Classic Southern Pimento Cheese

Hi!  It's only mid-January and I'm already post a dip recipe made from primarily of cheese and mayonnaise.  I'm pretty sure this is breaking some food blogging rules, but sometimes that's necessary.

Pimento cheese is indeed a southern classic.  I hated it when I was a kid because of my aversion to mayonnaise, but I've grown to love it in recent years.  This pimento cheese could be used to make a killer grilled cheese, especially when accompanied by tomato soup--one of my all-time favorite winter meals.

Also, the Superbowl is coming up soon, and this is a quintessential football-watching recipe. (Or the kind of thing you'd like to eat while others are watching football....)

As for me, I'll be bringing this classic southern pimento cheese dip to a friend's house to watch the Bachelor tomorrow.  It's a silly, sometimes blatantly sexist show, but I enjoy making fun of it with my friends. The Bachelor also provides a great excuse to get together on a Monday night to drink wine and eat cheese dip.  Whatever we need to do to make Mondays in January a little more bearable, right?

Classic Southern Pimento Cheese

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Duke's mayonnaise
1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained
1 tablespoon graded Vidalia onion with juice (I used a box grater to grate the onion)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups extra-sharp white cheddar cheese


Directions:
Combine the mayo, pimentos, grated vidalia onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a large bowl.

Add the grated cheeses and stir to combine.

For optimum favor, refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Recipe adapted from The Southerner's Cookbook.

Copycat Trader Joe's Mediterranean Hummus

I'm generally against restrictive food resolutions for New Year's, just as I'm against diets that totally eliminate any particular food group.  

Though I know those diets can be helpful for some people, I think they can also be dangerous, in that they make people obsess over food in an unhealthy way.

I prefer a more balanced, everything in moderation approach, much like Michael Pollan's philosophy: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Nevertheless, I still set a couple food-related New Year's resolutions this year:

1.) Make more bread at home.

2.) Make more hummus at home.

3.) Eat less refined sugar.

#1 was inspired my newfound obsession with no-nead dutch oven bread. This recipe has been popular on the internet for a while now, but I just got around trying it in December and I am absolutely in love. You'd think this crusty round loaf came from a professional bakery, but you can make it easily in your own kitchen! As the recipe name indicates, it doesn't require any kneading, just 12-18 hours to rise. 

#3 was inspired by the fact that, probably like most of you, I overindulged on sugar during the holidays. I initially resolved not to eat dessert except on special occasions. This lasted exactly 9 days.  Some days, you just absolutely, inexplicably, need chocolate.  So, I made these vegan, refined-sugar free, gluten-free brownies (with peanut butter instead of almond butter). They were delicious, and because they're semi-healthy, I'm calling that a win. 

Finally, #2 was inspired by the fact that I consume an alarming amount of hummus every week.  It's such an easy thing to make, and while I love the Trader Joe's hummus, there's no reason I can't make it at home.  This particular mediterranean variety is smooth, creamy, and savory. The tahini flavor isn't strong, as it is in other types of hummus, but the other mediterranean flavors like lemon and sun-dried tomatoes really shine.  Feel free to mix up the ingredients and topping as you like.

Do you have any New Year's food resolutions?  Giving up chocolate was a silly idea, right?

Copycat Trader Joe's Mediterranean Hummus

Ingredients:

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1 garlic small garlic clove

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tahini

3/4 teaspoon salt

juice of 1 lemon

pinch of cumin

pinch of dried oregano

pinch of crushed red pepper (or more if you like it spicy)

small handful of fresh parsley, or a pinch of dried parsley

1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup hot water

Directions: 

Add all the ingredients except for the hot water to a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Gradually pour in the hot water while the processor is running. Continue running the food processor until the hummus is creamy and smooth. 

Chill for a few hours in order for the flavors to set. If desired, serve topped with extra olive oil, fresh parley, and crushed red pepper. 

Adapted from Sweet Anna's. 

Kale Salad with Raisins, Spicy Peanuts, and Crispy Cheddar

Happy New Year!

Happy kale-salading!

I know, surprise, surprise. The blog's first recipe in 2016 is a kale salad. But this isn't just any kale salad. It's a kale salad that tastes like peanut butter and jelly. 

Yes, really. This kale salad has a taste that actually resembles peanut butter and jelly.

The recipe is from one of the many cookbooks I received as Christmas and birthday gifts, Milk Bar Life by Christina Tosi.  You may remember that I raved about Christina Tosi a few posts back after finally visiting her bakery, Milk Bar, in D.C.

There are lots of fun and retro recipes in Christina's new book, but the one that jumped out at me the most was this recipe for a kale salad that she claimed tasted like peanut butter and jelly. Though I was in disbelief at first, now I totally understand.

The PB&J vibe comes from the combination of raisins (which you'll simmer in apple cider to plump up) and--my favorite--roasted peanuts with chili and honey.

You'll also slow roast some cheddar cheese until it's hard and can be broken into pieces. (photo above) The crispy cheddar pieces add a salty crunch to the salad like croutons.

If you're determined to eat more kale salads in the new year, this salad is a good place to start.  It's full of comforting and familiar flavors and is packed with enough protein to power you through the afternoon.

I'll be sharing more about my food-related New Year's resolutions next week, but for now I'll be eating this PB& J-esque kale salad and feeling really good about 2016. :)

Kale Salad with Raisins, Spicy Peanuts, and Crispy Cheddar

Ingredients:
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups apple cider (or apple juice)
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup roasted peanuts
1 bunch kale

dressing:
2 tablespoons reserved apple cider
juice from 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil


Directions: 
Preheat oven to 250. Spread the grated cheddar cheese in a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250 for 30-40 minutes in 10 minute intervals. Every ten minutes, rotate the cookie sheet. The cheese will be done when it is hardened and beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Use a spatula to break up the cheese into small pieces.

In a small sauce pan, combine raisins and apple cider. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until raisins are double in size. Set aside and let cool for 10 minutes. The raisins will continue to absorb the liquid.  When cooled, drain the raisins, but reserve 2 tablespoons apple cider for the dressing.

Increase oven temperature to 300.

In a small bowl, stir together the honey, chili powder, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil. Add peanuts and stir to coat. Spread peanuts over a cookie sheet. Bake at 300 for 10-12 minutes or until peanuts are toasted and fragrant.

Prepare the kale by stripping the leaves from the stem and cutting into small diagonal strips.

Prepare the dressing by whisking together the apple cider, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  While whisking, gradually drizzle in the olive oil.

Pour dressing over the kale and use your hands to massage the dressing into the leaves.

Toss dressed kale with the crispy cheddar, raisins, and chili honey peanuts. Dig in!


Notes:

• The salad will also keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days. 
• Makes 4 generous servings. 

Adapted from Milk Bar Life by Christina Tosi