Sweet Jalapeno Hummus

OK. Be skeptical. It's cool. I can handle it! Because I was skeptical too! I have wasted MORE cans of stinkin' chickpeas on homemade hummus attempts that I have just NOT liked at all. And I really don't like the store bought versions :( But I WANT to like hummus. I really do! So... we had this at a friends' house the other night and it was good! It was REALLY good!!! And I'm not even a huge jalapeno fan, I don't do super spicy foods. But this isn't! It's like a magic trick. Anyways, try it, hope you like it!!

Sweet Jalapeno Hummus

Ingredients:

1 Jalapeno
1 can rinsed and drained chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini (I didn't have any and mine was still yummy, my friend made hers with tahini and it was good too. So I consider this kind of optional. Tahini definitely makes it more authentic)
1 1/2 Tbsp agave nectar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp ice water

Instructions:

Cut jalapeno in half. Remove the seeds. Place under your broiler until browned in places. Quickly remove and place in a Ziploc baggie for about 10 minutes. This roasts the jalapeno, making it's flavor much more yummy, and it's flesh more soft. You can choose to use the whole jalapeno, or just 1/2 of it. I used 1/2 because I'm cautious of spicy stuff. Again, my friend used the whole one and it was really good too.

Rinse chickpeas and pull of any pea shells that are easily removed. Place these in blender or food processor and puree until relatively smooth. Add in the tahini (if using), agave nectar, and jalapeno. Blend until smooth (scrape the sides if necessary). Stream in your olive oil while food processor is still running and continue to blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper, blend, taste, and season according to your taste. Last, turn back on your processor and stream in the ice water until completely smooth. This gives it such good consistency. Scoop out and serve!

We used carrot sticks for ours, but you can also take brown rice tortillas, cut them into strips, spritz with olive oil and salt, bake at 425 until slightly crispy. Yum yum yum!

Coconut Shrimp

Oh MYLANTA this was the perfect treat. I needed something rich and "naughty" tasting on this 4th week of the detox. Everyone else was feasting on terrible super bowl foods, and I wasn't craving THOSE foods so much as I was just something rich. This recipe was so good!!!!

Coconut Shrimp Recipe:

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
7 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal
1/2 cup unsweetened light shredded coconut
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 egg whites
12 oz medium cooked shrimp

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Spray a cookie sheet with the cooking spray, set aside.

Mix together flaxseed meal, coconut, and pepper. Take 1/2 of it and place in a separate bowl for when the breading starts to clump and not stick as well. (after doing about 1/2 your shrimp, you can move on to this bowl)

Put egg whites in another bowl, and whisk them slightly.

Dip your shrimp in the egg whites, then roll in the flax mixture. Then place on cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Check on them after 10 minutes and make sure they're not getting tough. But mine took the whole 15 and they were great!

Now, I made two dipping sauces, and I honestly liked them both together on the shrimp at the same time! So do whatever sounds best to you :)

Sweet and Spicy Dip:

Heat 1/2 cup agave nectar and 1/4 cup coconut oil in a small sauce pan, add crushed red pepper, and a little chili powder. Whisk up and enjoy!

Pineapple salsa:

Blend together one small can of pineapple with about 1/3 of a red onion, and a small bunch of cilantro. Add about 2 Tbsp agave to the blender, mix until combined well. Voila!