Roasted Garlic Hummus

I know, hummus AGAIN?!?!  But as all of you know, I am obsessed.  You can find lots of recipes on my site for mind-blowing hummus.  Most likely you have even made a batch or three.  I like to remind people to MAKE YOUR OWN!!  Have you ever noticed how expensive it is to buy?  Especially in the large containers where marketers claim you are getting a great deal.  Yup, and you even get those fillers, stabilizers, GMOs and preservatives to boot!  This easy recipe will not break your bank and I guarantee you and your family and friends will love it to the last drop.  They will probably ask you for the recipe. Get it here.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

2 sixteen ounce cans organic garbanzo beans

1/3 cup tahini

1/2 cup olive or canola oil

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

Juice of 4 small meyer lemons

6 cloves roasted garlic

Sea salt and black pepper (to taste)

Roast peeled whole garlic cloves at 475 degrees F on cookie sheet for 15 minutes.  Remove and set aside to cool.

Drain garbanzo beans and add to food processor.  Add lemon juice, tahini, cumin, sea salt, black pepper and garlic. Puree until smooth and drizzle in oil while machine is running.  Taste test for seasoning levels and adjust to taste.  Too salty?  Add more lemon juice.  Too lemony?  Add more sea salt.  Transfer hummus to large glass vessel and store covered in fridge until ready to serve.  Voila!  Easy as pie!

Roasted Pepper Creamy Tahini

Tahini is a gift to from the vegan gods.  It adds a rich suppleness to recipes unmatched by it's rivals.  Be creative with this recipe by adding more garlic and a bit of heat from dried chilis if you are feeling adventurous.  Serve on salads, tacos, tofu, burritos, potatoes and all veggies (raw or cooked).  Or, if you really need a rich fix, just eat it with a spoon, or crackers....

Roasted Pepper Creamy Tahini

1 Red, Yellow and Orange Bell Pepper

2 Scallions (Green Onions)

4 Tablespoons Vegenaise

2 Tablespoon Tahini

2-4 Cloves Fresh Garlic

Juice of 3 Meyer Lemons

Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Handful of Parsley and/or Cilantro

Drizzle of Olive Oil

1 Small Dried Anaheim Chili, stem and seeds removed (optional)

Begin by roasting peppers in 425 degree F oven on a baking sheet for 15 minutes or until skins blister (turning once, halfway through cooking time.  Remove peppers with tongs and transfer to glass bowl.  Cover with saran wrap and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.  Remove skins and seeds from peppers as best you can.  It's okay if you can't remove all of it.

Add to food processor with all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.  Serve immediately or refrigerate in a glass jar for up to 1 week.

Zesty Ranch Dip

Oh Ranch Dip!  Let me count the ways I love you.  With Carrots.  On Salad.  In Soups.  On a Spoon.  Creamy, rich, decadent and oh so zesty.  Buzz up a batch of this - you will not miss the dairy whatsoever.

Zesty Ranch Dip

4 Heaping Tablespoons Vegenaise

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Juice of 2 Meyer Lemons

3 Cloves Fresh Garlic

2 Tablespoons Fresh Curly Parsley

1 teaspoon Dried Minced Onion

Pinch of Dried Oregano

Pinch of Dried Marjoram

Pinch of Ground Coriander

Pinch of Sea Salt

Pinch of Black Pepper

Blend all ingredients EXCEPT OLIVE OIL in food processor scraping down sides as needed until fully combined.  While processor is running, drizzle in Olive Oil and whip until emulsified.  Taste test for seasoning level.  Serve immediately or refrigerate in tightly sealed glass jar until ready to use.  Makes about 3/4 of a cup.

Pepper-Crusted Cashew Goat Cheese

Needing some sort of creamy frenchy cheesy dippy recipe for my holiday tomorrow, I found this one on Vegetarian Times.  So obv. I completely borrowed this recipe and just put my own spin on it by adding a heaping Tablespoon of nutritional yeast (duh!) and more spices in the mix(double duh!!).

I then (being the creative "Genius" I am, lined a small square bowl with saran wrap and put mixture in on top of a dash of strong Balsamic Vinegar, dried Marjoram, Pink Sea Salt and even more Black Pepper.  Clearly I have ZERO time for the whole "straining" bit.  Tomorrow, for service, I will invert the creation on a crudite platter for the festive holiday affair.  I'll do my best to get another snapshot of said inverted masterpiece before I devour it...

Here is the recipe:

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/pepper-crusted-cashew-goat-cheese/

Vegan Pozole

I knew eventually I was going to have to make Pozole veganized.  I put it off knowing it would be a feat to capture the essence of what used to contain loads of fatty chicken thighs and spicy Italian Sausage.  This version takes a few shortcuts utilizing canned ingredients I had on hand.  I am going to include serving suggestions and additions I'm sure would make it a hit on any festive occasion.

