Spicy Hummus

I really enjoy eating dips, but I didn't want to make another one with sour cream and mayonnaise so I decided to make a hummus. Here's my version with a little kick to it since I like everything spicy!

**Sorry, for some reason, blogspot decided to do weird things to my photos, so the lemon got cut out of this photo. 

INGREDIENTS

1 can chick peas

1 roasted red pepper

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons sesame oil (add 1 first, if it's not enough, add another)

1 chipotle pepper (I used 3 because I like it spicy)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 to 1/2 cup water (only if needed to get food processor or blender to whip everything together smoothly)

STEPS

• Toss everything into a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Serve with bread, pitas, veggies or chips.

Orange Blueberry Muffins

Now that we're a few days into 2009, it means that we need to get back into the swing of things. For us, that means going back to work, thinking about what we can pack for breakfast and lunch and what we can put together quickly for dinner. Muffins have always been a great solution for a breakfast that you can pack up and eat at the office, but I haven't yet been able to find a recipe that I like. Instead of searching, I decided to try my own creation: Orange Blueberry Muffins.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

zest of 1 orange

juice of 1 orange

2/3 cup sour cream (I use fat free)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

STEPS

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large bowl or a mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Then add the eggs, orange zest and orange juice. Blend until well mixed, then add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix in thoroughly.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg together. Then fold it in to the wet mixture until just combined. Then stir in the blueberries. Do not overmix.
• Pour into a greased muffin tray or a tray lined with paper muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 22 minutes. Makes 12 standard sized muffins.

**Result: A really light, fluffy and tasty muffin. It has a nice, crispy outside and a very soft inside. There's just enough orange flavour that balances nicely with the blueberries. This is a winner! In the future, I'll modify the recipe to make different kinds of muffins like lemon cranberry, apple cinnamon or even carrot muffins.