Hummus from Scratch

I have a ton of dried beans that I am learning to use... and with the ease of making homemade hummus on the fly and being able to season and flavor it on a whim, I developed this basic recipe.  The recipe is a "quick" boil rather than overnight prep or crockpot overnight.  You could also add the spices and cook the chick peas over night on low.

The volume of beans that I've used here produces an amount of hummus similar to what you get in a grocery store container.  Flavoring the beans during the cooking process is fabulous as you can eat them plain, add them to salad, rice or quinoa, dry roast them for a snack... and of course, grind them to a paste to make hummus.

CHICK PEA BOIL INGREDIENTS:
½ cup dried chickpeas

water

... later more water

2 bay leaves

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

½ teaspoon black pepper (I use telicherry pepper from a specialty store, but any will do)

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

⅛ teaspoon ground sumac

small pinch of cinnamon (maybe 1/16 teaspoon)

pinch of salt (start with ½ teaspoon)

optional: ½ t baking soda to further soften the beans (it will effect the taste, but in a fine way)

HUMMUS INGREDIENTS
the cooked beans (about 2 cups)

reserved seasoned water from your chickpea boil

juice  and zest of 1 lemon; maybe 2

½ cup of tahini

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (go to a restaurant supply store and buy it in a large container, for making dressings, sauces, etc.)

2 cloves minced garlic

2 teaspoons cumin (paprika and za'tar are also great)

salt, ground pepper if needed

OPTIONAL GARNISHES
extra virgin olive oil

kalamata or similar olives

parsley

EQUIPMENT NEEDED
colander
4qt or larger pot
chef's knife
zester (a microplane is a great tool to have)
cutting board
measuring spoons/cups
large bowl
ladle
stick blender, blender or food processor

INSTRUCTIONS
Rinse the chickpeas well in a standard colander, making sure to remove any debris.  Put the chickpeas in a 4 qt saucepan and cover with 3" of water.  On an appropriate sized burner, bring contents of the pot to a rolling boil.  Turn off the heat and let the chickpeas sit in the pot for an hour.  They will double in size.

Drain and rinse the cooled chick peas in the colander.

Cover with water 4-5" above the beans.  They will double in size again during this cooking phase. Add all of the ingredients listed under "Chickpea Boil Ingredients" aside from the salt (you will add this in the last 15 minutes of cooking).

Bring the contents to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Be sure to check the pot to ensure you haven't boiled all of the water off.  You can certainly add water, need be.  At this point, add your salt.  Boil for another 15-30 minutes to desired tenderness.

For softer beans, you can add ½ teaspoon of baking soda and/or leave the lid partially covering the pot during the boil.  Experiment with that to see what you prefer.

Turn off the heat on your pot. Put the colander in the large bowl and drain your beans, keeping the boiling liquid in reserve.  Remove the bay leaves from your beans.  Either transfer the beans to a blender or food processor or a bowl in which you can grind them with a stick blender.

Add the zest and juice of one lemon, fresh garlic, cumin, olive oil and tahini.  Blend until it starts to get smooth.  Taste the paste.  Add some more lemon juice or even a bit of tahini if you want the flavor to change.  Blend. If the hummus is too thick, little by little add some of your reserved liquid until you are satisfied with the thickness.  If you forget to reserve liquid, water will do.  Keep blending.  When it is your desired thickness, taste and add a little salt or pepper if you want to.  Blend again.

Serve in a beautiful bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of fresh parsley.  I love adding olives, too!  Serve with pita, sliced veggies or even feta cheese!

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A note on tahini:  It keeps quite well in the refrigerator.  Two things I love doing with it:

Make a vegan dressing: tahini, lime juice and zest, rice wine vinegar, mirin (optional), sea salt, freshly ground black pepper.  I use this to make a vegan cole slaw... here is my recipe: Vegan Cole Slaw

Make a sandwich: baked tofu on a toasted crusty whole-grain bread, thinly sliced cucumber, mung bean sprouts. Mix equal parts of tahini and peanut butter.  Thin with a little rice wine vinegar and add a drop or two of liquid smoke.  Spread some on the bread and enjoy!!

Buffalo Cauliflower

This very simple, delicious dish is a wonderful addition to any Thanksgiving table or special occasion.  I also love to pour a hot bowl of Manhattan clam chowder over a few florets of cauliflower cooked this way.

