Sun Dried Tomato Hummus Veggie Balls

I could eat hummus everyday. When I saw this month's Recipe Redux sponsored by Sabra Hummus, I had to join in on the recipe fun. I was excited to come up with a delicious plant-based entree. One of my favorite flavor combos is sun dried tomato with pesto. So one of the new Sabra hummus flavored definitely was calling my name. Introducing "no-meat" balls made with sun dried tomato hummus and veggies on a nice bed of angel hair pasta and pesto sauce. This is a simple recipe that can also be used to make leftovers-- freezer friendly! 

“I received free samples of Sabra mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Sabra and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

Sun Dried Tomato Hummus Veggie Balls

Makes 10-12 veggie balls

Ingredients:

For veggie balls:

• 1 cup Sabra Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
• 1 egg
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs, divided
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided in ½ and ¼ cups
• ¼ cup prepared tomato pesto
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves

For pasta:

• 2 cups cooked angel hair pasta
• 4 tablespoons pesto sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place Sabra Sun Dried Tomato hummus in a bowl, set aside. In a blender or food processor, combine egg, onion, bread crumbs, oats, cheese, pesto and basil leaves, blend until you have a cookie dough like consistency. Scrape into bowl with hummus and mix well. Form mixture into 2 inch balls.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together ½ cup panko bread crumbs and ¼ cup shredded cheese. Roll each veggie ball in the crumbs, set aside.
4. Heat oil in a large frying pan and brown each ball on all sides.
5. Place veggie balls on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Serve with pesto or marina sauce and pasta of your choice. Enjoy!

Breakfast Tacos

On the weekends, I like to change it up from my routine oatmeal for breakfast during the week and actually take the time to whip up something more fancy. Since I found out you can hard boil eggs in the oven (mind-blown--thanks to Erin Palinski-Wade!), I have been using that technique every time I want some hard-boiled eggs for my busy week. As a full time Masters student and dietetic intern, I have been finding it almost impossible to eat healthy during the week because of the limited time I have to cook heart healthy and filling nutritious meals. So I am so happy to have found a way to hard boil eggs without having to monitor the boiling water constantly... this method allows me to have more time to do homework or to prep for more meals in the 1 hour I try to set aside 1x week.

Well, I had quite a few hard boiled eggs left from my meal prep week that I decided to make some breakfast tacos. All you need are 5 simple ingredients! And they may already be in your kitchen-- no extra shopping required. 

Breakfast Tacos

Ingredients:

Makes 4 filling tacos

• 4 hard boiled eggs, one egg per taco (check out Erin Palinski-Wade's HOW TO HARD BOIL EGGS IN THE OVEN post)
• 4 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• 1/2 cup salsa (your favorite kind)
• Cilantro leaves or chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

1. Peel and slice the hard boiled eggs. On a pan on medium heat, place tortillas and top them with cheese. Remove tortillas once cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Place tortillas on a plate, place slices of egg on cheese, scoop some salsa and garnish with cilantro leaves. Enjoy!

Get your Jam on this Easter!

Keepin' it simple this year for Easter Sunday!

With my insanely busy (but amazing) schedule with work, school (almost done with that thesis!) and dietetic internship (3.5 more months!), I have been making recipes ahead of time on the one day I sort of have time... Meal Prep Sunday. When I saw this month's Recipe Redux "Easter is April 1. Passover begins March 30.  Whether or not you are celebrating either holiday, show us your favorite family recipes for springtime celebrations." I knew I had to whip up something simple, sweet and distributed among the whole family. Why not make a big batch and gift home-made mixed berry jam this Easter?! All you need are 4 simple things:

• Frozen fruit (I used leftover berries I toss in the freezer for smoothies)
• Pectin
• Sugar
• Mason Jars (containers)

Mixed Berry Jam

Yield: 4- 16 oz mason jars

Ingredients:

• 7 cups frozen mixed berries
• 6 cups granulated sugar
• 1.75 oz container fruit pectin

Directions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine mixed berries, sugar and pectin. Stir constantly and bring to a boil, about 10-15 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let sit for about 5 minutes. Pour into mason jars and let sit over night. Mixture will start to thicken. 

Serve on a biscuit and enjoy!