips of tender beef in a tasty gravy, topped with melted cheese, all tucked into a toasted bun. You can't go wrong!
Ingredients
For the Beef:
- 1 1/2 pounds (approximately 678g) beef steak or roast
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 1 tsp onion powder (not salt)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/2 packet dry onion soup mix
- 2 heaped TBS beef gravy powder
- salt and pepper to taste (I didn't use any)
To serve:
- softened butter as needed
- 4 Hoagie buns
- 2 slices of Swiss cheese
- garlic and onion powder, coarse black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice your beef across the grain into strips that are 2 to 3 inches long and no more than 1/3 of an inch thick. Place into a smallish crock pot. (Mine is a 1 1/2 QT pot.)
- Add the onion and garlic powders, the gravy mix and soup mix and the water. Give it all a good stir, then cover with the lid. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours until the beef is fork tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Split the hoagie buns and spread the cut sides with butter. Sprinkle with garlic and onion powders and coarse black pepper to taste. Toast, cut sides down in a large skillet.
- Strain most of the juices from the beef and keep warm. Lay the cheese slices over the remainder of the beef and allow to melt. Divide the beef and place into the cut and toasted buns.
- Serve hot with individual dishes of the juices for dipping. So delicious!
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I was looking for a quick, easy, delicious and light dessert to enjoy for New Year's Day and I ran across these Biscoff No Bake Cheesecakes on a blog called Sour and Sweets. They looked and sounded amazing and very easy to make.
I did cut the recipe in half and in half yet again so that it only makes two servings, which is what you see here. If you are wanting a full sized dessert, do check out the other page to find out the measures, etc. for what you will be needing.
I confess I have a real weakness for Biscoff biscuits, or Lotus biscuits/cookies as they are also known! I have also heard them called Airline Cookies. My boss from the Manor used to fly back and forth to American on Delta and always had several handfuls of them when they got home.
I confess I used to sneak a cheeky biscuit to enjoy myself. They were soooo good. At that time you could not find them in the U.K.
Now they are readily available in the U.K. as is the Biscoff spread which you will need for this recipe. It is like a peanut butter, except made with crushed cookies. Oh my, but it is some delicious.
Those biscuits are incredibly moreish. Sweet and crunchy, flavored with caramel and cinnamon. You can't eat just one, and they do go incredibly well with hot drinks. They also go incredibly well in this tasty dessert!
What you have here is a base of finely crushed Biscoff layered in the bottom of a very small canning jar. (1/4 pint). This gets topped with the cheesecake mixture.
The cheesecake mixture is a simple mix of lightly sweetened vanilla whipped double cream, folded into softened cream cheese which has been beaten until smooth with some of that Biscoff spread.
This gets spooned over top of the crushed biscuit layer and then a final layer of melted Biscoff spread is spooned over top to cover it. A final topping of crushed biscuits (or chopped) is scattered over top and Bob's Your Uncle!
Dessert is done. All you need to do now is to pop it into the fridge so that it can set up. I left it for about 4 hours and it was perfection.
Lovely and light, this would make the perfect dessert to enjoy after a heavy meal. It is such a simple make as well, and goes together very quickly.
Many of us are looking for quick and easy after all of the work we have put into getting things ready for Christmas over the past few weeks. This is just the ticket!!!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BISCOFF CHEESECAKE CUPS
Not a lot of any one thing really. Simple ingredients put together in the most delicious way!
- 4 Lotus Biscoff biscuits, crushed
- 2 ounces (56g) cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream (whipping cream)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1 TBS icing sugar
- 2 TBS Biscoff butter spread
To top:
- 3 TBS Biscoff butter spread, melted
- 2 Biscoff cookies crumbled
You can find the Biscoff spread in the peanut butter aisle of the grocery store. Oh boy but it is some good. I could eat it just with a spoon. You will find that it comes in handy for all sorts. Its very nice spread onto plain biscuits/cookies. Like social tea, maria or malted milk biscuits.