Vegan Pozole

1 Yellow Onion

4 Jalapeno Peppers

1 Large Tomato

1 Tablespoon Canola Oil

1 large can White Hominy (rinsed, drained)

1 large can Red Enchilada Sauce

1 Cup Red Lentils (rinsed, drained)

2 Cups Vegetable Broth

1 Cup Water

4 Tablespoons Chili Powder

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Oregano

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

Lime and Cilantro (for garnish)

2-4 Vegan Spicy Italian Sausages and/or Chorizo-Style Smart Dogs (Optional)

Begin by finely dicing Onion, Peppers and Tomato and saute in Canola Oil in a large pot over medium heat.  For a super fine dice utilize your food processor if you have one.  After sauteing for about 5 minutes add all remaining ingredients and reduce heat to low.  Cook covered, stirring occasionally for at least 45 minutes.  Serve in bowls with a garnish of Lime, chopped Cilantro, Vegan Sour Cream and Crusty Croutons.  Chef's Note:  For a hearty addition, chop up some vegan spicy Italian Sausage or Chorizo Style vegan Smart Dogs (or both) and add them in with the soup half way through cooking.

Red Curry Coconut Peanut Spaghetti Squash

I adore eating curries of all types.  Of course the best curries are those made entirely from scratch but sometimes that isn't an option.  What is great about this dish is it is fast, fun and easy to throw together.  You can make individual portions if you want to save some of the hearty squash for another application.  Just halve or quarter the ingredients and you are good to go.  It is a nice change up from having your curry over a traditional bed of Jasmine Rice and you get your pasta fix too, with less carbs.  This hearty dish is rich and satisfying and will have everyone swooning at it's complexity with such few ingredients.  Enjoy!

Red Curry Coconut Peanut Spaghetti Squash

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash

4 Tablespoons Red Curry Paste (Thai Kitchen, see photo)

2 Cans Coconut Milk

2 Tablespoons Coconut and Peanut Spread (Earth Balance, see photo)

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

Sambal (Chili Garlic Sauce), for garnish

Cilantro, for garnish

Cook Spaghetti Squash whole in oven on roasting pan for 1 hour at 400 degrees F or until tender, rotating once half way through.  Allow Squash to cool to touch. Slice in half long ways and scoop out slimy flesh and seeds.  Using a fork remove "Spaghetti" and put in a large bowl.  Over medium-low heat combine coconut milk, curry paste and coconut and peanut spread.  Whisk gently to combine.  Add squash to mixture and reduce heat to simmer, stir to combine and cook for 5-7 minutes.  Add soy sauce and remove from heat.  Serve immediately with garnish of sambal and chopped cilantro.  Allow unused portion to cool before refrigerating in a tightly sealed glass container.

Chef's note:  this dish stands on it's own but could certainly be varied by adding onions, carrots, peppers or your other vegetables of choice if desired.

Chumbutt Pizza Topper

I didn't need to put an entire 1/3 cup of canola oil in my pizza toppings.  But I did.  I didn't need to consume nearly an entire pizza in one sitting.  But I did.  I didn't know this mornings' batch of roasted vegetables was going to be one of the best things I ever ate.  But it was.  Follow this recipe next time you are craving a truly decadent vegan pizza.  I guarantee you won't miss the cheese.  Did I really just say that?!  Me?  Miss Hardcore Cheese-Lover who in my former life would have put at least a pound of cheese on this bad boy.  Yep.  I did.  Consider me converted.

This recipe is only for the vegetable pizza topper.  The other components of the dish, crust, pesto and red sauce were all homemade and things I like to keep on hand at all times.  I crave Italian food.  Constantly.  I have made some notes to indicate the other components of the dish so use your imagination when making your own.  In all honesty, I'm pretty sure you could put this pizza topper on a piece of cardboard and it would probably still be tasty.  It's that good.  Give it a go.  Share your adventures with me.

Chumbutt Pizza Topper

1 Eggplant (peeled and cubed)

1 Red Bell Pepper (roughly chopped)

1/2 Bunch Green Onions (roughly diced)
1/2 Bunch of Kale (finely chopped, use food processor or use pure kale pulp from juicing)
2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
1/3 Cup Canola Oil or Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Thin Crust (made my own but any crust will do)
Pesto (made my own in my food processor with basil, garlic, cashews and lemon)
Red Sauce (made my own with tomato paste base, red wine, herbs and spices)
Red Pepper Flakes (garnish)
Curly Parsley (garnish)

This is the easiest pizza topper ever.  All you need is a casserole dish, the above ingredients and an hour of time.  Add all ingredients to casserole dish and toss to combine.  Roast at 400 F degrees for about 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes to ensure even browning.  Allow toppings to cool slightly and scoop them up with your favorite crust and sauce.  Or just grab a fork and start eating straight from the dish.  Delish!

Chef note:  the pizza dough pictured here is made using Chef Mario Batali's wonderful recipe that can be found here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/pizza-dough-recipe/index.html

Chumbutt Pizza Deconstructed

Close up of the Chumbutt Pizza Topper - "Ah"-Mazing

Chumbutt Pizza Topper - before being roasted, so colorful, so flavorful, so luscious...

Chumbutt Pizza Toppings - after being roasted, you can see they shrunk considerably and browned beautifully

Vegan Creamy Green Sauce

1 large bunch of cilantro

1/8 sweet yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

Juice of two lemons

Splash of canola oil

Splash of agave (optional)

Dash of dried oregano

Pink Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Blend all in food processor. Store in mason jar in fridge.Can be served cold or lightly heated.Would be great on salads, sandwiches, potatoes, burritos and just about anything else :)