THE best Hummus

From: www.sweetsimplevegan.com

1 head of garlic

3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans)

3/4 cup reserved chickpea liquid (aquafaba)

1/3 cup tahini

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Optional: 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Optional: black pepper, to taste

Pita bread, to serve

TOP WITH:

Additional chickpeas

Good-quality olive oil

Paprika

Za’atar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove the flaky outer skin off of the garlic head and then cut the top off of a head of garlic. Place it into a sheet of foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinle of salt and pepper. Wrap it up loosely and then place it into the oven (directly on the rack) for 1 hour and cool until easy to handle. 

Reserve about 3/4 cup of the chickpea liquid (aquafaba) and discard the remaining. 

Place the cooked chickpeas into a high-speed blender or a food processor, along with the roasted garlic (squeeze the cooked cloves out and discard the skin), tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup aquafaba, salt, and any other seasonings you’d like. Blend until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add more of the aquafaba if you feel the hummus is too thick and adjust the seasonings and tahini to taste.

Serve the hummus in a wide bowl and top it with a drizzle of good olive oil. We also added a sprinkle of paprika and za’atar.

Store the hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

NOTES

Keep in mind the hummus will get thicker in the fridge as it sits.

A high-speed blender is recommended for this, but a food processor works as well. Keep in mind that with a food processor, it may not be as smooth and you will need to blend it for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

From: https://beyondfrosting.com/chocolate-swiss-meringue-buttercream/

5 large egg whites

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 ounces dark chocolate, melted

Instructions:

Wipe down the inside of your stainless-steel bowl with vinegar to remove any grease. Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl with candy thermometer attached.

Set the bowl over top of a pot with 1 ¼ cups water covering the bottom. Place over medium heat.

Stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture reaches 140°-160° The sugar should be dissolved in the egg whites. You can test this by placing a drop on your finger tips and rubbing them together. The mixture should be completely smooth.

In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring each time until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

Immediately place the mixing bowl on your stand. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low for 2 minutes then increase to medium high.

Beat for another 5 minutes. At this point, your frosting should have turned white and the body of the meringue starts to form. Increase the mixing speed to high. It will start to look glossy as the peaks begin to form. Beat for another 5-8 minutes until the bottom of your bowl is cool to the touch and your meringue has stiff peaks.

Turn your mixer down to medium-low. Slowly add your butter, 1 tbsp at a time. As you add more butter, the frosting might appear to have curdled and lost its body, that’s ok. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Switch to the paddle attachment, add the vanilla extract and continue beating on medium-high speed until your frosting starts to form. Slowly drizzle in the chocolate and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes.

Yield: 4 cups 

S'mores in a pan

1 c. butter or margarine, melted

1/3 c. sugar

3 c. graham cracker crumbs, crushed fine (2 blocks)

2 c. milk chocolate chips

3 c. mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan w/ cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine melted butter, sugar & graham cracker crumbs until well coated. Press half of crumb mixture in pan. Top with chocolate chips, then marshmallows. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over marshmallows & press down slightly with a spatula. Bake for 10 minutes or until marshmallows are melted. Cool completely before cutting. It's best to let them cool for a few hours or put them in fridge to cool. They are VERY messy when warm.

White Chocolate Maple Pecan Cookies

from: https://www.savvymamalifestyle.com/maple-white-chocolate-chip-cookies/

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temp.

1 teaspoon maple flavoring

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups white baking chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

MAPLE GLAZE:

1/3 cup butter, cubed

1-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and maple flavoring.

In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in baking chips and pecans.

Scoop dough with ice cream scoop, for a uniform look, 2 in. apart onto parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake 11-12 minutes or until golden brown, alternating oven racks halfway. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

FOR GLAZE: in a small glass bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, syrup and maple flavoring until smooth.

Drizzle over cookies; let dry completely. Store between pieces of waxed paper in airtight container.

Makes 22 large cookies 

Chick Fil-A Sauce

From: Spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com

4 tspns yellow mustard

¼ c barbecue sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

2 T honey

¼ tspn garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together & chill

Chick Fil-A Chicken Sandwiches

From Natashaskitchen.com

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade:

3 medium chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, halved into 6 cutlets

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1 Tbsp hot sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

Classic Breading for Fried Chicken:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

Oil for frying - vegetable oil, canola oil or peanut oil

Toppings for Chicken Sandwiches:

6 burger buns, buttered and toasted

6 green lettuce leaves

1 large tomato, sliced

2 dill pickles, sliced into rings

Mayonnaise, or your favorite sauce

Instructions

Pound chicken cutlets between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even 1/2” thickness so they cook more evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients. Add Chicken, turning to coat then cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight.

In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together breading ingredients: flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Remove a piece of chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off and dip chicken into flour mixture, pressing it on with your hands to coat well. Transfer to a wire rack.

Heat 1 ” oil in a soup pot or dutch oven to 350˚F. Just before frying chicken, dip it into the seasoned flour again for a thick and shaggy exterior.Add chicken, 2 pieces at a time for a smaller pot so you don’t crowd and reduce the temperature of the oil too quickly.

Place chicken into the oil one by one. Adjust the flame to keep the oil temperature at 300-325˚F. Cook 3-4 minutes on the first side or until browned and crisp then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the second side or until cooked through and chicken is browned and crisp all over.

Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. The internal temperature will continue to rise as it rests. The final resting temperature of the chicken should reach 165˚F.

Lightly butter and toast the cut sides of your buns and build your crispy chicken sandwiches with desired toppings.

Chick Fil-A Sauce:

4 tspns yellow mustard

¼ c barbecue sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

2 T honey

¼ tspn garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together & chill