My Favourite Yogurt

I hate fruit-cup-yogurt. It's pretty much jelly with yogurt and sickeningly sweet. I don't know how yogurt morphed into all this crap on the market; pre-prepared yogurt drinks, sweetened yogurt,fruit-jam-yogurt, I can barely stomach half of it. And that's even before I get to the texture. It has become this runny glop in a cup. It's like a black hole to the two of you in a grocery store. The closer you get, the harder it is to pull you away from the cartoon character sugared yogurt drinks, and as I pull you away with your arms outstretched, claims of 'but I like it' frustrate me to no end. There are some slightly sweetened brands that are not too bad, but I stress that those are dessert like snacks, resembling nothing of what a real yogurt should be. They use yogurt as an ingredient, while real yogurt is so incredibly versatile that it only makes sense to stock the real deal in your fridge.

Yogurt with walnuts and honey (before you were born, Alistair!)

My preferred brand.

Kale Chips

A friend at work told me about these and I had to try them.
Funny enough, the day after I made them, mom came to visit and told me she had just made a batch last night. Coincidence? Yes, but a very odd one to make. These are by no means a popular or trendy snack. Healthy and tasty, but still on the fringes of 'fad food'.

Be mindful; the difference of seconds in the oven can take tasty to bitter, so be mindful of time and colour. If you look at the picture, the leaves should turn no darker than the brownish bit jutting up (front-center, and top). I still need to perfect the recipe.

Chips: They look like raw kale, but they are damn crispy.

Seasoning

Black Pepper		1 tbsp
Granulated Garlic		2 tbsp
Chilli Powder		1 tbsp
Sea Salt		1 tbsp
Olive Oil		4 tbsp

Chips

Kale

1 bunch

Preparation:

1. Wash kale leaves thoroughly and set aside on kitchen towel to dry.
2. When completely dry, remove tough rib and rip leaves into two inch pieces (each piece should have a ruffled section.
3. Coat with olive oil. Use your hands to mix and to get all through the ruffles.
4. Add spice blend and mix well (with hands).
5. Lay leaves out on two baking sheets so they do not overlap.
6. Set oven to 350 and bake the two trays for 15-20 minutes, turning once in between.
7. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before sealing in a container. If not, you will steam any crispiness out of the chips.

Hummus in a Hurry

I was hosting an event for En's birthday and had as much on my plate as I could handle, but when looking at the table, it needed something else. And what is both hearty and easy to make in a flash? Hummus.

I've done I've done the traditional  hummus before, but for some reason it takes me a long time and the consistancy is spotty until you add heaps of oil, and I just can't justify ingesting that much oil in one mouthful. To do the traditional hummus properly, you need to soak the chick peas from dry overnight with a touch of baking soda. This is the only way to produce the right consistency and great flavour. Using canned chick peas can still be done well, and after much tweaking, this version below insures each bite is yummy and smooth while still healthy if you choose to eat the whole tub.

Served with regular Breton crackers. It disappeared after two refills.

Hummus

Chick Peas		750 ml can
Onion		1, medium
Garlic		5 cloves
Olive Oil		1/2 cup
Lemon Zest		1 Lemon
Lemon Juice		1 Lemon
Tahini		4 tbs
Black Pepper		3 tsp (ground)
Smoked Paprika		2 tsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tsp (ground)
Water		1/4 cup
Canola Oil		2 tbsp

Garnish

Flat Leaf Parsley		Leaves, chopped

Preparation:

1. Chop onion and mince garlic
2. Heat a pot on medium with canola oil
3. Add onion and stir
4. After a few minutes, add garlic
5. Saute until translucent
6. Move mixture to sides of the pot and in the cleared middle, toast paprika and ground black pepper. Be very careful not to burn them! Pay attention to scent and colour.
7. When toasted, stir mixture together
8. Add chick peas and stir to coat
9. Zest lemon directly into the pot
10. Add Tahini
11. Stir and allow to cook until mixture has softened
12. When mositure has evaporated, add the water to loosen all the flavour on the bottom of the pan and also helps the mixture to soften further. This will give a creamy texture with flavour without watering it down
13. When mixture has heated through and starts to thicken, add olive oil and lemon juice
14. Remove pot from heat
15. Add salt
16. With a stick blender, blitz entire pot until creamy smooth. Add more olive oil (after blitzing) to loosen if necessary. Keep in mind - beating oil emulsifies, so always do this at the end.
17. Refrigerates well for a few days, so good to make in advance if you're pressed for time