Edamame Hummus with Pita Crisps
Edamame stands in perfectly for garbanzo beans in this dip reminiscent of traditional hummus. With its brilliant green color, it makes a beautiful addition to a party buffet. To make the presentation even more interesting, you can stuff this mixture into cherry tomatoes topped with a touch of fat-free sour cream.
3 pita breads, preferably whole wheat, cut into small triangles
1 and one-half cups shelled edamame
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
one-half teaspoon salt
one-half teaspoon ground cumin
one-half teaspoon ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
one-half cup minced parsley leaves
3-4 Tablespoons tahini
3 Tablespoons water
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Place pita triangles on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degrees F oven until crisp. Remove from oven and let cool. Place edamame oil, salt, cumin, black pepper, garlic, parsley, tahini, water, and lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth. Arrange hummus into serving bowl and serve with pita. Serves 12.
Baked Goat Cheese with Tomatoes on Garlic Toast
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 and one-half teaspoons salt
one-half teaspoon pepper
1 and one-half teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 cups peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes (approx. 2 and one-half pounds)
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons dry sherry
8 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon half and half
one-quarter teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 and one-half Tablespoons chopped black olives for garnish
one-half Tablespoon chopped parsley for garnish
olive oil for garnish
garlic toast (see recipe below)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium high heat; add the chopped onions, salt and pepper. Cook onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, sherry and butter to the pan and cook until just soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside. In a bowl, place the goat cheese, half and half, salt and cayenne pepper and mix until creamy. Using a 9" glass pie pan, form a disk with the goat cheese mixture in the center of the dish. Spoon the tomato mixture around the goat cheese. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the goat cheese starts to melt. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the black olives and chopped parsley over the top of the dish. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve with garlic toasts.
Garlic Toasts
1 baguette cut into one-quarter inch slices
one-quarter cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from the oven and rub each slice with the garlic clove.
