Food and Fiction: Great Book Club Recipies

Roasted Garlic Hummus
1 bulb garlic, unpeeled
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 19-ounce can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained reserving 1/4 cup liquid
1/2 cup tahini
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pita chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut 1/2-inch slice off top of garlic bulb. Drizzle olive oil over garlic bulb. Wrap garlic in foil. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until garlic is soft then set aside. In food processor, place beans, reserved bean liquid, tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Squeeze roasted garlic bulb into food processor over the other ingredients. Cover and blend on high speed, stopping blender occasionally to scrape down sides, until smooth. Serve with pita chips.

Tangy Chicken Pasta Salad
2 boxes Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® classic pasta salad mix
1 large green bell pepper
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar dressing
1/3 cup cold water
2 cups cooked breaded chicken tenders cut into strips
1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1 cup halved purple grapes

Empty contents of pasta pouch (from salad mix) into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding bell pepper during last 2 minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk together contents of seasoning mix packet, the dressing and cold water until blended; set aside. Drain pasta with bell pepper; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well. In a large bowl, stir pasta with chicken, tomatoes and grapes. Pour dressing mixture over pasta and chicken. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve chilled.

“Stephanie” Plum Crumble
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 packets of cinnamon roll flavor instant oat meal
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 pound plums, halved, pitted, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon plum brandy
Vanilla ice cream

Mix flour and instant oatmeal packets in a medium bowl. Add butter and mix with a pastry blender until the mixture forms a coarse meal with moist clumps. This may be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss plums, sugar and brandy in medium bowl. Transfer glass loaf-size baking dish. Cover with crumb topping. Bake until fruit bubbles and topping browns, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Serve warm with ice cream.

Long Hot Summer: Cooking with Chiles

Pork Chops with Sweet-and-Spicy Chipotle Sauce
1 1/2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt6 thick-cut boneless pork chops
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 can (7.5 oz.) chipotle chiles in adobo
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir together breadcrumbs, oil, pepper, and salt in a shallow dish. Coat pork chops with breadcrumb mixture. Place chops on a greased baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the center of the thickest chop reaches 155 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place bell pepper, chipotle chiles with adobo, honey, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse just once or twice to coarsely chop the ingredients. Pour into a small bowl and stir in cilantro just before serving. Drizzle the sauce over the pork chops just before serving.

Jalapeno and Chorizo Cornbread
10 oz. tube chorizo (no casing)
1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (8 oz.) can creamed corn
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 red bell peppe
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the chorizo in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, mix corn muffin mix, salt, egg, sour cream and creamed corn. Using a slotted spoon (to drain off some of the grease), spoon the sausage meat into the cornbread mixture. Stir in the jalapenos, bell pepper and 3/4 of the cheese. Pour the cornbread batter into a heavily greased 9-inch cake pan or heavy skillet. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on top and the center is set.

Habanero Chile Salsa
14 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed

1/2 medium white onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 to 3 fresh habanero chiles (depending on pepper size and desired level of heat)
1 jalapeno chile
1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Arrange tomatillos, onion, garlic, habaneros, jalapeno, and bell pepper on baking sheet. Broil until about 5 minutes for the peppers, onion, and garlic, and about 5 minutes per side for the tomatillos. Transfer vegetables to a food processor. Add cilantro, lime juice, salt and brown sugar. Pulse one to three times until vegetables are coarsely chopped. Transfer salsa to bowl and serve with tortilla chips.