Spring Roll Samosas

We are always trying crazy combinations at my house! So we decided to fuse Asian and Indian cuisine in this oddly delicious meal. 

Spring Roll Samosas

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Yields 8 Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

Spices

• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric

Filling 

• 2 lbs potatoes (4 medium), cut into 1/2 inch chunks 
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 tsp ginger juice
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 8 wanton rice wrappers

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the spices and set aside. Cover the potatoes with an inch of water and sprinkle in 1 tsp of the salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook the potatoes until they are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the spices and saute until they are fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. 
3. Add the drained potatoes and cook until they brown around the edges, 5 minutes. Stir in the peas to combine.
4. Soak a wanton wrapper in a dish of water until softened, 15-20 seconds. Spoon some potato filling into the center of the wrapper, roll the wrapper and tuck in the sides. 
5. You can eat them now, but we prefer to bake them. If you want to bake the spring rolls, place them on the baking sheet and bake them until they are crisp and golden brown,  30-40 minutes. I topped mine with hot sauce, get creative and have some fun with them.

Homemade Hummus

Most hummus recipes call for olive oil, however my sister and brother-in-law try to avoid oil whenever possible. So...one day I made my homemade hummus recipe without oil and it was incredible! I also played around with a few additives and found that every flavor combination was incredibly delicious. Essentially I made 1 batch of plain hummus, then divided it into three batches and added different herbs/veggies, resulting in a mini trio hummus sampler. So yummy! Below are full recipes for an entire batch of hummus, and a full batch of the variations. In the picture, I had one scoop of each flavor of hummus (not plain) and shredded cucumber strips. Makes for a delicious and light lunch!

Homemade Hummus (with 3 variations)
-Pesto Inspired
-Cilantro Jalepeno
-Roasted Red Pepper

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Classic Hummus Ingredients: 

•  3 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1 14oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt (I like to use pink Himalayan sea salt)
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• dash of cayenne

Instructions: 

1. To make the classic hummus base, combine the lemon juice and water in a measuring cup. Measure out the tahini and set aside. 
2. Add the chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne to a food processor and pulse until the chickpeas are almost fully ground. 
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With machine running, add the lemon juice-water mixture through the feed tube. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour the tahini over the chickpea mixture. Process until smooth. 
4. If you like plain hummus, then you are done! Refrigerate and enjoy. If you like a little variety, three varieties are below. 

Pesto Hummus:

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 Tbs lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Follow Classic Hummus Recipe and add an additional tablespoon of lemon juice to the water mixture. 
2. Add the pine nuts and basil when you add the chickpeas. Process and enjoy!

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus:

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 Tbs pickled jalapeno slices, drained

Instructions:

1.  Follow Classic Hummus Recipe, adding the cilantro leaves and jalapeno slices to the processor with the chickpeas. Process and enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, rinsed and dried

Instructions:

1.  Follow Classic Hummus Recipe, adding the roasted red peppers to the processor with the chickpeas. Process and enjoy!

The Best Homemade Guacamole

I'm a purist when it comes to my guacamole. In high school, my soccer coach was from Mexico and he taught me how to make great Mexican staples, one of which was guacamole. Muchas gracias tio Tony! I have never looked back since. That being said, I don't often order guacamole at restaurants for two reasons. One, it's pricey and two, I don't like red onion or other assorted vegetables in my guacamole. Like I said, I'm a purist when it comes to my guac, and everyone who has tried it, has asked me how to replicate it, so here it goes.

Homemade Guacamole

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Serves 4


Ingredients 

• 2-3 ripe avocados
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt (I use kosher because its larger and imparts more saltiness)
• 1/8 cup chopped cilantro
• Any additional spices*
• Corn tortilla chips

Instructions

1. Cut up the avocados and place them in a medium bowl.
2. Add the lime juice, cumin, and salt* to the cut avocados and mash with a fork to break up larger chunks of avocado. 
3. Add the chopped cilantro to the bowl and whip all ingredients together like whisking eggs. 
4. Either serve immediately with corn tortilla chips (my favorite chips are Xochitl Sea Salt corn chips) or press saran wrap to the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate until ready to serve. The guacamole will start to brown if the saran wrap is not pressed to the surface, or if it is refrigerated for several hours.

Notes
*my sister likes to add a dash of paprika and cayenne to her guacamole and it's a delicious addition, especially if you don't favor the flavor of cumin.