Roasted Jalepeno Cheddar Hummus, Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and Addictive Granola

The weather outside is frightful....yes indeed. Just another typical "spring afternoon in Las Cruces. 40 mph winds and thankful to be inside!!

My mom and I both like ethnic foods and don't mind a little heat in our salsa or hummus, which is why this recipe is perfect! I upped the warmth by adding 3 jalepenos instead of 1, which was the original recipe and added cayenne pepper to it. It's warm, but not too hot and the cheddar is a nice twist!

Ingredients:

2 14.5-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 jalapeno pepper, chopped and seeds removed

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 T warm water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat broiler to high, slice and devein 3 jalepenos. Place on baking sheet and roast under broiler for 10 minutes. Immediately place roasted jalepenos in a zip-loc bag and let them steam for another 10 minutes. The steam will allow the skin to come off easily.

Combine the chickpeas, jalapeno pepper, olive oil, water, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt in a vita-mix or food processor. Process until smooth (adding more water if you desire to thin the hummus out a bit).

Add the cheddar cheese and process again until everything is well combined.

This is the second batch of Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip muffins that I've made in the past week. They're great snacks and you can certainly opt out of the chocolate chips! (Why??) I added walnuts and chocolate chips, which were great!!

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of organic whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of organic unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 3 mashed ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup of canola oil
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease or place liners in a muffin pan.
2. Place the ripe peeled bananas in a mixer and blend on low speed for 3-5 minutes until well mashed.
3. Add the oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla and mix again on low speed for 1 minute until combined.
4. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flours, sugar, b.powder, b.soda, salt, and chocolate chips)
5. Add the banana mixture to the dry mixture and combine until just blended (DO NOT OVER MIX!)
6. Fill each muffin up about 3/4 full.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a piece of dry spaghetti or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Place muffins on a cooling rack and allow them to sit for 10-15 minutes before attempting to remove the wrapper. Makes 12 large-ish muffins.

My last recipe from this week is a great granola (from the NY Times). *Note, I didn't have the unsweetened coconut, pistachios, pumpkin seeds or cardemom. I just had the oats, tossed in pecans and used just the cinnamon, salt, maple syrup and brown sugar and it turned out just fine! It's addictive!! I love it on top of greek yogurt!!

Olive Oil Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups raw pistachios, hulled

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled

1 cup coconut chips

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

3/4 cup chopped dried apricots

Fresh ricotta, for serving (optional)

Fresh berries, for serving (optional).

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.

2. Transfer granola to a large bowl and add apricots, tossing to combine. Serve with ricotta and fruit, if desired.