Pesto Russo/Red Pesto Swirl Bread

Pesto Russo or Red Pesto Swirl Bread:

Here is the recipe for Italian Pesto Rosso or Red Pesto made of Sun dried Tomatoes if you want to make at home or you can use store bought jar of Pesto Russo/Red Pesto like this delicious one.

Spicy Hummus and tasty Salsa

My Sunday addition for "The 52 Cookbook Pact" hosted by Ruchina. These are spicy Hummus and salsa. Easy, spicy and healthy Chickpeas dip for Tortilla chips, Doritos, Pita Bread chips, can also serve with Celery sticks, Carrots sticks etc. Choice is endless. I made these simple and healthy snacks for Super Bowl 50 instead of usual Chicken Wings, Taquitos etc. Of course, you can have those as well, more the merrier! Enjoy...

Spicy Hummus, Salsa with Flax Seed Tortilla Chips, Celery and Carrot sticks:

Spicy Hummus:
one 15 oz cans chickpeas, drain and wash,
1 tbsp Tahini or 1 tbsp Sesame seeds,
3 large garlic cloves,
1 or 2 Jalapenos,
Juice of 1 lemon or to taste,
1 tsp cumin seeds,
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Cilantro
2 tbsp extra Virgin olive oil to mix
1 tbsp extra Olive oil and 1/4 tsp chilli pd for drizzling on top
Little water to help make thickish dip as needed.

 To make it:
1. Take Chickpeas in a bowl, heat up in Microwave for 1-2 mins. Cool. Heated Chickpeas helps to make a smooth paste in blender.
2. Now blend together the Chickpeas, Tahini paste or roasted sesame seeds, garlic, cumin, salt, 1 tbsp water, cilantro and olive oil in a blender until smooth. Add water as needed but don't make dip too thin, just thick enough to be able to scoop with chips or veggies.
3. Add salt and lemon juice to taste.Scoop out in a bowl.
4. Heat 1 tbsp Olive oil just until warm, add chilli pd and take os the heat. Cool.
5. Drizzle this red Olive oil around Hummus, garnish with some Chickpeas and cilantro.
6. Serve with Chips and also makes a great dip for Celery, Carrot sticks.
Note:
Tahini is a ground paste you can buy in jars it in store but if you don't have it, you can throw in some Sesame seeds when you grind the Chickpeas.

Convert Hummus into Bean Burgers:
If there is any Hummus leftover, add grated carrots, finely chopped Bell Peppers, Chickpea flour/Besan, mix, adjust spices and chill in fridge for a while. Make thick patties, shallow fry in 1/4" oil to make delicious Veg and Bean Burgers with Onion rolls, lettuce and cumin flavored yogurt sauce! Bean Burgers looks like these.

Spicy Salsa:
Choose fleshy, Roma Tomatoes with less seeds if you can find them. Salsa should not too watery. Do not add water, should be chunky, not pasty. Chop by hand or use a chopper, do not blend in a mixer. 
To make Salsa:
Salsa is easy to make. Just chop up about 4-6 medium sized fresh Roma Tomatoes, 2 or 3 garlic cloves, 1 small onion, 1 Jalapeno, few cilantro sprigs finely, and add 1/2 to 1tsp Cumin powder, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp sugar, salt to taste. Mix well and keep it away covered for few hours for the flavors to mingle. Makes a refreshing, spicy and healthy dip for Tortilla chips. Adjust the ingredients and spices as per your taste.

Cookbook: Hummus recipe (with slight changes) is from "The Complete Mediterranean Diet" by Michael Ozner.

There are you are, two great party starters! :)

Strawberry Jam Donut Cake

Happy Valentine's day to all of you.
Have a great day. Love yourself, your family, neighbors and friends. Peace and love :)

Here is a heart shaped Strawberry Jam Donut cake I baked for Valentine's day. Also for my Sunday contribution for "The 52 Cookbook Pact" hosted by Ruchina.
Recipe is from "One Pot Chef", my favorite chef on youtube. I made half the recipe to make a smaller cake, double the ingredients if you want a bigger cake and can use a brownie pan. Thanks for the delicious and easy recipe, chef.
It's a cake which has a similar taste to Jam Donuts layered with Strawberry jam. Since it's baked, doesn't exactly taste like the regular Donuts which are fried but yummy and lot healthier than fried Donuts, so bake away and enjoy.

Strawberry Jam Donut cake:

To make you need:
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup self rising flour,
1/4 cup plain flour,
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp super fine sugar
Wet ingredients:
1/4 cup oil,
1 egg, (or 2 tbsp apple sauce)
1/2 cup buttermilk, (or thinned Yogurt)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract,
Jam Spread:
Mix 2 tbsp water to 2-4 tbsp strawberry jam to make thin enough to spread and decorate.
Butter:
1 tbsp, melt to brush on hot cake for shine.
Sprinkle: (optional)
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar. (mix of 1 tbsp sugar pd, 1/2 tbsp sweet Cinnamon pd)

To bake: 
Preheat oven to 400F.
1. Mix all the dry ingredients well.
2. Beat wet ingredients well and add to dry ingredients and mix gently. Do not over mix. It's okay if you see few small lumps in the batter.
3. Spread batter on a lined brownie pan or any baking pan you like, spread half the batter, spread 3-4 tbsp thinned strawberry jam, spread rest of the batter gently on top to cover.
4. Add some jam on top to any shape you want, I did a heart for Valentine's day.
5. Bake at  400F for 25 to 30mins or until it's baked. Take out on a rack.
6. Brush with melted butter on top while hot, sprinkle cinnamon sugar.

Note: Instead of jam, make a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans.
You can use any kind of Jam or Jelly or Preserves you like instead of Strawberry Jam.

If you find the cake little dryer because of the self rising flour, prick the cooled cake with a knitting needle or something like that and drizzle cream or full cream mil in the holes. That will keep the cake moist. 

If you don't have Self-rising flour, use this combination:
1 cup Plain flour, 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt. Whisk well.

That's it, cool and store in airtight container until it's time to eat!