Mock Caesar Salad Dressing

While I love store bought salad dressing, I don’t love the dairy that’s in it. So, I came up with my own unique Salad dressing. It is the perfect combination of tangy and creamy. Everyone in our house loves it, and that says a lot. My kids actually want to eat salad now, especial my carnivorous 6 year old boy.

Ingredients

– 1/2 a cup mayonnaise

– 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

– 2 tablespoons lemon juice

– 1/4 teaspoon salt

– 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

– 2 teaspoons garlic

Utensils

– Small bowl

– Measuring cups

– Measuring spoon

– Spoon for mixing

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients and mix until well combined.
2. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours before using.

Notes:

If you like your salad dressing to be a little less tangy and a bit sweeter, you can add a 1/4 tsp sugar at a time until you get the desired taste.  

Best Hummus Recipe Ever! (Chickpea Dip)

Hummus is the Arabic word for chickpeas. This flavorful dip that is served as Maza is simply named after chickpeas. Maza is sort of like the appetizers that are served before the main meal. I used to hate hummus, but my husband loved it. So I started experimenting with it, changing up the recipe, and recording my findings until I made what I think is the perfect hummus recipe.

Here is what you’ll need.

Ingredients

– 3 cups cooked hummus (cooled)

– ¼ cup of the cooking water (If you are using canned hummus, you could save a ¼ cup of the liquid that’s in the can.)

– ¼ cup of olive oil

– ½ cup of lemon juice (fresh is better if possible)

– ½ cup of Tahini (Tahini varies in flavor. I have yet to try Lebanon Valley Tahineh Extra 32 Oz. but I am really looking forward to it. If you would like to try it, click on the link to take you there.)

– 1 tablespoon of minced garlic

– 1 ¾ teaspoon salt

– Extra olive oil for dressing

Utensils

– Measuring cups

– Measuring spoons

– Food processor

– Spatula

– Serving platter

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Process on high until smooth and creamy.
2. Remove blades from the food processor. Using a spatula, scrape the hummus into a serving platter. Garnish with some parsley or a tomato peel shaped into a rose. Drizzle some olive oil on top.
3. Serve with pitta bread, green peppers, onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes or whatever your heart desires.
4. You could also use this hummus recipe as a sandwich spread with some chicken or beef Shawarma, or whatever you like!

Note: If you like less garlic, you could add one teaspoon at a time until you get the desired taste. If you like less lemon juice, you could add one quarter cup at a time or less until you get the desired taste. If you like it to be tangier, you could substitute the chickpea liquid with lemon juice. If you like it to be more garlicky, then by all means, add as much garlic as you like, but always add in small quantities and then taste to see if you like it because you could easily mess it up if you add too much of something.

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

These Granola bars are a staple in my house. My kids always beg me to make them. They are a healthier alternative than most store bought snacks, and they take less than 10 minutes to prepare. You can’t beat that!

Ingredients

– ½ cup honey

– 1 cup crunchy peanut butter

– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

– 1 ½ cups gluten free rolled oats (Bob’s Red Mill will do)

– 1 ½ cups gluten free rice crisps cereal

– ½ cup unsweetened shredded Coconut (I use Anthony’s brand)

– 1 cup semisweet chocolate (or dark chocolate) morsels

Utensils

– Large wooden spoon

– Large microwavable bowl

– Measuring cups

– Measuring spoons

– Spatula

– Baking spray

– Cookie sheet lined with foil

– Plastic wrap

Directions

1. Place 1 cup of Peanut butter in a large microwavable bowl. Heat in microwave for one to two minutes or until soft and slightly melted.
2. Add ½ a cup of honey and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the peanut butter. Mix well until well combined.
3. To the peanut butter and honey mixture, add the 1 ½ cups of rice crisps, 1 ½ cups rolled oats, ½ a cup of unsweetened shredded coconuts, and the 1 cup of chocolate. Using a wooden spoon, mix until well combined.
4. Using a spatula, scrape mixture into the cookie sheet lined with foil.
5. Spray your clean palms with the cooking spray. Rub your palms together, and gently press on the mixture with your oiled hands to spread it evenly into the pan in order to create a ½ or a ¼ inch thick granola sheet.
6. Cover the granola sheet with a plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate for one hour. Cut into even bars (whatever size you like) and enjoy~

 Note

You can replace the chocolate with any mixture of dehydrated fruits of your liking.

You can also replace the rice crisps with rolled oats. This will make the granola bars less sweet, hence, healthier 🙂

These are some Links to the products that I buy from Amazon that are listed in this recipe

Anthony’s Organic unsweetened Shredded Coconut (2lb)

Bob’s Red Mill Old Fashioned Regular Rolled Oats, 32 Oz (4 Pack)