Easy home made hummus

Let’s talk hummus….creamy, dreamy, and seriously overpriced at the farmers market. Three 8oz tubs for $20?

More like let’s make a whole batch for about $4! Hummus, which literally means "chickpea" in Arabic, has been around for centuries. It's claimed by several cultures: Lebanese, Palestinian, Greek, Syrian, Egyptian and Turkish. Every version brings its own flavor, literally and figuratively. But the classic blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, and olive oil and it's been a staple for generations. The oldest known hummus type recipe dates back to 13th-century Egypt. It didn’t have tahini yet, but it proves chickpeas have been nourishing people for a *long* time. Tahini got added later, and that’s when hummus as we know it took shape.

And listen, store bought hummus is convenient, but making it yourself is more budget friendly. Here's the math:

• 1 can chickpeas - $1 (1 pound of dried chickpeas is typically about $3.49)

• 1 lemon - $0.50

• 1/4 cup tahini - $1 to $1.50

• Garlic, olive oil, salt, ice cubes, you already have those

Total: around $3-$5 for 3+ cups (even less if you soak and cook your chickpeas) and you can flavor it however you want: sun-dried tomatoes and basil, roasted red pepper, spicy jalapeño cilantro… whatever you’re feeling. Besides being delicious, hummus is packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. It’s good for your gut, your heart, your brain, and your budget. So skip the $20 market markup. Make it yourself. Eat it with veggies, pita bread, crackers or straight off the spoon. It’s not just a snack it’s an ancient superfood and a smart money move.

Fluffy Homemade Hummus (with optional flavor twists)

Base Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1/4 cup tahini

• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 small garlic clove (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)

• 1 ice cube

  2-4 tablespoons cold water (as needed)

  Directions:

  1. In a food processor or high-speed blender, blend tahini and lemon juice for about 1 minute until light and creamy.

  2. Add chickpeas, olive oil, salt, and garlic (if using). Blend until mostly smooth.

  3. Drop in the ice cube while blending it helps make the hummus fluffy and silky.

  4. Slowly add cold water (1 tablespoon at a time) until the hummus reaches your preferred consistency. Add more lemon, salt, or olive oil as needed.

  5. Serve as-is, or try one of the flavor upgrades below!

  Optional Flavor Add-Ins (Blend in Step 3 or 4):

  1. Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil: ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed or soaked if dry) and 6–8 fresh basil leaves

  2. Roasted Red Pepper: ½ cup roasted red bell pepper. Optional: ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

  3. Spicy Jalapeño-Cilantro: 1 small jalapeño (seeded if desired) and ¼ cup fresh cilantro, lime juice instead of lemon

  To Garnish: drizzle olive oil, sprinkle paprika or za’atar, and top with chopped herbs or pine nuts.

  If you want that silky, restaurant style texture you’ll want to “Skin” your chickpeas (removing their thin outer skins) makes. It’s completely optional.

  How to Skin Chickpeas (Easily!)

  Quick Soak Method (For Canned or Cooked Chickpeas)

  Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Place them in a bowl with warm water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. The skins will loosen. Gently rub them between your hands or a clean kitchen towel, most skins will float off or slip right off. Rinse and strain with a colander to remove any floating skins.

  Boiling Method (Best for Dried Chickpeas)

  After soaking and boiling chickpeas, add 1 teaspoon baking soda to the pot during the last few minutes of cooking.

  Drain and rinse under cold water while rubbing the chickpeas to loosen and remove the skins.

  Pro Tip:

  You don’t have to remove every skin. Getting 70% off makes a huge difference in creaminess.

Vegan Persimmon Pudding

This is one of my favorite desserts, it just tastes like Christmas to me. It’s one of the first desserts beyond sugar cookies I learned to make back in high school. You have to have super ripe and squishy persimmons for this. I get mine from the farmers market, they save them for me every year. I used walnuts but you could also use pecans. If you like raisins you could add those as well. For the pulp I strained the persimmons through a colander into a large bowl. (Remember to compost the skins and stems).

Persimmon pudding

2 cups of persimmon pulp

3 egg replacement (I used Follow Your Heart’s)

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 nutmeg (or pumpkin pie spice)

1/2 cup melted vegan butter

2 1/2 cups almond or cashew milk

1 1/2 cup whole wheat or unbleached flour

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large bowl add the egg replacement to the persimmon pulp, whisk in the sugar.  Add baking powder, soda, salt and spices.  Pour in melted vegan butter, stir & pour in the almond milk.  The mixture will be sort of soupy, whisk in flour, fold in chopped nuts.  Pour into a greased 9 X 13 pan.  Bake for 1 hour or until knife comes out clean.  Serve warm or room temperature with vegan whipped cream.

