Friday. HALLELUJAH.

Shit got crazy this week, friends. There were at least 99 problems, mostly in the sleep, hair and recipe departments, but don’t panic! I only plan to bore you with the latter.

In short, I’ve been obsessively trying to perfect a Dude Diet-friendly cookie and some Chinese meatballs, and the going’s been tough. Honestly, the first batches of both were pretty good, but then the “maybes” set in (Maybe the cookies should be chewier? Maybe more chocolate? Maybe the balls are too big? WORSE, too small?! Maybe people won’t want to put these balls in their mouths? Maybe you should stop making ball jokes?), and then boom. Straight down the recipe testing rabbit hole.

I’m obviously familiar with this particular hole (rivaled in danger only by the WebMD hole), but I’m usually rescued from the abyss by my roommate and/or social obligations before things get too out of hand. This week, I wasn’t so lucky.



Since Logan was conveniently out of town for work, and my calendar was gloriously open, I had almost zero distractions or reasons to step away from my cookie/meatball pursuits. Monday and Tuesday were lost in a haze of balls flying at my face, and Wednesday was just one giant cookie blur. Dear GOD, so many cookies.

It wasn’t until Wednesday evening that it hit me. I was standing in the kitchen, sweating in my onesie with my infinitieth tray of cookies in hand, when I realized I had consumed nothing but meat and cookies for almost 72 hours. (I also hadn’t listened to anything other than Nobody Love, washed my hair or gotten a good night’s sleep, but that’s beside the point.)

I was weak. Frizzy haired. Mildly nauseous. Scared.

I sent Logan the SOS message reserved only for times of intense distress: OUR PETS HEADS OUR FALLING OFF!!

Then I took a deep breath, ran a bath, and did what I always do in times of need. I made toast.

I started with well-toasted seeded bread, the base of all good things, which I spread with a thick layer of super smooth hummus. And not just any hummus, friends, this stuff was laced with roasted sweet potatoes, smoked paprika, and plenty of fresh lemon juice. That dreaminess got topped with a heap of lightly browned, shaved Brussels sprouts and sprinkled generously with creamy goat cheese. The whole thing was richly textured, flavor-packed and nourishing, and it looked and tasted so fancy that I felt compelled to call it a tartine.

Recognizing this creation’s magic, I recreated it yesterday and took these glamour shots in the hope of inspiring you to hop on my toasty bandwagon. Do it for dinner. Make it for brunch. Douse it in Sriracha or #putaneggonit. It may just turn your day (your week, your month, or even your year?) around.

Happy Friday, I’m out.

Nevermind, I forgot something! This recipe will leave you with an extra cup or so of sweet potato hummus, which is bomb for dipping/sandwiches/salads etc. You’re welcome and I love you.

Sweet Potato Hummus Tartine with Toasted Brussels Sprouts and Goat Cheese: (Makes 4 Tartines)

Ingredients:

For the hummus:

1 medium sweet potato

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I like to neurotically remove the skins from the chickpeas for super smooth hummus, but you do you.)

2 tablespoons tahini, well mixed

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 pinch cayenne

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt

For the Toasted Brussels Sprouts:

1½ cups Brussels sprouts, stems removed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

For Serving:

Slices seeded bread

1.5-2 ounces goat cheese (depending on your tastes), crumbled

Preparing your Sweet Potato Hummus Tartine with Toasted Brussels Sprouts and Goat Cheese:

-Let’s start with the hummus, shall we? Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Poke your sweet potato all over with a fork and place it on foil-lined baking sheet.

-Roast the potato for 55-60 minutes until very tender.

-Scoop the roasted sweet potato from its skin and place it in the bowl of your food processor. Add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, smoked paprika and cayenne.

-Process until smooth. With the processor running, slowly add the olive oil. Keep processing until the hummus is nice and silky. Season with salt to taste and briefly set aside.

-Slice your Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise, and then slice them very thinly crosswise. (You can/should use a mandolin for this if you have one.)

-Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Don’t put any oil in there!) When hot, add the Brussels sprouts in an even layer. Let them cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until the underside is lightly browned.

-Give them a stir, and continue cooking for another 2 minutes or so. If they start to get to brown, turn the heat down a little bit. Add the olive oil, crushed red pepper and a generous pinch of salt and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.

-Now’s the time to toast your bread peeps.

-To assemble your tartines: Spread each toast with a thick layer of hummus.

-Top each with a quarter of the toasted Brussels sprouts.

-And sprinkle with goat cheese.

-If you’re feeling festive, get some Sriracha or a fried egg involved.

Sriracha 4 lyfe.