Pumpkin Hummus, Caramelized Onion and Fontina Cheese Pizza

This recipe was super-duper good. Lots of good stuff happening here, people. Lots of good stuff. (The original recipe can be found here.)

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons brown sugar  
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar  
1 pound bacon
Pizza dough
1-2 cups pumpkin hummus (see recipe below)
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and cut into matchsticks  
2 cups shredded fontina cheese

Heat some butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they turn soft and begin to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, and continue cooking and stirring until the onions are deep brown, about 10 minutes more. Pour in the balsamic vinegar, and simmer until the vinegar has reduced and become syrupy.

Meanwhile, place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crisp and evenly browned, about 10 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.

Spread pumpkin hummus on the pizza dough. Sprinkle with the caramelized onions. Top with the apple and crumbled bacon. Finally, sprinkle the fontina cheese over all of it.

Bake in the preheated oven until the pizza is hot and the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 15 minutes. 


Pumpkin Hummus

1-3/4 cups garbanzo beans, cooked (or just buy them canned)

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup tahini paste

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

salt to taste

Puree ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth.

Chicken a la Bacon

This meal is really good and is becoming a regular in our house. I got the recipe from here, and almost followed it entirely.

16 oz turkey bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
1 package mushrooms, halved
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup shredded chicken (or you can use a chicken breast)
1/2 cup white wine
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk

1. Fry bacon. Set aside.
2. Cook the onion and leeks in the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until the onion starts to turn translucent.
3. Add chicken, mushrooms, cooked bacon and red bell pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add white wine and cook until wine is reduced by 3/4.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

As with any meal, please remember to add enough salt. I would do at least 2 tsp for this recipe, maybe more. If you don't add enough salt, it will taste bland.

Italian Chicken Soup

This is one of the best soups I've ever had. Here is where the recipe came from, but I made alterations.

8 oz penne pasta
1-2 cups shredded chicken (or you can use chicken breast)
6 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2  jalapenos, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
2 T oregano
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese shavings (optional)

Cook pasta in a pot according to package directions, being sure not to overcook it. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool.

In a big pot, saute onion, green pepper, celery, and jalapenos in butter or coconut oil over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 5  minutes. Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, and tomatoes, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked pasta and cream. Stir to combine. Turn off heat. 

Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on the top, if desired.

Mongolian Beef

This was yummy and super easy to make. Here is where it came from.

1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup tamari
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger

1. In a small saucepan, heat tamari, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Bring to a low boil until sauce thickens slightly (about 1-2 minutes).

2. Place meat in a bowl and add cornstarch. Toss meat until all pieces are coated in cornstarch.

3. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet. When oil is hot, add in beef slices until slices are brown and just cooked. Add sauce to the beef and stir until sauce becomes thick. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve over rice.

Green Macaroni and Cheese

This is what we had to eat today, the 17th day of March. It was really good.

• 1 lb macaroni noodles
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 6 cups packed fresh spinach
• ½ cup boiling water
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 8 ounces white cheddar, grated
• 8 ounces fontina, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

2. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until just shy of al dente (about 6 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. **Before draining pasta, remove ½ cup of boling water for the spinach)

 

3. In a small pan, melt the butter and add the onions and jalapeno. Let them gently cook over medium-low heat for 7-10 minutes. Set aside.

 

4. In the jar of a blender, add the 6 cups of spinach and the boiling water. You probably need to use a spoon to push the spinach down. Blend to a fine, bright green puree.

 

5. In the pot that you used to cook the pasta, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir until smooth and cook over low heat about 1 minute.

 

6. Add the milk and stir until very smooth. Simmer about 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.

 

7. Add the cheese and stir and stir until melted, very smooth and thickened.

 

8. Add the spinach puree and stir until smooth. Season to taste with Kosher salt.

 

9. Pour the pasta into the pot of sauce, and add the onions and jalapeno and toss until everything is well combined.

 

10. Pour the macaroni into a 9x13x2” baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes until golden around the edges. Serve Hot!