Golden Goddess Turmeric Hummus

 

Infused with anti-inflammatory spices such as turmeric and ginger this vivid golden hummus will not only brighten your palate but add a touch of warmth to your day. Its sunny disposition has the perfect balance and harmony of savouriness and spiciness together in such a beautiful luscious spread.   

Golden Goddess Turmeric Hummus

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 can (540ml) low- sodium chickpeas, drained

the juice of 1 medium - large lemon

1/4 cup tahini 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

a pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil

Add the drained chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, minced garlic, fresh ginger, turmeric, salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper and oil in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Scraping down the sides of the container if needs be. 

For a more creamier texture add a bit more oil and or water, about 1 tablespoon oil plus 2 tablespoons water. Blend again. Taste and adjust the flavour, according to your taste, either by adding more turmeric, garlic or ginger.

When the hummus is a consistency to your liking, place into a serving bowl. Smooth the top. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika and garnish with slices of lemons or pine nuts. Serve with pita bread, crisp flat bread, rustic crackers or chopped vegetables. 

Dill Pickle Hummus

This is a slight departure from traditional hummus recipes due to the fact that it doesn't use tahini paste and relies on the juice of pickle brine... although on second thought you could add a tablespoon or two of Tahini if you wish to enhance the texture. As is, it has a more clean, sharp tangy taste and using fresh dill is a must. A perfect dip that is even better as a sandwich spread.  

Dill Pickle Hummus

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 can (540ml) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup pickle juice brine

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons fresh dill

dash of salt and pepper

1/3 cup chopped dill pickles

Place all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Add the 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles and process a bit more. 

Serve with pita bread, crackers, corn chips and sliced vegetables. Can be also used as a sandwich spread.

 

Roasted Vegetable Hummus

I am unsure where this sits in the realm of kitchen recipes. Leftovers, bits and bobs, about to expire... I had a few vegetables that had seen better days and wanted to use them rather than waste them. This was an inspirational dip and by that I mean I came across a few recipes that got me thinking and had me heading straight into the kitchen towards those forlorn vegetables. I may not have had full ingredients however I had a enough to create something. With the eggplant, green onions, green peppers, garlic and a can of chickpeas I was ready to create something... anything edible. Since this recipe was done completely on a whim, it can easily lend itself to interpretation, depending on what vegetables are at hand and your taste.       

The half of eggplant, the remaining green onions and some straggly bits of green peppers were sliced and lightly tossed in a little bit of olive oil. A whole head of garlic, cutting just the very top off the garlic drizzling with olive oil, dash of salt and pepper and wrapped in aluminum foil; were oven roasted on a parchment lined baking tray at 400ºF for about 20 to 30 minutes; the garlic taking the longest amount of time, 45 minutes. I did remove the green onions before everything else as they are smaller and more delicate and I did not want them to get burnt. Since roasting at such a high temperature I decided to check them periodically for doneness.

When the veggies were done I drained and rinsed a can of chickpeas. Gently patted them dry and toss them in a little olive oil and since the oven was still on and hot, they went into the oven and roasted for about 10 minutes on a parchment lined baking tray. The roasted veggies, including all garlic cloves, individually removed from the skin, which is super easy when oven roasted as such, went into a food processor with the oven roasted chickpeas and 2 tablespoons of  lemon juice, 2 - 3 tablespoons of tahini paste, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper. All was blended until smooth. What culminated was an exquisitely delicious thick rich oven roasted dip or pâté, delicious and worthy of any cracker, tortilla chip or piece of toast. 

Hummus

I come across a lot of hummus recipes and virtually all have the same ingredients. It seems what may set them apart has more to do with how much or how little of an ingredient is added or sometimes how that ingredient is prepared; roasted chickpeas or non roasted chickpeas, roasted garlic or non roasted garlic.  

One can understand why there are various recipes of hummus as the earliest account of a written recipe was recorded in a cookbook in Cairo in the 13th century. It's plausible that throughout the centuries this recipe could have slightly evolved and lent itself to interpretation depending on regional ingredients throughout the Middle East and other countries.

While trying different recipes, one thing is constant, texture and taste... the base notes of chickpea and tahini. By adding more garlic or lemon, spices or vegetables will enhance the flavour and naturally heightens the taste. This recipe is one of the more delicious hummus recipes I have tried, as I find it captures all the base notes and flavour with few ingredients.   

Hummus

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Serves 6

14 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon tahini

juice of 1 to 2 lemons

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

pinch of paprika, for serving 

lemon thyme leaves, for serving  

Place drained chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor with the garlic and tahini. Process to chop roughly.

Add the juice of one lemon and process to combine. With the food processor's motor still running, slowly add the olive oil in a thin and steady stream until the mixture is a smooth paste. 

Season with the salt and pepper, to taste, and add more lemon juice if you like.

Spoon into a bowl and sprinkle with paprika. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and lightly sprinkle with leaves of lemon thyme. Serve with pita bread. 

Green Pea Hummus

There is a quote by Pedro Calderon de la Barca, "Green is the prime colour of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises"... loveliness... and surprisingly tasty may I add, this exquisite green pea hummus is deliciously moreish. A refreshing change to grace any festive seasonal table and an excellent twist on using frozen peas. This hummus can generously be slathered on burgers, in sandwiches or wraps and on toast.

Green Pea Hummus

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Serves 8

2 1/2 cups ( 375g ) frozen peas

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

juice of 1 lemon

4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

4 teaspoon tahini

pinch of salt

ground paprika, for serving

crackers or toasted flat bread, for serving

lemon wedges, for serving

Cook peas in boiling water until just tender. Drain well.

