The lavosh is very low fat, too. The only fat in that huge recipe which served 50 was 4 TBSP butter, so less than a quarter tsp per serving. No one asked for my hummus recip but I am giving it to you anyway LOL. It's an adaptation of Alton Brown's Turbo Hummus, and it's very fast and easy. Fresh ingredients like fresh lemons and garlic make a big difference, so don't cut corners with bottles or jarred versions! this recipe serves 8 and I quardrupled it for the fling. It takes 10 minutes to make. Ingredients 4 to 6 cloves garlic 2 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), one can drained, one can undrained 4 to 6 tablespoons tahini (I just grind my own sesame seeds into a paste in the food processor, it's cheaper and tastes fresher) A couple handful fresh parsley leaves 2 lemons, zested and juiced Pinch freshly ground black pepper 2 Pinches kosher salt 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I like mine with a little less oil and generally do 1/2 cup) Directions Chop the garlic finely in a food processor. Add the beans and the reserved liquid and process finely or to desired consistency. Add the tahini (sesame seed paste), parsley, lemon zest and juice, black pepper, and salt. Process until it forms a paste. Drizzle in the olive oil and process until it reaches the consistency of mayonnaise Jo

I haven't been cooking much. Too hot and my new field job leaves me pooped at the end of the day. I love it but it still wipes me out. The potato salad I made after having and loving it as Wegman's. The carrot cake I made last weekend for BF's birthday. I had made it once before and liked it, but this time I ran out of carrots and subbed crushed pineapple for some of the carrots and it was fantastic! I just love one layer cakes, they are the perfect size! The baked beans recipe is going to be my new "go to" baked beans. It is the first completely "from scratch" baked beans recipe that I have liked. If you use a crockpot, it is still a cinch to make. Latin Red Potato & Corn Salad Recipe from Wegman's Makes 12 cups. Ingredients 2 bags (24 oz each) Baby Red Potatoes, 1-inch dice 1/2 red sweet pepper, 1/4-inch dice (about 3/4 cup) 3 ears of corn, shucked, kernels removed (about 3 cups) or 1 pkg (16 oz) Whole Kernel Corn, thawed (Frozen Foods) 1/4 red onion, peeled, very thinly sliced 1 Tbsp Tabasco Pepper Sauce 3/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt 1 1/4 cups Cilantro-Lime Pesto (see related recipe) Zest of 1 lime Directions Add potatoes and enough cold water to cover in stockpot. Simmer on MEDIUM about 20 min (don't boil), until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain. Lay potatoes flat on baking sheet to cool 10 min (still warm, not completely cooled). Combine red pepper, corn, onion, Tabasco, and salt in large bowl. Fold in potatoes, pesto sauce, and lime zest. Cilantro Lime Pesto 5 cloves Peeled Garlic 1 bunch cilantro, washed, roots trimmed 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (Bulk Foods), toasted and cooled 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp Pure Olive Oil Juice of 1 lime (about 1-2 Tbsp) 1 1/2 tsp sea salt Directions: Add garlic, cilantro, toasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil, lime juice, and sea salt to food processor. Pulse on HIGH until well-combined. Chef Tip(s): Toast pumpkin seeds in skillet on MEDIUM-HIGH, 1-2 min, until lightly browned. Let cool. Great dipping sauce for quesadillas and grilled vegetables. Lpink's notes: Can use regular red potatoes if you don't have the dosh for the pricey baby ones. Just cut them up. Can also use parsley and maybe fresh oregano or some other herb in place of the cilantro if you can't find that either. Add a healthy dash of ground corriander seed to compensate. Torta di Carote del Veneto (Carrot Cake from the Veneto) from "Cucina Ebraica" by Joyce Goldstein Note: Joyce says use fresh young, sweet organic carrots. She's probably right, but subbing a cup of canned crushed pineapple for a cup of carrots adds a note of freshness if you can't afford the fancy carrots. Serves 8 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1/2 tsp. almond extract (I omitted this because I added pineapple this time.) 1 tsp. vanilla extract Grated zest of one large lemon 2 cups all purpose flour (I used half whole wheat pastry flour) 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (I used half nutmeg and half ground ginger) Pinch of salt 4 cups finely grated carrots (about 1 lb.) (Thank you again Johnliu for the Cuisinart!!) 1/2 cup ground toasted almonds Confectioners sugar for the topping (I made cream cheese frosting) Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch cake pan, line it with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Beat together softened butter and other wet ingredients. In another bowl sift together flour and dry ingredients. (Or not, Lpink never does!). Fold flour mixture into batter, then fold in the carrots and almonds. Pour into the prepared cake pan. Bake until golden and the top springs back to the touch and the cake tests done. 45-60 min. (I baked it for 45 and it was done). Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Invert the cake onto a cake platter when cool. Sift confectioners sugar over the top of it and serve with a dollop of whipped cream if you want to be Continental. If not, frost with cream cheese icing. Lpink's note: Sub one cup pineapple for one cup of carrots. This greatly improves the recipe. Also, I think I would like it better with walnuts, but I didn't have any so I made as written with almonds. It was very good, but if you don't have almonds on hand, feel free to sub walnuts. You could also add plumped raisins for extra interest, but not needed. Last but not least, a "Cooking Light" baked beans recipe we have been enjoying all week. I didn't use chorizo, I just used some turkey kielbasa we had on hand. Not as sweet as regular baked beans and picante, both good things IMHO. Smokey Baked Beans with Chorizo from June 2011 "Cooking Light" magazine. Ingredients 1 pound dried Great Northern beans (2 1/2 cups) 1 cup diced dry-cured Spanish chorizo 4 cups chopped onion 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 4 cups water 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon paprika 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons brown sugar (NO! Use 4 heaping TBLSP) 3 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste 3 tablespoons molasses 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (Lpink subbed a WHISPER of ground chipotle, since she didn't use chorizo) 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/2 cup chopped green onions 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Preparation 1. Sort and wash beans; place in a Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans. Cover; let stand 8 hours. Drain. 2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chorizo; cook 4 minutes or until fat begins to render. Add onion and garlic; sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Add beans, water, and next 7 ingredients (through bay leaves); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until beans are just tender. (Lpink made the beans in the crockpot.) 3. Preheat oven to 350°. 4. Stir brown sugar and the next 3 ingredients (through crushed red pepper) into bean mixture; bring to a simmer. Cover; bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are very tender and sauce is thick. Remove from oven; stir in vinegar, black pepper, and ground red pepper. Discard bay leaves; sprinkle with green onions and parsley.

