Day 3- more experiments

This morning Mike and I went out to breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants- Seasons & Regions. They are amazing- using a lot of ingredients they grow organically on their own farm: http://seasonsandregions.com/ I had the Strawberry Challah French Toast- it was awesome. I'm not giving up eating out- just trying to choose foods and restaurants that follow my goals- local, fresh, organic- if possible and handmade.

Afterwards we went to the Tigard Farmer's Market and picked up some awesome fresh strawberries and fruit from Liepold Farms (www.liepoldfarms.com)- my favorite! As well as some lettuce, asparagus, green onions and all sorts of other fresh veggies... all ready for me to start experimenting with. We came home and I made Hummus. SO simple- I used my Betty Crocker's cookbook. I also made some tortilla chips- not from fresh tortillas, but soon. I am committed to the new diet, but I'm also working through food I already have... it seems wasteful not to use the fresh food- you know? Tonight I'm having another marinated portebello (oh yea- need to post that recipe) I tend to be a creature of habit and eat the same things over again, so that part will be interesting. Anyways, here's the recipes. Tomorrow should be REALLY fun... blueberry coffee cake for breakfast and Greens with Cashews & Basmati Rice and Carrot Cake Cupcakes for dessert.

Recipes:

Hummus (Betty Crocker's cookbook)
1 can (15 or 16 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained and the liquid reserved
1/2 c sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, cut in half
3 tbl lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Place reserved bean liquid, the sesame seeds and garlic in the blender or food processor. Cover and blend on high speed until mixed.

Add beans, lemon juice and salt. Cover and blend on high speed, stopping occasionally to scrape sides if necessary, until uniform consistency.

Spoon into serving dish.

Baked Tortilla Chips
4 corn or flour tortillas
2 tbl butter or stick margarine
Chili Powder, if desired.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush tortillas lightly with butter. Sprinkle with chili powder. Cut each tortilla into wedges. Place in single layer on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake uncovered 6-8 minutes or until light brown and crisp. Cool slightly. Store in tightly covered container up to 3 weeks at room temperature.

Dijon Marinade for Portabello:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbl salt
2 tbl dijon mustard
ground black pepper to taste.

Rinse and stem the portabello mushrooms. Pat the caps dry with a paper towel, lightly sprinkle with salt and set aside. Discard the stems or save them for stock.

Brush the portabello caps with marinade, place them in a container with rest of the marinade. Marinate for at least 10 minutes at room temperature or, for fuller flavor, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Grill or broil the portabello caps hollowed stem side down for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 4-7 minutes, until juicy and tender.