Angel City Derby Girls Party Recipes: Champagne Cocktail and Hummus

Thanks everyone for your interest in these two recipes I made for the Angel City Derby Girls Wishes Come True Party. They’re both very forgiving recipes that you can easily modify to suit your taste and they're so simple and fast to make. Enjoy!

CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
Serves 4-6

Your favorite champagne
15-20 whole cloves
1/2 bunch fresh mint
2 cups (6-8 oranges) of fresh orange juice*
1/2 cup of brown sugar
Orange wedge for rimming the glasses

Gently mash/grind the cloves and mint together in a medium-sized bowl**.
Pour orange juice in the bowl and let mixture steep for at least 30 minutes—the longer it steeps the more intense the flavors.

While the juice is steeping, make the sugar-rimmed champagne glass:
Using the orange wedge, wet the rim of the glass.
Dip the wet rim of the glass into a bowl of brown sugar. Voila!

To make the cocktail, finish by straining the juice from the cloves and mint.
Fill each glass a 1/3 of the way with the juice mixture. Add champagne and top with a sprig of mint.
*You can also use fresh tangerine juice or fresh lemonade as long as it's not too sweet.
**You can also use a mortar and pestle to grind the cloves and mint before transferring the mixture to a bowl.


HUMMUS
Serves 4-6

1 can (15 or 16 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzos), rinsed, drained
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2-4 tablespoons soy sauce (start with 2 tablespoons, add more to taste)
3/4 cup of water (add more to make it creamy, less to make it thicker)

In a food processor or blender*, process the rinsed chickpeas and garlic till chunky.
Add lemon juice & soy sauce; blend until creamy.
While processor is running add water in small batches for desired consistency...less for thicker hummus.

*Use the PUREE setting when using a blender.
**added bonus is that it's protein rich and low fat!!!