Cinnamon buns

I made cinnamon buns, after many times of thinking "I should make cinnamon buns" and then not doing it.

I tried to follow this recipe but ended up making several modifications due to not having stuff. I omitted the pecan sauce in the bottom of the pan because I had no suitable nuts and wasn't really feeling the sticky buns anyway, and I was nearly out of butter, so I subbed canola oil in the dough (I did have enough butter to brush on the buns before adding the filling) I was also out of eggs, so I left out the yolks too, and added about a TB more oil to the dough. I also used lemon zest instead of orange. Finally, I upped the amount of filling by about a third more, since I wasn't putting in the caramel sauce, and doubled the cinnamon on top of that for extra deliciousness.

I'm amazed that even with all of my messing with the recipe, they turned out fantastic! The dough is super soft and fragrant (I don't make sweet dough much, maybe I should) and the final result was delicious. I ate two for breakfast.

Black Bean Hummus (or, The Blogger Returns)

No, it's not baby food gone wrong or some form of excrement (ewwwww). I made black bean hummus today, with the overall aim of having it to take to school for lunch (more on that later...) It's a little different from normal chickpea hummus, and has cumin, paprika, and a bit of cayenne pepper in it for a little kick. I used a recipe from allrecipes.com with a few changes. My modified version of the recipe is below.

• 2 garlic cloves, diced fine
  
• 1 540mL can black beans, drained, plus 2 TB liquid*
• 1 1/2 TB tahini (sesame seed paste)
  
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• half a lemon

Mix all the ingredients together, with a couple squeezes of lemon juice. If you have power tools, this recipe works best when mixed up in a blender or food processor, but if not just go at it with a fork, although the end result will be chunkier than mine (I used a stick blender). Taste and adjust the seasoning or add more lemon juice.

Serve with pita bread, raw veggies, or crackers, or use it on sandwiches as a spread.

* I rinse canned beans to reduce the sodium content, but that's just a personal thing.