Zucchini Parmesan Hummus

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention, especially when it comes to a fridge full of zucchini. This recipe hits a homerun with my kids, and it disappears quickly at every family function too!

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup chick peas, drained & rinsed

1 cup roasted or grilled zucchini

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Add the chick peas, zucchini, lemon juice, cheese, salt and pepper to your Cuisinart food processor. Process until mixture forms a chunky paste, about 45 seconds. Slowly drizzle in oil and continue processing until hummus becomes smooth and creamy, one to two more minutes. Serve with cut up vegetables, crackers, pita or slices of baguette.

Blackberry Cabernet Sauce

This is a really good sauce that makes the ordinary appear special.  It's quite easy, & oh so flavorful!This sauce is good with Chicken, pork, shrimp & even duck.

2 cups blackberries
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon wine (I like Estancia)

In a food processor or blender, puree and then strain enough blackberries
to measure 1 cup pulp.

In a large frying pan, saute onion in olive oil or until onions are transparent usually about 5min. Add the blackberry pulp, sugar, and wine. Simmer sauce until reduced to approximately 1/2 the original quantity. Remove from heat and let cool.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

KABAYAKI SAUCE (Also called BBQ sauce for Unagi/Freshwater EEL)

I LOVE Sushi, especially BBQ Unagi.  The BBQ sauce is really called Kabayaki sauce, and  is traditionally served over eel.  It is also very good with rice, or other types of fish such as Salmon, Talapia, shrimp, crab etc. 

Kabayaki sauce: 

1. 1/4 cup of soy sauce
2. 1/4 cup of mirin
3. 1/4 cup of sugar

Mix the all of the ingredients well in a small pan, then turn the heat on low and let it simmer for a few minutes, stirring every minute or so if the sugar shows any sign of settling at the bottom. Then take it off the heat and let it cool.  

I like to put leftover Kabayaki Sauce in a squirt bottle & store the refrigerator. It keeps well for quite awhile.

Did you know that you can also find Unagi, prepackaged and frozen for a fraction of the cost that you would pay in a Sushi Restaurant?  Its very easy to prepare, just follow the directions, typically its cooked in the oven on 400 Degrees for about 5-7minutes.  I personally like to still go out for Sushi. Its one of my few guilty pleasures that I look forward to whenever the opportunity pops up.  This is great to keep on hand tho for cravings and the sauce is really delicious on many different seafood dishes, and even Pork, Chicken, or Veggies & Rice.

MUSTARD BBQ SAUCE

My boys love slow cooked pork loin, and they love it even more when I make this Mustard BBQ Sauce to top it off.  This is a North Carolina Style BBQ Sauce.  Years ago there was a Burbank's BBQ restaurant, and they offered this Mustard based type sauce.  It was unlike anything in this area that I'd ever tasted. I loved it, and tweaked my own recipe until I was able to duplicate it to the best of my memory. It's  Really good on everything. We like to keep it handy in a squirt bottle, and its even good mixed in with smashed potatoes. Mmmm Try it & let me know what you think!

1. 1/2 cup of prepared yellow mustard 
2. 1/4 cup of cider vinegar 
3. 3 tablespoons of brown sugar (dark) 
4. 1/2 teaspoon of paprika 
5. 1/2 teaspoon of Worstershire sauce 
6. 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 
7. 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (powdered) 
8. 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper 

Mix and pour into a squeeze bottle. Goes great with Pork, Chicken, & Brisket. This mustard-based barbeque sauce has a smooth consistency...the tartness of the vinegar is balanced by the brown sugar sweetness. This quickly became a family favorite!

You can add more cayenne pepper. One full teaspoon of the red powder gives this sauce an enjoyable level of flame!

This barbecue sauce is good to baste with, but like other sauces with sugar, to prevent burning, it should only be used on the meat as it's finishing up on the smoker.

Did I mention... my boys LOVE this sauce! Try it, my guess is you will too!