Cashew mozzarella

Caprese salad is one of my favorite summer dishes. So when I went plant based it was definitely something that I missed. Tomatoes perfectly ripe, mozzarella, basil, good quality olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or glaze with a little salt and pepper. That right there is near perfection.

I experimented with quite a few cashew cheese recipes, it took a bit of tweaking to find the right combo. The garlic powder in this is totally optional, I’ve made it with and without and both are great. I didn’t let my cheese set up very long before slicing, more like tearing the cheese when I made this. You can soak the cashews anywhere from 2 hours to overnight, I’ve done both and it’s come out fine either way. The longer it sets the easier it is to cut. I love this cheese on pizza and of course there’s always good ole grilled cheese (with tomato soup please). Anyway, use this anywhere you would normal mozzarella.

Cashew Mozzarella

2 cup raw cashews, soaked & drained

1 1/2 cups water

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2-3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 cup tapioca starch (this is what makes it stretchy)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)

bowl of ice water

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender (a regular blender will work too, it just takes a little longer) until smooth.

Transfer to a medium saucepan and cook over medium to medium-high heat, whisking continuously. (Don’t walk away this happens really fast!) As the mixture heats, it will form clumps. Keep whisking until the mixture is smooth, thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat.

Using a small scoop, make balls and drop them into the ice water bath. You can shape them into small or large balls. It will stay fresh a few days in the fridge, if you don’t use it all immediately, like I usually do. Enjoy!

Why Organic?

Some people think that buying organic produce and products is hype, I am not one of them.  I buy organic whenever possible, not only does it taste better, it’s better for the environment and most of the time it is affordable. The difference is usually only $.20 -.50/ lb or bunch, that is not expensive. 

Every year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes an updated list of the 12 most contaminated foods, here’s this years list:

The 2019 Dirty Dozen:

Strawberries

Spinach

Kale

Nectarines

Apples

Grapes

Peaches

Cherries

Pears

Tomatoes

Celery

Potatoes

(Strawberries rank number one for the fourth year in a row, and the rest of the list looks similar to years past with one exception: Kale made the top 12 for the first time in a decade.)

If you're concerned about pesticides, the EWG also publishes a list of the "Clean 15," a.k.a. the produce from conventional growers that generally had less residue in the group's tests. 

The 2019 Clean 15:

Avocados

Sweet corn

Pineapples

Frozen sweet peas

Onions

Papayas

Eggplants

Asparagus

Kiwis

Cabbages

Cauliflower

Cantaloupes

Broccoli

Mushrooms

Honeydew melons

If you’re juicing I think it’s extremely important to use organic produce because you do not want a concentration of pesticides and chemicals in your juice, I’d say that pretty much defeats the purpose.  I’m a big believer in farmers markets, I try to go at least once a week. When my kids were tiny we loved going to the Redland’s farmers market then hit Trader Joe’s on the way home (because it was the closest one, thank God we have closer ones now)!  Check out your local farmers markets, it’s super easy…..there are free app locators, just search the App Store.

Sources: www.ewg.org, www.organic.org

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup

I love tortilla soup and have for years. I think the first time I had it I was in high school and I've been trying to perfect the recipe ever since.  While experimenting I came up with a vegan version that’s just as good if not better than one with chicken. For the broth, I like to use veggie bouillon cubes & hot wader. Usually, I add 2 or 3 types of beans and frozen corn. I like Trader Joe's taco seasoning or a combination of chili powder, garlic, cumin & coriander. I add carrots and zucchini, once I was out of carrots and used small chucks of butternut squash and my daughter said it was the best version I’d ever made. Basically use what you have. I add the zucchini towards end so they don’t get mushy. You can use fire roasted tomatoes if you want it a little more spicy.

Tortilla Soup

32 oz vegetable broth
1 onion diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 carrots chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
2-3 small zucchini chopped (optional)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bag of frozen corn
1/2 package taco seasoning
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4-1/2 bunch cilantro

Toppings:
cheese
lime
avocado
salsa
tortilla chips

In a large soup pot, saute with onion, carrots, and garlic until almost done. Add broth, tomatoes, beans, taco seasoning, salt, sugar, pepper, and corn. Bring to a boil and turn down to very low, after about 10 minutes and add zucchini and cilantro. Simmer for about 20 minutes, serve with your choice of toppings. Enjoy! It’s best when shared.