A reader in a magazine I subscribe to sent in a recipe for a cactus garden salsa. I made it but was appalled that it called for 4 1/2 c of sugar; I couldn't figure out why, and thought the whole thing rather bland. But I liked the idea, did some searching on pectin (which I had never used), bought more ingredients & twitched the recipe around last week. It came out much better this time - enough that I'm sharing it around with friends & neighbors. Some of the ingredients have a quantity range: I used the larger amounts for more zestiness. I think I changed the recipe enough to rename it: Pickled Cactus and Jalapeno Salsa Jam Yield: 6-7 4-oz containers 1 3/4 c seeded, chopped tomatoes (red are better than orange) 3/4-1 cup nopalitos (canned marinated cactus), chopped 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2-2/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup tomato sauce 1/3-1/2 cup chopped pickled jalapeno chile peppers 1 tsp finely shredded lime peel 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice 1/4-1/2 tsp bottled hot pepper sauce 1 tsp salt 3/4 cup water 1 3/4 ounce package premium fruit powdered pectin (less or no sugar type) 1. In a large bowl stir together tomatoes, nopalitos, onion, cilantro, tomato sauce, jalapenos, lime peel, lime juice, hot pepper sauce, and salt. Let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 2. In a small saucepan stir together the water and pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring occasionally, and boil for 1 minute. Pour over vegetables. Stir for 5 minutes. 3. Spoon jam into half-pint freezer containers, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Seal, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before serving. Serve over cream cheese with tortilla chips or crackers. Here is a link that might be useful: Notes on pectin half way down the screen

Mine is not authentic hummus, but it is easy to make and really good. We use it as a dip, a sandwich spread, and it is excellent rolled into a tortilla or pita. -1 can chickpeas, drained -enough veggie stock to cover the peas -1 small onion quartered or chopped -garlic cloves, peeled but whole (I use 2 for myself, 1 for company) -black pepper -sour cream or yoghurt -lemon juice -fresh or dried parsley In a saucepan, cover the peas with stock or water. Add garlic and onion, parsley and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until peas mash easily with a spoon. The onion and garlic don't have to be cooked through, I prefer it if they are a bit undercooked flavour wise. Dump contents of pan into a blender, and puree until completely smooth, adding more stock if needed and scraping down often. If using right away, stir in a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. If I am using it as a dip I like more yougurt in it, as a spread a little less or it gets too gooey. I will put it in the fridge and add my yogurt and lemon as I use it. You can also drizzle it with sesame oil if you prefer.