I try to keep things pretty simple around here. Its not too difficult, since Bella Eats truly is a reflection of mine and Brian’s life. We both work full 40-50 hour weeks, getting home around 6:30 each evening ready for a glass of wine and a quick, delicious meal. By the time we change out of our work clothes, play with the pups and perform a little garden maintenance, its nearly 7:00 and the sun is starting to sink behind the trees. To avoid eating at ridiculously late hours (which does still happen on occasion) we must keep our weekly dinners as uncomplicated as possible. I take pride in the fact that we don’t keep a lot of pre-packaged food in our house. If you open our freezer you’ll find some vegetables, a TON of fruit (blackberries from our garden and peach slices from the local orchard), some veggie scraps and a pork shoulder bone waiting to be made into broth, homemade everything bagels, a few varieties of muffins and a loan box of Kashi 7-Grain Waffles (a vice - I love them). What you won’t find are Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine or Skillet Sensations dinners. I firmly believe that everybody has time to make a quick, healthy and delicious meal for themselves and their family, if you just keep your fridge and pantry stocked with some key items. I won’t list those items in this post (are you even interested?!?) but I will give you links to a few of the quick, simple meals we’ve made in the past: Vegetable Fried Rice Trio of Salads and Whole Wheat Flatbread Pasta with Sausage and Greens Crockpot Minestrone Chicken Tostadas Raw Kale Salad with Roasted Vegetables This simple approach to evening meals extends to lunch as well. On most days, Brian and I will come home to eat. We are lucky enough to live just 2.5 miles from the office where we work (yes, together!) and enjoy the afternoon break from our computers almost as much as our dogs enjoy being let out for some mid-day fetch. Sometimes we’ll have leftovers from the night before, but more often we’ll make ham sandwiches or simple PB + J’s with our plethora of jam. Lunch at home is relaxing and much less expensive than anything we could purchase from the many restaurants downtown. Lately, my lunch of choice has been tomato and hummus sandwiches served on rustic bread, occasionally with a slice of high-quality ham from Double H Farm or some cured meat from Feast. But really, all you need is the good bread, fresh summer tomatoes and homemade hummus to make a very satisfying sandwich. This is special hummus though, blended with mustard flavored by spicy chipotle peppers.   The mustard I used is a Saucy Mama product, and I think it has been our absolute favorite of all the condiments sent to us for the recipe contest I am participating in. We’re almost out, and will definitely be purchasing more when it is available in our area. I love that it still holds the tanginess of the classic yellow spread, but adds a spice very unlike the creole and dijon mustards we typically have on our refrigerator door. Maybe I shouldn’t call this condiment hummus, since it does not contain any tahini. Perhaps “chickpea spread” is more appropriate.  No matter what you call it, I hope you’ll make it.  Its simple, quick, healthy - and more than likely you've got all of the ingredients on hand.  If you try other mustards, please let me know how they turn out. I’ve been pretty hooked on this one and haven’t been able to stray... Chipotle Mustard Hummus Ingredients:

• 1 (15oz) can of garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard, or other spicy mustard
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Place garbonzo beans, mustard and lemon juice in the small bowl of a food processor.  Pulse a few times to chop garbonzo beans.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Turn processor on and slowly add olive oil while continuing to process.  Turn off processor and scrape down sides of bowl.  Process again, continuously, for 2-3 minutes until you have a smooth, creamy consistency.
2. Serve on tomato sandwiches or enjoy alone with crackers.

Also, I have two more bottles of Saucy Mama Lime Chipotle Marinade to give away! To my two readers who won the last give-away, your sauce is coming. I promise. For some reason I’ve had a difficult time making it to the post office lately...  If you are interested in trying out this great sauce, leave a comment before my next post.