Make no mistake, it is not light or calorie-free.  At the same time, this cauliflower is not breaded and can be vegan and gluten-free.  

Finally, if you do not have quality heavy-bottomed pots, try this in a large ramekin or heat-proof deep glass dish, cover with parchment paper and then foil and cook in the oven at 350F.

INGREDIENTS

1 head of cauliflower that is the approximate diameter of a saucepan you wish to use.  (This is VERY important for the dish to work

2-3 Yukon gold potatoes (or sections of zucchini, yellow squash, cabbage)

8 oz butter or vegan butter (I use Smart Balance, but use your favorite)

*** Chef's note: this is delicious without adding the below additions*** these are optional ***

1T finely minced hot pepper (I use habanero) WARNING: YOU MUST WEAR GLOVED OR WASH YOUR HANDS VERY WELL AFTER MINCING HOT PEPPER. 

1T finely minced garlic

¼ cup Tabasco sauce (you can use any vinegar-based hot sauce, just increase the volume if you choose one less hot, such as Crystal)

1 teaspoon chili powder

GARNISHES (optional)

chopped fresh parsley

sweet paprika

EQUIPMENT

Chef's knife

Cutting Board

4 qt saucepan with tightly fitting lid 

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove the leaves from the bottom of your cauliflower.  Put the cauliflower head down in your saucepan.  Trim the cauliflower so that it fits as snugly (diameter-wise) as possible in the pot, but the lid fits tightly on the pot.  It is alright if the cauliflower is too short.  Typically, they are so large, I cut off about ½ from the bottom and then make a few shaves in the pot. Check that the lid easily fits all the way down. 

Remove the cauliflower from the pot and over very low heat add your butter or butter substitute.  Once the butter begins to melt, add the hot pepper and garlic. Watch carefully so your butter doesn't burn.  It will be melted in a short time. When it is fully melted add the chili powder and tabasco and stir. Remove from heat. 

Place the cauliflower head down in the pan. Cut wedges of potato (or zucchini, squash or cabbage) that will fill the gaps between the flat side of the cauliflower and the pan.  You want to ensure as little steam as possible escapes, so you want everything wedged in tightly.  When finished, check your lid tightness again and trim everything that might be blocking the lid from sitting all the way down. 

Place back on very low heat and allow to simmer for 1.5 hours.  Do not lift the lid at any time during the cooking process.  

Once finished remove the cauliflower and other veggies carefully with tongs and a spatula and then pour any remaining butter sauce on top.  If for some reason your cauliflower is not done enough for your taste, put it back in the pot and continue simmering.  It should be falling apart on the plate. 

Top with your favorite garnishes and serve on a platter.  

Delicious Green Smoothie

1 handful each:

Frozen cut pineapple
Frozen cut mango
Fresh spinach
Banana

1/2 apple, chopped
Soy milk, about 1/2 cup, or coconut milk
Tbsp. Almond butter
1/2 lime
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

Mix in blender until smooth.  So delicious and fresh.

Minnestrone soup

Simple quick and delicious …

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup diced tomatoes and juice 

1/2 cup carrots 

1/2 cup peas

2/3 cup green beans, cut into 2 inch strips

1/2 cup pasta

Handful of Spinach leaves 

Salt, pepper, to taste 

Generous pinch of Basil and oregano

 Sauté the onions. Add the garlic until fragrant. Then add the vegetable stock and the tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, and add  carrots, peas, green beans. Cook for 10 minutes. Add in salt, pepper, half cup of pasta, and spices, and cook for seven minutes. Toss in a handful of spinach leaves right before serving, allow them to disintegrate , And then remove from heat. Let it sit so flavors meld together, and serve. 

Butternut Squash Soup

Light, sweet, delicious.

pat of butter
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
vegetable stock, about 2 cups
dash of cumin
1 tsp sugar
3 cloves, crumbled
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
dash of salt
dash of cream


Drizzle squash with olive oil and roast squash at 350 for 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute onions in butter, until golden.
Boil stock, and add carrots, onion. When squash is cooked, add to pot, and soften.  Move to blender, and gently and  carefully blend/puree the squash, carrot and onion mixture with the stock.  Replace in pot, and add cloves, cinnamon, cumin, salt and sugar.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Add cream at the end.