I used Philadelphia brand cream cheese and I used full fat. I did not see the point of using light cream cheese when I was using cream anyways. In for a penny, in for a pound!
I can cut back on the calories tomorrow!
HOW TO MAKE BISCOFF CHEESECAKE CUPS
These are really very easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to set up! If you start this morning they will be right lovely for your supper/tea tonight!
Have ready two 1/4 pint canning jars, or cups which will hold at least 1/3 cup of cheesecake. (This is the size you want here. They each hold about 4 ounces in total.)
Put the 4 biscuits into a zip lock baggie, zip it shut, and crush them to a fine crumb by running a heavy rolling pin back and forth over them. Divide them between the cups, tamping them down in the cups until firm.
Beat the heavy cream with the vanilla and icing sugar until soft peaks form.
Beat the cream cheese together with the Biscoff spread until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Divide the mixture between the two jars evenly. Tap the bottom of the jars onto the counter top to help it settle.
Melt the Biscoff spread for the topping in the microwave. It will only take about 10 seconds. Divide this evenly between the two cups, pouring half of it over the top of the whipped mixture in each cup.
Sprinkle crushed Biscoff biscuits over top of the melted spread, dividing them equally. Cover with the lid to the jar and refrigerate at least four hours or overnight. Enjoy!
This was super delicious. Rich and creamy. There was just enough of it in the cup to satisfy without going over the top. I highly recommend!
I actually cut the recipe back even further, making only one serving and having tasted it I was happy that I had because it was so delicious I could never have been trusted with two servings of this and only one of me! I know my limits!
Some other delicious desserts built specifically for the smaller family on here that you might enjoy are:
LAYERED CHOCOLATE PUDDING DESSERT - This scrumptious sized for two people dessert lacks none of the deliciousness of it's full sized counterpart. With layers of crisp shortcake biscuit crust, and creamy chocolate and vanilla layers, it delights with every mouthful. Sized perfectly for the smaller family. Just enough to enjoy but not get you into trouble!
MEXICAN CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKES - You might think that because you are a small family of only one or two people, molten chocolate lava cake is off the menu for you, or that you will have to wait until you have company before you can enjoy it. I am happy to say that is just not true. Whether you are one person or two people, you can certainly enjoy a delicious chocolate dessert, built just for two or for one with leftovers to enjoy another day!
Yield: 2
Biscoff Cheesecake Cups
Prep time: 15 MinInactive time: 4 HourTotal time: 4 H & 15 M
This recipe makes only two delicious servings of this decadent no bake cheese cake. Quick and easy to make the most difficult part is waiting for it to set up.
Ingredients
- 4 Lotus Biscoff biscuits, crushed
- 2 ounces (56g) cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream (whipping cream)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1 TBS icing sugar
- 2 TBS Biscoff butter spread
To top:
- 3 TBS Biscoff butter spread, melted
- 2 Biscoff cookies crumbled
Instructions
- Have ready two 1/4 pint canning jars, or cups which will hold at least 1/3 cup of cheesecake.
- Put the 4 biscuits into a zip lock baggie, zip it shut, and crush them to a fine crumb by running a heavy rolling pin back and forth over them. Divide them between the cups, tamping them down in the cups until firm.
- Beat the heavy cream with the vanilla and icing sugar until soft peaks form.
- Beat the cream cheese together with the Biscoff spread until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Divide the mixture between the two jars evenly. Tap the bottom of the jars onto the counter top to help it settle.
- Melt the Biscoff spread for the topping in the microwave. It will only take about 10 seconds. Divide this evenly between the two cups, pouring half of it over the top of the whipped mixture in each cup.
- Sprinkle crushed Biscoff biscuits over top of the melted spread, dividing them equally. Cover with the lid to the jar and refrigerate at least four hours or overnight. Enjoy!
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons