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Appetizers, Beans, Lactose Free, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Easy Homemade Hummus

April 4, 2016

Hummus and pita chips are a great snack any time of the day. I have purchased hummus from our local markets in the past, but I’m always disappointed. Most of the time it’s because there’s too much garlic in the hummus for my taste. When it comes to using raw garlic, especially in hummus and pesto, I prefer a light garlicky flavor, just enough to give the dish a nice zing, but also allowing the other flavors to shine. This simple recipe does just that. You taste the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and a bit of garlic. A few dashes of cayenne pepper adds a delightful touch of heat. This snack will take you just 10 minutes to whip up in your food processor.

I’ve tried a number of brands of canned chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) and finally decided that I like Eden the best (so far). The beans have a nice color and a good texture.

Easy Homemade Hummus

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Ready in just 10 minutes!

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 4 - 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas drained, 2 tablespoons of liquid reserved (you may reserve a few beans to sprinkle over the hummus)
¼ cup tahini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 - 2 tablespoons reserved liquid from the beans
1 very small garlic clove, pressed (scant ¼ teaspoon)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
few grinds of black pepper
few dashes of cayenne pepper

Preparation

Place chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon reserved bean liquid, garlic, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. If the hummus seems too thick, add the other tablespoon of reserved bean liquid and process for a few seconds. Taste and add more salt and cayenne pepper if you desire.
Before serving, drizzle a little olive oil over the hummus and sprinkle with a bit of cayenne pepper or paprika and reserved garbanzo beans. Serve with pita chips.

Appetizers, Pickles, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Quick Aleppo Dill Pickles

February 2, 2016

In earlier posts, I’ve mentioned that we love virtually all forms of pickles. These refrigerator dill pickles are scrumptious. Crunchy with a little heat from the Aleppo pepper flakes, they are ready to eat in just an hour. John, always on the lookout for different pickles, found the recipe in my Bon Appetit magazine and quickly ordered Aleppo pepper from Amazon knowing we wouldn’t be able to find it here on Maui. Featuring large flakes with a beautiful deep red color and medium heat, it is widely used in Middle Eastern cooking. This is our new favorite savory pickle.

The original recipe called for Persian cucumbers which are difficult to find here on Maui. These beautiful Keiki Cukes are readily available at our local Costco and they are perfect for pickles.

If you are in the mood for pickles, go ahead and make a batch of these crunchy dills. Once you taste them you will want to have a jar in your refrigerator at all times. Sprinkle on za’atar for a delicious finishing touch just before serving the pickles.

Quick Aleppo Dill Pickles

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Updated 2/07/16: I reduced the salt from the original recipe.

Author: Kiyo Miller

Ingredients

8 Keiki Cukes or Persian cucumbers (about 1¼ pound) quartered lengthwise
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
2⅓ cups distilled white vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
1 medium garlic clove, finely grated
1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Za'atar and flaky sea salt (for serving)

Preparation

Pack cucumber spears and dill into a large heatproof jar.
Bring vinegar, sugar, garlic, Aleppo pepper, lemon juice, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool slightly, then pour brine over cucumbers to submerge. Seal jar and chill at least 30 minutes.
To serve, remove cucumber spears from brine, lightly shaking off excess liquid but leaving on any seasonings. Sprinkle with za'atar and sea salt.

Dinner, Lactose Free, Pasta, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Avocado Pesto

October 21, 2015

Our poor Sharwil avocado tree has dropped most of its fruit before their usual December season due date. We attribute this to the extremely hot and humid weather we experienced this summer. It was quite unbearable for us humans, and so we expect the poor plants were suffering as well. In any case, we had to throw many away but the most recent ones that have fallen off the tree have been ripening nicely and are quite good. I’m always searching for new ways to use our homegrown fruit. This avocado pesto recipe from Eating Well magazine sounded delicious so I whipped up a batch for lunch.

The one plant that never suffers from too much heat is basil. It just thrives in our garden.

Hemp seeds are quite delicious. I sprinkle them on salads and now use them in place of pine nuts for pesto.

