Black bean pumpkin soup

We put this together using a lonely sugar pumpkin hanging on our counter from a few weeks back. Makes a festive Halloween dinner!

Adapted from Gourmet

Yield: 9 cups

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/4 cups chopped onion 1/2 cup minced shallot

4 garlic cloves minced

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons guajillo powder

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

pinch cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

about 2 cups roasted pumpkin

Three 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained

1 cup canned tomatoes, chopped, with juices

2 cups broth

1/2 cup dry red wine

3 to 4 tablespoons Sherry or other vinegar (we used balsamic)
Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook onion, shallot, garlic, spices, salt, and pepper in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in pumpkin, beans and tomatoes. Stir in broth and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, or so. Puree soup to desired consistency either with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender. Bring soup back up to a simmer.

Just before serving add vinegar and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper.

Serve soup garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Ancho Honey Glaze or What to do with your soup mix

Last week we got a giant bag of soup mix (rutabagas, turnips, carrots, and parsnips) in our Irv and Shelly's box. Not really feeling like making soup, we made a double batch of this lovely little glaze for roasting a chicken and the soup mix veggies (and some beets). The results were delish!

Adapted from Bon Appetit
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chiles

1/2 teaspoon ground guajillo chiles

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Stir oil, honey, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt. Let glaze stand at least 45 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

From Orangette:

4 Tbsp. olive oil, plus additional good oil for drizzling
2 large yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
A few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne or Aleppo pepper, or more to taste
2 quarts broth
2 cups red lentils, picked through for stones and debris
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the onions and garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, 2 cups water, the lentils, and the carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Continue to cook until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste, and add more salt if necessary. Using an immersion or regular blender, puree about half of the soup. It should still be somewhat chunky, not completely smooth. Reheat if necessary, then stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve the soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted very lightly with cayenne, if desired.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Chickpea + lentil salad with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette

Another perfect, healthy lunch that makes lots. From the Once Upon a Tart cookbook, which I highly recommend. Omit the parm in the dressing to make this vegan.

Chickpea and Lentil Salad with Zucchini and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1 cup of French lentils (Puy lentils), well rinsed
1 cup of dried chickpeas, well rinsed
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 large jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 zucchini, finely chopped [I didn't have any so I used a bunch of radishes, diced]
6 - 8 marinated sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
one recipe sun-dried tomato dressing
1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
chopped parsley

Soak the chickpeas in enough water to cover overnight. Drain, transfer to a medium large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cover and simmer until the chickpeas are tender - roughly 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

In another medium large saucepan, bring the lentils to a boil in 4 cups of water. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the lentils are tender - roughly 20 - 25 minutes. Drain and add them to the bowl of chickpeas.

Add the onion, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, zucchini/radish and sun-dried tomatoes, along with the dressing to the beans. Toss until everything is evenly coated with the dressing. Now add the fresh basil leaves and parsley, a pinch of S+P, and toss again gently.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Yields 4 - 6 servings.

Perfect Everytime Straight Up Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today I was CRUSHED by the discovery that my current crush is engaged...So, cookies. These are no frills, no nonsense cookies. They hit the spot, the sad spot. Luckily I had the dough pre-made in my freezer...Because I bake when I'm bummed and I've been bumming a lot lately :(

Ingredients
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegan raw sugar

1 flax egg (1/4 cup unsweetened hemp milk + 1 heaping T finely ground flax meal, let it sit for 10 minutes)

1 t vanilla

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
heaping 1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t unbleached sea salt

1 t cinnamon

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

(Use frozen or chilled cookie dough, always. It makes the cookies so much better.)

Cream the margarine and sugars together in a large bowl. Fold in the flax egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and mix well. Toss in the chocolate chips (and any other add-ins if you're going for frills...) and portion out the cookie dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet to freeze. I use a tablespoon measure to portion out the cookies.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet in parchment paper, place the pre-portioned cookies on it, and bake for 15 minutes. You will have perfectly sized, puffy chocolate chip cookies at the end...perfect for drowning your little sads in.

Roasted and Stuffed Delicata Squash

Delicata squash are perhaps my favorite of all squashes. I am always saddened by how short their little season is. Delicatas are magical little babies-- Their skin is edible (and delicious) when roasted, they're small (i.e. single person sized), and they have an incredible nutty, sweet flavor that really doesn't need any bells or whistles. Seriously, I'm usually hard pressed to season mine with anything beyond salt and pepper.  Usually I make something a couple times before I share the recipe. I like to tweak and perfect...But, I don't think that I could improve upon this one. Luckily, I took notes while the magic was happening!

Roasted + Stuffed Delicata Squash

1 Delicata squash, halved and seeds removed

olive oil

1/4 cup sweet onion, finely diced

1 large shallot, finely diced
1 t Aleppo Pepper or 1/2 t Red Pepper flakes

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

2 cups red kale, de-stemmed, rinse and torn into small pieces

1/4 cup chunky almond meal (pulse a handful of raw almonds in your food processor until they are half the texture of flour and half very small chunks)

1 T nutritional yeast

2 T tomato paste

1 cup cooked adzuki beans with about 2 T of their cooking water (can sub veggie stock for the cooking water)

1 t orange zest

1/2 t fennel seeds

1/2 t mustard seeds

5- 6 cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat the oven to 400. Lightly brush the squash with olive oil and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. When you can handle the squash, scoop a little of the flesh out of each half to make larger boats for the filling. Reserve the scooped out squash. 

While the squash is roasting, heat some olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and shallots and cook slowly so that they caramelize a bit. I don't mean brown the onions, I mean cook them low and slow so that they get nice and sweet and wilty (about 10 minutes). Add the Aleppo Pepper and diced red pepper and cook for another couple of minutes until soft. Add the kale and allow it to gently wilt. Stir in the almond meal, nutritional yeast, and tomato paste. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked adzuki beans, the cooking water and the orange zest.

In a small, covered frying pan heat 1 T olive oil and add the fennel seeds and mustard seeds. Remove from the heat when you hear the seeds start to pop. Stir the oil and the whole spices into the filling with the scooped out squash. Taste for salt (I didn't need any).

Mound the filling evenly into the squash halves. Decorate the tops with the halved tomatoes, face down. Place the squash back into the oven for 15 minutes. When the squash is done cooking, allow it to settle for a couple of minutes before serving as it will be very hot. 

I recommend eating this at the table, with a napkin. Something about feeling civilized again really helped make this long day seem more manageable!

Chewy Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cherries

If I'm baking it means one of two things: 1. I have a crush on someone and I'm trying to woo them with sugar; 2. I'm really stressed out and trying to calm myself with sugar. This weekend's baking is brought to you by the latter...Though if you know any dapper, tall, skinny, silly, bike-riding, book reading, non meat eating gentlemen who like art and good music, I'd be happy to be baking for the former reason...It usually means that I eat fewer of the cookies!

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cherries
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

1/2 c Earth Balance
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c vegan sugar
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1.5 T flax meal blended with 3 T non-dairy milk

1 c quick cook oats
3/4 c vegan chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped dried tart cherries

Line a cookie sheet with unbleached parchment paper and place in the freezer.

Sift the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the earth balance and sugar for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, cinammon and flax/milk "egg" and beat for one more minute.

Fold in the dry ingredients until you have a sticky dough. Mix in the oats, chocolate chips and cherries. If the dough is still really wet, add another 1- 2 T flour.

Place the cookie dough in the fridge for 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 350.

Scoop the dough (about 1.5 T/ cookie) onto the cold cookie sheet and bake in the top of the oven for 15 minutes, turning the sheet halfway through. Let the cookies cool on a rack...And try not to eat them all yourself.

Depending on how much cookie dough you eat, this recipe makes about 20 large-ish cookies.

Anatolian Red Lentil Stew with Wheat Berries and Chickpeas (very slightly adapted)

Anatolian Red Lentil Stew with Wheat Berries and Chickpeas (very slightly adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian)

 1/4 cup wheat berries

1 cup cooked chickpeas (Make your own! But, you can use canned...If you use canned, don't use that bean water in the soup.)

3 T olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 small eggplants, peeled and diced

2.5 T tomato paste

1/2 t Aleppo pepper

1/2 t smoked paprika

1 cup red lentils

4 cups vegetable broth

2 T dried mint

unbleached sea salt

juice from one lemon

Chopped parsley to garnish

Cook the wheat berries in 2 cups of water. Cook them in a covered pot until they have absorbed all the water. 

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions and fry for 4 minutes. Add the eggplant and fry for 2 minutes. Add the Aleppo pepper, tomato paste, and paprika and cook for 30 seconds. Turn the heat down to medium low and add the red lentils, cook for 30 seconds and then add the vegetable broth. Simmer in the covered pot for 40 minutes. Once the red lentils have broken down, purée the soup with an immersion blender and then add the chickpeas, 1 cup of the chickpea cooking water or 1 cup of water if you're using canned beans, wheat berries, and mint. Simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes. Serve garnished with chopped parsley. 

Red Lentil + Brown Rice Soup

I am obsessed with this 101cookbooks recipe. It's super cheap, super easy, super filling and AMAZINGLY delicious. As with all soups, it's super good with some sautéed kale thrown on top. 

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 shallots, chopped

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper 

6 cups good-tasting vegetable stock (or water)

1 1/3 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed

1/2 cup brown rice, picked over and rinsed

as much fine grain, unbleached sea salt as you need

In a big soup pot, over medium heat, combine the olive oil, onion, shallots, and red pepper flakes. Let them brown, and caramelize a bit, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the broth, bring to a boil, then stir in the lentils and rice. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the rice is very tender, and not at all toothsome. By this time, the lentils will have collapsed into a thick slop of sorts. If you need to add more water/broth at any point do so a splash at a time, until the soup thins out to the point you prefer.

Unless you used a salty broth, you will likely need to salt generously, until the the soup no longer tastes flat. 

Edamame Hummus

Edamame Hummus

1/3 cup cilantro (this is basically 1/3 of a good sized bunch from the grocery store, leaves only)

1 clove garlic

1.5 cups thawed frozen, shelled, organic edamame (unsalted)

3 t tahini

2 t olive oil

2 t rice vinegar

1 lime, juiced

1+ T white miso

5- 6 T warm water

In a food processor or blender, whir the garlic and cilantro until they are well chopped. Add the thawed edamame and pulse on low. Then add the tahini, miso, olive oil, rice vinegar and lime juice. Blend for 4- 5 minutes, adding the warm water slowly until the hummus is smooth and fluffy. Taste. If you'd like it to be a bit saltier add a small amount more miso or a pinch of sea salt.

Quinoa Salad Inspired by Kelly (Riffing on a theme)

Quinoa salad with herbs, tahini and fresh veggies
1 cup quinoa cooked
4 Thai eggplants, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
3 carrots, shredded
1 beet, shredded
1/3 cup tart dried cherries

3 T roasted sesame tahini
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic

1/2 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup parsely, chopped

unbleached salt + pepper + olive oil

Rinse the quinoa and then toast lightly in 1 T olive oil. Add 1.5 cups of water and cook until done, but not mushy. Set aside.

Generously salt the eggplant after dicing and set aside while you chop the other veggies. Try to get a consistent size on everything. Drain, rinse and dry the eggplant after about 10 minutes.

Heat about 2 T olive oil in a large skillet. Add the eggplant and let cook for 2 minutes before adding the bell pepper, tomato and cherries. Cook together for about 5 minutes. Everything should stay pretty al dente, but you want the flavors to marry.

In a small food processor make an emulsion with the tahini and lemon (it will turn into a mayonnaise-y consistency) and then add the minced garlic.

When the veggies are done dump them in a big bowl with the cooked quinoa, shredded beets and carrots, and tahini dressing. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. When the salad has cooled stir in the green herbs and serve.

Sweet Potato and Adzuki Bean Soup

Quick Gingered Sweet Potato Soup with Adzuki Beans and Miso
1 T olive oil
1 large sweet potato, scrubbed and cubed (skin on)
1 sweet onion minced
1 bay leaf
2" of ginger minced
1/2 t fennel seeds, lightly crushed
2 t red miso
1/2 vegan bouillon cube
1/2 cup adzuki beans, cooked (I cook mine with just a 1" piece of kombu for flavor and add a little salt at the end)
1/2 t smoked paprika
cilantro for garnish

Sweat the onions in a large sauce pan with the olive oil. When the onions start to become fragrant (about 5 minutes) add the cubed sweet potato and continue to stir until the sweet potato becomes fragrant. Toss in the fennel seeds, ginger and bay leaf. Stir for a minute or two before adding the water, miso and bouillon. Simmer until the sweet potato starts to fall apart, then remove the bay leaf and buzz lightly with an immersion blender. The soup should be chunky rather than silky. Add the adzukis and the smoked paprika and remove from the heat. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Another quinoa salad, this one Persian-style

I just discovered food52.com and made this salad the other nite. I made a ton of alterations - swapped in healthier quinoa for couscous, eggplant (in need of use) for squash, and cherries for raisins (eww!). The great thing about this recipe is that you can, and should, use what you have on hand. Following is my version and what I was munching on in class yesterday. That lentil salad topper on there will have to wait - that involves cookbook transcribing and I can't procrastinate that much!

Quinoa salad with eggplant, cherries, pistachios, and mint, aka Persian Love Salad

Serves 6-ish

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• Olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cups dried quinoa, cooked according to directions
  
• 1 diced eggplant
  
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
  
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic cloves and let them steep for about 30 minutes.
2. Next, cook the quinoa - rinse the grains, boil in water till the little germ spirals pop out, and drain. Toss it with a fork so the grains don't start clumping together, pour into a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
3. In a skillet over medium high heat, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then, add the chopped eggplant, salt and pepper. Saute until semi-soft with nice brown edges. Then add the shallot, cherries, pistachios, and more salt and pepper. Only cook for about a minute or two -- you still want the eggplant to be al dente. This just ensures all the flavors can marry before they hit the couscous. Set aside until everything reaches room temperature.
4. Once the veggies have reached room temperature, add them to the bowl with the couscous and combine.
5. Then, remove and discard the cloves of garlic from the dressing, and toss it with the couscous (add the dressing gradually, as you may not need it all). Fold in the mint, season with additional salt and pepper if necessary and serve at room temperature.

Read more: http://www.food52.com/recipes/5425_summer_squash_couscous_with_sultanas_pistachios_and_mint#ixzz0z3teL1AP

Cleaning out the fridge quinoa salad

I had a few things lingering at the bottom of my produce drawer from last week's box from Irv and Shelly's that were begging to be roasted and tossed together with some quinoa and harissa for a quick healthy dinner. I let the roast veggies and the quinoa cool before throwing it all together to make it feel lighter and more summery, but I think it would also be excellent hot.

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
5-6 small beets, sliced
1 1/2 c. cubed butternut squash (I had some already cut up and frozen leftover from a recipe a few months back)
1 small spring onion, sliced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
a healthy pinch each of cumin, coriander, aleppo pepper
a few grinds of salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chile pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 c. roughly chopped swiss chard
1 c. roughly chopped beet greens
2 tablespoons harissa

In a medium bowl, toss the beets, squash, onion, some of the olive oil, cumin, coriander, aleppo, and salt and pepper. Spread out on a cookie sheet and roast in a 350F oven for about 35 minutes, moving them around with a spatula about halfway through. While the veggies are roasting, cook the quinoa according to package directions. When finished, rinse with cold water and set aside. Next, saute garlic, chile pepper flakes, and greens in the rest of the olive oil until greens are just beginning to wilt, put aside. When the beets and squash are finished, remove from oven and let cool. Toss greens, quinoa and roasted veggies together, with harissa and a bit more olive oil as needed. Enjoy!

Black Eyed Pea and Potato tacos!

Yesterday I went on an awesome date. That date involved an amazing spice shop in the East Village where there are also amazing bulk dried fruits, beans, jarred chutneys, etc. And, today there was amazing watercress at the farmer's market...So, this little gem of a dinner was born. These tacos (plus the spicy dark chocolate and trappist ale I washed it down with...) were the perfect end to a beautiful day and the satisfying meal I needed after a 30 mile bike jaunt! Sadly, I gobbled them down before taking a picture...But, I guarantee you that it was a BEAUTIFUL, colorful meal. These are light and surprisingly complex and flavorful for a super quick meal, and seriously satisfying. I think these would be great with sweet potatoes or squash in place of the yukon golds too! Dare I recommend pairing these tacos with your favorite beer and an evening on the porch with someone sweet? Bliss.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
2 yukon gold potatoes, cubed
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1 cup cooked black eyed peas (Save the rest of your batch for another meal...I'm thinking tumeric scented empanadas!)
1 clove garlic, minced
smoked paprika
ground cumin
ground coriander
cayenne pepper
1 t honey or maple syrup
sea salt
lime


A healthy amount of rinsed and dried watercress
1 bell pepper, chopped small
1 large carrot, chopped small
A hefty handful of chopped cilantro (like 3/4 cup!)

1 avocado, sliced
whole grain tortillas (I like the Ezekiel ones, toasted over the stove until a bit crispy)


In a large nonstick skillet, heat some olive oil over low-medium heat and start caramelizing the onions. When they start to get clear, add the potatoes and let them sit until they begin to brown. Cook the potatoes and onions together for about 8 minutes and then add the cooked beans and chopped garlic. Let the beans brown for a minute or two and then add about 1/2t each of cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika. Stir lightly. Let the beans, onions and potatoes continue to brown. When they are getting a lot of color, add a dash of cayenne pepper, some salt and the honey or syrup. Let cook until dry...You want like a hash consistency, this takes some time and requires that you not stir too much. Remove your delicious pile of smokey carbs and beans from the heat and squeeze half a lime over the top.

While the beans and potatoes are turning into magic taco filling, toss the watercress with the carrots, peppers, most of the cilantro, a little olive oil and lime juice and some salt and pepper.

Assemble each taco with a bit of the salad, a scoop of the potatoes and beans, a slice of avocado and some more cilantro.

Carrot, Bean + Herb Salad

This is a riff on one of my 101 Cookbooks faves and it's as easy as it gets. Heidi's version calls for white beans + dill; I make this with whatever beans I have cooked and herbs on hand. My latest version was especially fantastic and here it is: with ramps, mini Yellow Indian Woman beans, cilantro, and chives. Instead of pan roasting carrots and adding raw shallots, I oven-roasted the carrots with a couple of chopped ramps. Holla! While the almonds may seem like a weird addition, they are lots of the reason this is so amazing. Great for vegans and those watching the calories!

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt

2 T. olive oil
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots/garlic/ramps/other allium

3 cups cooked beans (from 1 c. dry - I often use Allubia Criollo from Rancho Gordo; most kinds work, just experiment)
scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs - dill is what Heidi uses; I love this with cilantro or parsley, and some chives
Honey to taste, about 1 tsp to 1 T.
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

salt, pepper, and Aleppo pepper (optional)

Oven roast the carrots at 350 degrees with the olive oil and the chopped shallots/ramps/whatever for 30-45 mins, depending on the size of the carrots. They should be bright orange with some nice brown edges.

Toss the beans and herbs with the carrots and add a squeeze of lemon juice, honey, and salt + pepper. You shouldn't really need more olive oil but if things look dry, add a splash.

Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. A sprinkle of Aleppo pepper works really well too. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.

Serves 6 - 8 as a side.

BRAIN FOOD

Garlic roasted lima beans, wheat berries, and arugula salad with avocado, bell pepper, sprouts and lemon and garlic dressing.

A simplified version of my favorite Winter soup.

I think I made that Kabocha squash and French lentil soup from 101 cookbooks at least 20 times in the months since Heidi posted it. I am obsessed. It is the best soup ever. (Okay, its tied with the white beans and greens soup and black bean soup that my mom has been making me since I was very wee.)But, it's labor intensive and uses a lot of dishes and squash season is over. So, I've re-done the recipe to make it a one pot, one cutting board, one knife kind of pantry recipe. The lovely thing is that this soup costs about $5 to make, thins out beautifully (so you can really stretch it), and lends itself to impulsive variations. It also makes its own tasty broth, so there's no need to whip up or buy veggie stock saving both money and time, things I am definitely short on lately! I've made it three times this week and have had it cold, over rice, with a salad, thinned out with water, thickened up with greens, topped with red pepper purée...and it just keeps satisfying me. So, I hope that if you try it, you'll like it at least half as much as I do.



Necessary Ingredients
(about) 1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, 1/4" dice
1 small sweet onion, 1/4" dice
1 medium size thin skinned potato, 1/4" dice (I like Yukon Gold and you could add 2 potatoes if you want it to be heartier.)
1 large clove garlic, minced
3/4- 1 cup French Lentils
2 dried bay leaves
1 star anise
1/2 tsp dried ginger
5- 6 cups filtered water
1 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
sea salt to taste

Optional Ingredients
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, 1/4" dice (added in with the carrots and onions, this will add a rich sweetness to the soup)
any cubed vegetables that you have lying around. I think some quartered and roasted brusssels sprouts sound like they'd be good thrown in at the end.
puréed roasted bell pepper (1/4 cup) (as a drizzle on top)
chard or kale, chopped
cooked wheat berries or brown rice (to thicken the soup and add body)
a hefty wedge of warm bread (because soup is better with bread!)
cubed avocado (because its great on everything)
Chopped and toasted walnuts as a garnish (Omega 3's!)
...you get the idea.

Start with a large or medium soup pot. Heat the oil and add the onion and carrot, cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. The onions can get a little brown, but you're going for clear, fragrant and that good caramelizing smell.

Add the cubed potato and garlic. Stir and cook for just another minute. Do not let the garlic get any color or it will be bitter.

Add the lentils, 4 cups of water and the bay leaves. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 5- 8 minutes (This is a good time to wash your cutting board and clean off the counter...Or, check your email or whatever...This is truly a procrastinatory soup!)

Reduce the heat to low and add the ginger and anise. Simmer partially covered until the lentils are soft. Then add the balsamic and salt to taste. It is important not to add salt or acid until the lentils are fully cooked! Remove the anise and bay leaves and set aside. (I like to throw them in with the left overs...But, you can probably thrown them out.)Add 1- 3 cups more water (depending on how brothy a soup you want) and simmer uncovered for about 10 more minutes. At this point you can ladel out what you're going to store and add greens to the pot, but I wouldn't put the greens in the soup you plan to hold as leftovers.

Enjoy!

Farro with walnut and arugula pesto, spring asparagus and roasted mushrooms

This is a perfect spring main course, it is somehow light and rich at the same time. This makes a party sized serving and about twice as much of the pesto than you'll need...Which is great because it will keep for a week and be great on whole wheat pasta, veggie sandwiches, you name it.

Walnut and arugula pesto

1 cup raw walnuts
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
1 tsp toasted fennel seeds
1/2 tsp toasted yellow mustard seeds
1/2 cup rinsed and dried parsely
1 tsp of whole grain mustard
2- 3 cups rinsed and dried arugula
3- 4 T apple cider vinegar
1 T lemon juice
walnut oil
salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the shallot, garlic, and fennel in a food processor. Add the walnuts and a big drizzle of walnut oil, blend until you have a thick paste. Add the mustard. Then pack in the parsely and arugula and blend, adding oil to keep it smooth until you have a fluffy, bright green paste. Add the vinegar a tablespoon at a time, pulse to incorporate and taste. Add the lemon juice and a little zest. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Farro with walnut and arugula pesto, spring asparagus and roasted mushrooms

1- 2 lbs of assorted mushrooms, trimmed
1 lb of fresh spring asparagus
handful of chopped parsley
1/4 cup of walnut oil
1 shallot finely diced
2 cups of farro cooked in salted water and drained, reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the mushrooms in the walnut oil and toss with the parsley and a couple shakes of freshly ground pepper. Do not salt them! Lay the mushrooms out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and roast them for 20- 30 minutes. You will know when they are done.

While the mushrooms are roasting, cook the farro. You can steam the asparagus over the boiling water.

Caramelize the shallot.

When the mushrooms, asparagus and shallot are done toss them all together and add a little salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

In the warm pot, mix the pesto with the reserved cooking water and toss the warm farro in the pesto.

Pile the farro in a big bowl and top with the asparagus and mushrooms. Serve warm.

Vegan Pea and Mint Soup

Bright green and so, so good! This soup could not be more simple and it is a light, healthy spin on the classic recipe which tends to include a substantial amount of cream or milk. The potato more than makes up for the lack of cream, and if you follow my recommendation and cook the broth and aromatics low and slow, the starch will get really sweet and the soup will become richly flavored. This makes a great first course or light lunch and would be spectacularly beautiful garnished with some edible flowers.

Ingredients
1 yukon gold potato (about the size of a fist), 1/4" dice (Could probably sub a yellow beet)
1 medium onion 1/4" dice
1 leek diced
High quality olive oil
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 bag of frozen spring peas, refrigerator thawed
1 cup fresh mint, loosely packed
lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste

In a big soup pot with a tight fitting lid sweat the onion and leek in olive oil over very low heat for 10 minutes. Do not let the veggies brown. Add the diced potato and sweat for 5 more minutes. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Add the water, continue to simmer for 15 more minutes and then add sea salt to taste. Drop in the peas and the mint and simmer for 5 more minutes. Purée, taste for salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Serving suggestions: Top with sourdough croutons, a drizzle of roasted carrot purée, add some fennel bulb in with the leeks and onion...This soup offers itself up to many variations.

Breakfast Bars (Or, the ways in which I'm trying to not eat yogurt everyday!)

So, many years ago, my dad and I started playing around with home made alternatives to Clif bars. I learned a lot through those experiments and from time to time I play around with the recipe when I am tired of my usual breakfast options. Yesterday I made a "cookie" version with vegan chocolate chips and no veggies for class today and was inspired to share the "recipe" with you all. These are REMARKABLY similar to "Nikki's Cookies" on 101 cookbooks, but I think banana based treats are pretty standard to all health nuts.

Ingredients
3 big and really ripe bananas (You can sub a banana for 1/2 cup of pumpkin purée and make a wintry version too! I've never tried to go for all pumpkin, but it might work. I also sometimes use pumpkin butter instead of the purée.)
1/4 cup coconut, walnut or olive oil (I've only recently played around with coconut oil, but I think its my favorite for baked treats like this!)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinammon (Try more spices, especially if you're using pumpkin.)
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/6 cup chopped dried tart cherries
1/6 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/6 cup pepitas or toasted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup chopped carrots (grated beets are great too!)
3/4 cup coarse almond meal (Can sub peanut meal or cashew meal. I just always have sliced almonds that I can grind up, but use whatever raw nuts you have!)
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Spelt flour as needed

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it in parchment paper.

In a large bowl mash the bananas. Add the oil (if using coconut oil you'll need to heat it so that it is liquid), vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir well.

In a separate bowl mix the oats, almond meal, baking soda and salt. Combine with the banana mash. If its looking really wet, add some spelt flour a teaspoon at a time. It should be like thick cookie batter when its ready.

Handshape little "bars" on the cookie sheet. Bake for 17 minutes until the bottoms and tops are golden and the bars are set. These don't really spread, so don't worry about giving them a ton of space on the cookie sheet. I'm still trying to figure out how to get these to be just a little less soft so that they're more transportable. If you figure anything out, let me know!

Makes about a dozen.

Quinoa and Lentil Salad in an Almond Dressing with Roasted Veggies and Radicchio

So, thanks to my magic tea, the cold is nearly gone. But, what is up with this rain?!

As we all know, the end of the semester is approaching extremely quickly. So, it is once again cookcrastination time in my house. (I'm hoping to get the cleancrastination bug this weekend...) I've been dreaming up this recipe all day. It is reflective of my current effort to really minimize the presence of all animal derived products in my diet. So, far breakfast is the only real challenge, but this would be a great brunch salad! And, this little salad is inspired by one of my favorite snacks- Raw beet "chips" with almond dip. To give that lovely snack a try, make the dressing and then mandolin a raw beet into chips. Its a great alternative to standard chip + dip options!

Dressing
3/4 cup raw sliced almonds
1.5 T walnut oil
the juice of one big lemon
1.5 t shoyu (more to taste)
3 cloves garlic

Place the almonds and garlic in a small food processor. Grind until finely chopped. Drizzle in the oil, lemon juice, and shoyu. Blend until you have a thick, chunky paste. Taste and add more lemon or shoyu if the balance is off.

Salad
1 cup red quinoa
1/2 cup french lentils
2 smallish beets peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
2 large carrots peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
1 smallish head of radicchio, coarsely chopped, rinsed and dried
1 large clove garlic
juice of one lemon
giant handful of chopped parsely
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400. Toss the beets and carrots in a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Roast.

Toss the chopped radicchio in the lemon juice and stir in the minced head of garlic. Set aside.

Cook the quinoa (in 2 cups water) and the lentils (in 1.5 cups water). (I did the quinoa first, tossed it with the dressing and then used the same pot to cook the lentils.)

In a LARGE bowl toss the quinoa and lentils in the dressing while still warm. If there is a tablespoon or so of water hanging out in the pot, that's fine, it will just thin the dressing and make it easier to mix. When the veggies are done, toss them with the quinoa and lentils. Let the warm part of the salad sit until just a little warmer than room temperature and then toss in the garlicky radicchio. Toss and taste. Add salt and pepper if you want it. (I didn't.) Toss in a generous amount of chopped parsley. If you're going to hold this as leftovers, I would add the parsely as you go through the salad so that you maximize its flavor.

Serves 6. Seriously, it fills my 3.5 quart bowl.

Curried Lentil and Coconut Soup

Currently, I am beset by the nastiest cold/flu since last winter's never-ending viral debacle. I am also beset by panic regarding the nearing end of the semester, my as of yet unstarted papers, and of course that other thing, in new york. So, though the weather has been warm and I've been mostly eating guacamole for the last 2 weeks, today was a soup day. I'd be eyeing this recipe at 101 Cookbooks, but knew that it would need an added punch to satisfy me. So, here is my version:

Serves 4.

1/2 cup yellow split peas
1/2 cup red split lentils
3.5 cups water
2 medium carrots, diced
1 small sweet potato, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons fresh peeled and minced ginger
1 fresh red chile, diced
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup dried tart cherries (The original recipe called for raisins, which I almost never eat, so I used cherries. I really liked their tart kick in the rich soup. But, raisins are certainly the more traditional choice.)
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 can coconut milk
1/4 cup dried coconut
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1/4+ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
salt to taste

Handful of chopped cilantro for garnish.

Throw the lentils and water in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then add 1/2 the ginger, the carrots, and the sweet potato.

Toast the curry powder in a dry skillet. Set it aside. Heat the oil in the same pan, add the scallions, garlic, hot pepper, bell pepper, remaining ginger, and cherries. Saute for a couple of minutes until everything is really fragrant and add the tomato paste and a couple tablespoons of water. Saute for a couple more minutes. Add curry powder.

Once the lentils are soft, add the spiced tomato paste mixture to the soup. Stir well and then add the coconut milk, tamarind, and dried coconut. Let the soup simmer uncovered until it begins to thicken. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste and the peas. Let the soup cook another couple of minutes so that the flavors combine and then serve with chopped cilantro if you have it.

Another chickpea recipe

Peter and I just made another (wildly) successful SmittenKitchen recipe for dinner tonight. We didn't make any changes to the recipe, so I'll let you check it out at the link. If you're looking for another quick something to make with mostly pantry ingredients, check it out.

My favorite sandwich

Okay, so perhaps simple recipes are not the most exciting things to post...But, I am such a junky for this sandwich and I really wanted to share it with you! It is smoky, spicy, healthy and the marinade for the tempeh would probably be good on anything else that you want to marinate. Literally, I am often tempted to use it on salad and dip bread in it...or maybe even eat it with a spoon...

This makes four sandwiches. Generally, I make them one at a time and the tempeh can sit in the marinade for 5 or so days without experiencing any major ill-effects. I've written this up as if you were making all the sandwiches at once.

Marinade
1/3 cup really good olive oil
1/3 cup shoyu
1/6 cup maple syrup
2 cloves roasted garlic
2 chipotle peppers in adobo
2 T fresh squeezed orange juice

Marinate the tempeh
Take one slab of your favorite brand of tempeh. Slice it into 5 strips and then slice those in half until you have 10 pieces of tempeh that are about 1/4" thick. Lay the tempeh in a flat, shallow dish and cover with the marinade. Refrigerate over night.

For the Sandwich
Marinated tempeh
1 cup oven roasted tomatoes
2 small zucchini
2 scallions, chopped
2 small radishes, sliced very thin
1 avocado
lime
handful of your favorite sprouts
8 slices of your favorite whole wheat, super savory bread. Toasted.

Slice the zucchini into long, thin slices. Toss the zucchini in olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Heat a cast iron grill pan until it is screaming hot. (You can use a nonstick skillet) and brush it gently with olive oil. Grill/fry the tempeh until the outside begins to brown and caramelize. You should throw the zucchini on after the tempeh is done as it will take less than 1 minute to cook.

Mash the avocado with lime, salt and pepper. Mix in the scallions.