Place peas in a food processor with the garlic, cumin, lemon juice, olive oil and tahini. Blend to a purée. Season to taste with salt and adding more lemon, if needed.

Spoon hummus into a bowl and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with crackers or toasted flat bread and lemon wedges.

Food Photo of the Day ~ Carrot, Cucumber Sandwich with Hummus

Leftover grated carrots make for an excellent sandwich filling however it does make for a lovely sandwich too; when adding slices of cucumber and slathering the bread  with hummus. A refreshingly light lunchtime meal that absolutely satisfies and meets your veggie needs. - JD  

 

Our Vegan / Vegetarian Dinner Party

The other night we had a dinner party with friends and the dinner menu was mostly vegan and or vegetarian. We started off the night with homemade hummus and crackers. The herbed sesame crackers were made by my daughter and myself.   

My son was in charge of drinks. He decided to create a lovely summery fruit punch which consisted of raspberry juice and tonic water with slices of oranges. It was a delicate flavour with a bit of zing.   

The main was marinated tofu burgers with vegan buns. Flavourful and very, very tasty. I will post the recipe tomorrow. They were dressed with red onion, tomatoes, pickles, and...

pineapple relish. Last week I posted about the cookbook, Haute Dog and shared a recipe from the book which was the pineapple relish. I decided that the relish would be perfect with the tofu burgers. It complimented everything nicely and was a big hit. 

The side was a salad. It is hard to believe that underneath all those veggies there were tender greens and spinach. A homemade mustard vinaigrette was the accompanying   salad dressing.   

Dessert was a light fruit salad. Fresh juicy berries and tart plums lightly tossed in coconut sugar. Something  to refresh the palate.

Hope everyone had a good long weekend. It is Wednesday, the middle of the week, and the to do list keeps growing. - JD 

Hummus

I have tried many hummus recipes. Some with much success and others with much less. Hummus is a great dip to have with vegetables, crackers, or multi-grain corn chips. Also it is fabulous on burgers (veggies or meat), toast, and sandwiches. A healthier snacking choice that contains 20 Amino Acids, has many minerals, rich in Vitamin C and B6, offers good fat from the Tahini paste and is about 30-40% protein when made homemade. Store made hummus might not be as healthy. 

Armed with a blender and only 5 to 7 easy ingredients you will have a lovely snack in no time. Positively tasty, this hummus recipe is simple and in my opinion one of the best
   

Hummus

------------------------------------

1 can of chickpeas or Garbanzo beans (drain only half of the water)

1/4 cup Tahini (sesame seed) paste

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of cumin

1/4 teaspoon of chili powder

1/4 cup lemon juice to taste

Blend all the ingredients together in a blender or a food processor for about 3  minutes or until smooth. Place in a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, and paprika.

Notes: Alter the amounts of cumin and chili powder according to your taste. Try other herbs or spices. Try adding roasted red peppers. 

It is Wednesday and we have been granted with snow. Thick. Heavy. Slushy snow. - JD 

My Week in Food

We started off the long weekend with scrambled eggs. Slices of sausages, green peppers, green onion and dashes of cumin and paprika made this a hearty breakfast. A savoury way to start the day. 

Pumpkin Pie. Next to rice pudding and bread pudding this is so comforting and smooth. This is my son's favourite therefore no holiday would be complete without it. 

Hummus with Pita. Snacking and munching. Hummus is a favourite of mine. There are so many things you can add and have with hummus, that is why it is so appealing. Just blitz some chickpeas, tahini paste, crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and a bit of water to make it all spreadable.  

I rarely and I mean rarely cook steak let alone red meat for that matter. And to be perfectly honest I wasn't quite sure on how to prepare and cook it. After much thought I decided to marinate it overnight in the following: ginger syrup, crushed garlic, honey, cumin, pepper and a pinch of salt. There were sweet hints of spiciness. Paired with Fortnum and Mason's Highgrove Spiced Fruit Chutney. Letting the contrasting flavours play with one another. 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JW  

My Week In Food

This week was the return of the banana bread. However this was not my usual late night baking but rather a rainy day baking. Rain plus baking equals smiling faces.  

The watercress soup hit the spot! Packed with vitamins this was the best side dish other than the usual salad. 

This was my take on a greek salad, Italian style! Loads of tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, red pepper and mozzarella cheese. All tossed in a homemade herbed dressing. 

Hummus is a staple in our household. Even when I go out to restaurants I eye and order this perfect appetizer for sharing. I roasted the chickpeas before blending everything together. 

And the ever bottomless pan of crumble. This time I made an apple, blueberry and strawberry crumble. Not as sweet as the rhubarb crumble. Probably because I added less sugar however still sweet and tangy and disappeared quite quickly! 

 Well these have been the highlights of another busy week. Only one week to go before I am off on vacation. Have a great weekend! - JW  

Veggie Hummus Roll

I know when the weather gets cold we all tend to reach for the stodgy comfort food. This is my comfort food, a veggie hummus roll. 

First I added a generous amount of hummus to the bottom portion of the roll. Then I added a heap of lettuce, slices of orange peppers, thinly sliced old cheddar cheese, a full circle of red onion, a juicy tomato, a handful of hand picked parsley and a dollop hot English mustard. It's like a burger without the meat or meatless patty. Full on veg! Filled with protein and lovely veggies this hit the spot after a long walk. - JW