Avocado Pesto

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Author: Kiyo Miller adapted from Eating Well magazine

Serves: 4 about 1⅔ cups

Ingredients

1 large bunch fresh basil (about 2 cups lightly packed)
2 medium-sized ripe avocados
⅓ cup hemp seeds (or walnuts)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Place basil leaves, avocados, hemp seeds, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add oil and process to form a thick paste. Season with pepper and additional salt if needed.
Toss the pesto with your favorite pasta. I love the way the pesto coats the long, flat strands of linguine.
Pesto is best eaten the day you make it as the avocado pesto will brown slightly if made in advance.

Dinner, Lactose Free, Recipes, Rice Dishes, Salad, Side Dishes, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Glory Bowl Salad

July 18, 2015

I bumped into a friend of ours, Lisa Tamaki, with whom I have a shared interest in cooking as well as home canning. She told me about a new salad recipe she thought I would enjoy. The dressing has nutritional yeast in it, one of my favorite foods. Lisa’s enthusiasm about the “Glory Bowl Salad” (named for a top ski bowl in Canada) made me eager to try it out right away. Thank you, thank you!

The original recipe comes from Shelley Adams who once owned Whitewater Ski Resort in Canada. This salad is one of her most requested recipes. Rachel also posted Sami’s version of this delicious salad. I followed her suggestion of seasoning the tofu with sesame oil and soy sauce before baking and it adds a wonderful flavor to the tofu. You can use almost any vegetables you want to in this salad. I opted for colorful red cabbage, crunchy snap peas, cucumbers, carrots and edamame. Don’t skip the toasted almonds. They are super in this salad. The dressing has a fantastic umami flavor due to the generous amount of nutritional yeast and soy sauce, so good you’ll be looking for things to pour it on once your salad is long gone.

I use my TofuXpress often. It presses out the water quickly. No more wasting paper towels!

It’s best to serve the baked tofu once cooled, however, you may bake it in advance and refrigerate it until ready to use. The texture won’t be quite the same (it softens once refrigerated) but it will still taste delicious. Just bring it to room temperature before serving.

Glory Bowl Salad

Adapted from Whitewater Cooks & The Conscious Dietician blog

Two generous salad bowl servings and 1 cup dressing

Ingredients

Salad Bowl:

1 cup short or medium grain brown rice

1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds (bake in toaster oven at 300° for about 5 minutes – watch so they do not burn)

1 package (14 ounce) extra firm tofu (Wildwood recommended) water pressed out

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 ounces sliced cucumber

1 ounce shredded carrot

1/3 cup cooked edamame

3 ounces snap peas

1 ounce shredded red cabbage

roasted black sesame seeds – optional

Dressing:

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup canola oil

freshly ground black pepper

Cook brown rice according to package directions. Set aside.

Toast slivered almonds for a few minutes to crisp up.

Press out water from tofu using the TofuXpress or a clean dish towel or paper towels (weighted down). Cut tofu into rectangles about 1/2 inch thick. Combine sesame oil and soy sauce in a small bowl. Brush mixture over tofu slices, or toss to coat well. Place tofu on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes (I use my toaster oven).

Using an immersion blender combine nutritional yeast, water, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, tahini paste, extra virgin olive oil, and canola oil. Or whisk by hand until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

Assemble your salad by placing the rice on the bottom of your bowl, adding the vegetables and tofu over the rice. Drizzle a generous amount of the dressing over the salad. Sprinkle toasted almonds and roasted sesame seeds over the top and serve with extra dressing.

Lactose Free, Recipes, Rice Dishes, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Haricots Verts and Freekeh with Minty Tahini Dressing

April 11, 2015

Freekeh, an unusual grain with a novel name! The first time it caught my attention was in Berkeley at the Pasta Store. I like cooking with many different types of grains. They make interesting side dishes, and in this case, a great salad. The name Freekeh is a process which means “to rub” in Arabic. The wheat is harvested when young and green then roasted, dried and rubbed. It has a subtle smokey flavor and a pleasant, chewy texture. It’s delicious.

Freekeh looks a bit like bulgur once it is cooked. In fact, if you can’t find freekeh, you could substitute bulgur but freekeh has a chewier texture and more interesting flavor.

I included Madagascar pink rice in my salad. I love the color and texture it added to the salad. This beautiful rice cooks in just 20 minutes.

Fresh herbs are scattered over the salad just before serving.

I am a big fan of any dressing that contains tahini and lemon juice!

