Mama’s Classic Hummus

Ingredients

1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas. You  can make your own, or use a can. I make my own, put them in a crock pot and night and cook on low all night.

1/3 cup Tahini  (if you don’t have Tahini, you can sue almond butter – I use that 90% of the time

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 T fresh lemon juice (add more to taste)

3 cloves of garlic – peeled

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Smoked Paprika for garnish

Chickpea water to desired texture

Instructions

  1. In a high-speed blender, food processor or Vitamix, add chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt/ Blend until silky smooth, adding chickpea water to the consistency you want. (I rarely need to add it)
  2. Transfer to bowl, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature to serve. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, carrots snow peas (whatever you like)

Roasted red pepper hummus – add one long roasted red pepper and 1 teaspoon of Smoked Paprika to the chickpea mixture to blend (you can use roasted red peppers  from a jar or grill your own)

Enjoy!!

Classic Hummus and Roaster Red Pepper Hummus
Classic Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper hummus

Mama’s Tuna Noodle Casserole

Growing up in the Catholic middle class of the Midwest, our families pinched pennies to feed their large families. I was recently reminded of a childhood favorite of mine, so I gave it a try last night.
Ingredients:
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup shredded cheese (I used Monterrey Jack and Cheddar) but you can use most any cheese you want! (even Velveeta)
4 T butter
6 ounces of frozen peas
1 5 ounce can of good grade tuna
9 ounces of egg noodles
Process:
turn on oven to 375 degrees
Cook pasta as instructed on the package. Meanwhile, add frozen peas to a large bowl, add butter, cut in to 4 slices. Add cheese and tuna (drain, if there is water). Add cream of mushroom soup.
Drain pasta and mix with other ingredients. spray oil in a loaf pan, or 8×8 pan. pour contents in pan.
bake for 30-40 minutes until well heated and peas are cooked. enjoy!!!