Grilling season is definitely here and with 4th of July only a week away I wanted to give you the perfect accompaniment for your backyard (or wherever you may be) get together!

My Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges with Sriracha Hummus are the perfect addition to almost any grill feast and it is super simple at that.  Plus, you can use my Go-To Hummus recipe as the base to make it extra delicious.  It is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.

Try switching up your grilling routine with this healthy and delicious recipe.  You'll be happy you did! 

Love and Fireworks,

Crystal

Click through for recipe.

I love hummus.  I remember when it was first starting to gain popularity and wasn't just seen as a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food staple.  I would try every brand to find my favorite, which changed over time as I was exposed to new brands.  I even tried making it a few times but I could never get the texture and consistency just right.  I had lots of good versions at restaurants and mine just never lived up to it.  All of the research I did said I needed to add tons of oil and I just couldn't get myself to pour in half a bottle of olive oil when I was making it at home.  First, because it was expensive and second, I could see no reason to add all of that fat (not that I'm opposed to healthy fats).  So mine always turned out too dry and not that rich creamy texture you think of with good hummus.  For the time being, I gave up making it and resorted to only eating it at restaurants or the store bought varieties.  After a while, I got frustrated with all the packaged varieties and their ingredients.  I didn't want it with canola oil and preservatives but it was hard to find so back into the kitchen I went. 

This time I decided I would try adding a mixture of oil, tahini and water to see if I could still get the rich mouth feel that the oil and tahini gives it but come to a creamy consistency with the added water and not spend my whole paycheck on olive oil.  After a few tries, I had a great recipe (in my so humble opinion) that I could actually be proud of.  I've been using this recipe for a couple years now and it is a fantastic template for any other other hummus your heart desires.  I have used this base recipe with caramelized onions and balsamic, cilantro and jalapeño and I've even switched out the chickpeas for white beans to make a delicious white bean hummus.  Really, the possibilities are endless.  I hope you will give it a try and please let me know in the comments below if you would like me to share my other hummus recipes with you!

Love and hummus for all,

Crystal

If you have read my Almond Butter Pudding blog post you know I love almond butter.  What you may not know is that I am super picky about which brands I eat.  I have tried almost every brand I can get my hands on.  Well, excluding the ones with added sugar and other ingredients along those lines.  

It is hard to find one that would meet my ideal standards: raw, sprouted, organic with no additives and when you do find one it isn't affordable.  At least not for someone who can eat through a whole jar in a week.  Also, a lot of the ones I am hopeful to try that meet some of my criteria end up tasting a little stale.  I'm definitely not happy about that after spending $12 on a jar!

I have found one at whole foods that I like but it is two hours away and so I stock up when I get the chance.  

I almost always have almonds on hand so I decided to make my own.  I can control the quality of the ingredients and add additional flavors if I want.  Win win!

Almond butter is actually pretty easy to make and all you need is a food processor or a high powered blender.  Add the almonds to the food processor and turn it on.  It takes about 18 to 20 minutes to get a nice creamy almond butter and all you have to do is use a spatula to scrape down the sides about every minute.  

My typical breakfast consists of a large mug of hot lemon water followed by a breakfast bowl with apples, almond butter and cinnamon.  The almond butter and cinnamon combination is so good that I decided to pair the two in the almond butter itself!

My breakfast almost always consists of those three ingredients but sometimes I like to add a little something extra.  Banana, coconut, seeds, nuts, and berries all make good additions.  Today I topped my apple with my cinnamon almond butter, cacao nibs and goji berries.  Yum!

Click through for recipe.