This salad is so good I made it three times in a one week period. I packed it up for my work lunch and tossed the beans, freekeh, rice and walnuts with the dressing just before I sat down to eat.

Haricots Verts and Freekeh with Minty Tahini Dressing

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/4 cup cracked or uncracked freekeh, rinsed

1 cup Madagascar pink rice (optional)

6 ounces haricots verts, trimmed

1 very small garlic clove, finely grated (I used my microplane zester)

2 – 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons tahini

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint (or 1/2 teaspoon dried mint)

1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts (I baked them in the toaster oven for 5 minutes)

a few sprigs of dill, cilantro, flat leaf parsley

crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation

Cook freekeh in a medium saucepan of salted simmering water until al dente, 12 – 15 minutes (uncracked freekeh will take longer to cook, 30 minutes or so). Drain and rinse under cold water; set aside. You will not use all the freekeh for the salad.

Cook Madagascar pink rice if using, following directions on package. (I make 1 cup of rice at a time and serve leftover rice with mock chicken tofu the following day).

Cook haricots verts in a medium pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes (very thin haricots verts may take just 2 minutes to cook). Drain and transfer to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Drain and pat dry.

Whisk garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, oil, tahini, mint, maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon water in a medium bowl; season with salt. Taste, add more lemon juice if desired.

In a large bowl, stir together 1/4 cup each, cooked freekeh and pink rice if using (use more freekeh if you skip the pink rice). Add green beans and toss with enough dressing to coat everything nicely. Season with salt. Divide on to two plates, top with toasted walnuts, small sprigs of dill, tender leaves of cilantro and parsley. Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes over the salad and serve.

Lactose Free, Recipes, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian

Golden Soup

February 9, 2015

Bonnie Mandoe, a former Maui resident, published her cookbook Vegetarian Nights: Fresh From Hawaii in 1994. It is still one of my favorites. Her recipes are very simple to make, and full of rich flavors. I recall ordering a veggie burger many, many, years ago at Maui Coffee Roasters, which still exists today. The burger was topped with green chile pesto, a recipe found in her cookbook. It made that burger so special. One of Bonnie’s dishes that I have made many times is her delicious Golden Soup. Golden from turmeric and nutritional yeast, it’s a breeze to make. You can find nutritional yeast in the bulk section of your favorite health food store. I love it. I always have some in my pantry and use it to make mock chicken tofu as well.

Red lentils are usually orange in color. They don’t hold their shape well, and are best suited to thicken soups, as is the case with this recipe. So don’t be disappointed when this happens, it’s part of the plan.

Lots of tasty vegetables go into the soup, beautiful orange carrots, celery and creamy potatoes. I’ve made this soup Bonnie’s way, using vegetable bouillon cubes however this time I used chicken broth because I didn’t have the bouillon cubes in the pantry. So that means it isn’t a vegetarian soup, but you can easily make it the original way for a vegan meal. Also feel free to add cup of diced zucchini once the potatoes have cooked through a bit. Simmer for another 5 minutes or until the potatoes are just perfectly cooked. Add the parsley and nutritional yeast.

Golden Soup

Adapted from Vegetarian Nights cookbook

6 Servings

Ingredients

3 cups water if using chicken broth

2 cans (14 oz.) chicken broth or 2 vegetable bouillon cubes combined with 6 1/2 cups water

1 cup diced onion

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 bay leaf

1 cup red lentils

1 cup diced celery

1 1/2 cups diced carrot

1 cup diced potato (I like to use Yukon Golds)

2 tablespoons minced parsley

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

salt and pepper

Preparation

Bring water and chicken broth or water and bouillon cubes to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the onion, garlic, turmeric and bay leaf to the pot. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

Wash the lentils thoroughly in several changes of water until they stop foaming. Drain and add to the soup, along with the celery, carrots, and potatoes. Simmer another 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender. The cooking time will depend upon how large or small you cube your potatoes. I go for a fairly small cubes for this particular recipe.

Add the parsley and whisk in the nutritional yeast. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

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Easy Homemade Hummus

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Quick Aleppo Dill Pickles

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Avocado Pesto

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Glory Bowl Salad

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Haricots Verts and Freekeh with Minty Tahini Dressing

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Golden Soup

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