Spread the avocado on each piece of bread. Stack the grilled zucchini, roasted tomatoes, radish slices, tempeh and sprouts and smush into a sandwich.

You know what's really good with this? Beer. And, that carrot salad I posted the other day.

Hyderbad Style Vegetarian Biryani

I've received a couple requests for the link to the Biryani recipe I used. You can find it here. I used whole spices and did not grind them...But I'm tempted to try grinding them next time and see if that punches out the flavor a little. Also, it needs acid at the end. A lemon wedge on the side solves this nicely!
(A warning: You'll need at least a 4qt pan to make this in. Don't use a stock pot though. Wide and shallow works best for the steaming...)

smashed chickpea salad and/or sandwich

oh man. healthy, vegan, and delicious. pretty much perfect.

Smashed Chickpea Salad
Inspired by ‘wichcraft / lifted from the smitten kitchen

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons pitted, halved and very thinly sliced black olives (kalamata works best)
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Zest and juice from a whole lemon
Couple good pinches of salt
A few grinds of black pepper
A few glugs of olive oil

Mix everything but the olive oil in a small to midsize bowl. Very lightly smash the chickpea mixture with the back of a fork or a potato masher. You’re not looking for a hummus-like puree but something closer to a coarse chop with a few smaller bits to hold it together. Add the glugs of olive oil, mix it lightly and enjoy.

This is also awesome as a sandwich on toasted bread, and it needs nothing else on it. I ate mine on toasted spelt bread with a generous schmear of Ariel's red pepper hummus that I had made and it was amazing!

Goan (Shrimp) Curry

By popular demand. This is adapted from a pretty basic recipe from the New York Times a few years back--we veggied it up with the additions of eggplant and red bell pepper.

Goan-Style Shrimp Curry
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
4 dried red chilies--this time around we used 2 fresh serranos, minced
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1/2 -1 pound thai eggplants
about a cup of fried tofu
3 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 can coconut milk
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

1. Place shrimp in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, and add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Mix well and refrigerate.

2. In a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine oil and chilies and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cook for 1 minute longer. Add ginger, onion, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté until onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, ground coriander and turmeric and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bell pepper, eggplant and tofu and sauté until edges of eggplant begin to brown.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes. Stir, scraping sides and bottom of pot, for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.

4. Stir in curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, and add shrimp. Bring to a simmer and cook until shrimp are opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro.

If desired, serve with rice.

Naga Chocolate Tart

Inspired by Vosges' Naga bar, interpreted from Karen DeMasco's The Craft of Baking

Naga Chocolate Tart

Chocolate Sable Dough

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons egg that has been well blended

Naga Chocolate Filling

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70%), roughly chopped

4 ounces semisweet chocolate (62%), roughly chopped

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup coconut milk (NOT lite!)

1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 t. sweet (or other mild) curry powder
1/2 c. unsweetened dried coconut flakes

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Fleur du sel and additional dried coconut for dusting

Make the dough

1. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on low speed until there are no visible pieces of butter, about 3 minutes. Add the measured amount of egg and mix just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing each in completely before adding the next. (Note: I don't have a standing mixer so I just used a normal hand one and then elbow grease for mixing in the last bit of flour)

3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape into a flattened disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Bake the crust

4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch round. Roll the dough onto a rolling pin, center it over a 9 1/2-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and fit it into the pan, pressing the dough into the edges. With a paring knife, trim the excess dough right to the top edge of the pan. Prick the bottom all over with a fork, and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the chilled tart shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Set the tart pan on a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights, rotate the pan, and continue baking until the crust is fragrant and feels dry to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes more. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the crust cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F.

Make the filling

6. Combine the bittersweet and semisweet chocolates in a mixing bowl. Pour the cream, coconut milk and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour about one-third of the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and very gently whisk together until the chocolate is melted. Add the remaining cream mixture and curry powder and gently whisk to combine.

7. Whisk the eggs in a bowl until well combined. Pour about one-third of the chocolate mixture over the eggs and gently whisk just to combine. Return the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture, add the salt, and very gently whisk until smooth. Stir in coconut flakes.

Bake the tart

8. Filled the cooled crust with the chocolate custard. Carefully transfer the tart, on the baking sheet, to the oven and bake, rotating the sheet halfway through (sprinkle fleur du sel and coconut flakes on top of tart at this time too), until the edges of the custard are set and the center is slightly loose, about 30 minutes. Transfer the tart to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Remove the outer ring of the tart pan, and serve at room temperature. The tart is best eaten the day it is baked, but can be kept at room temperature, loosely covered in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.

Very Addictive Coconut Dhal

Below is the recipe for the dhal I brought to the curry fest. This dhal is genius in that it has very simple ingredients but is both really satisfying and really filling! The original recipe used mustard seeds instead of cumin seeds, but I prefer the cumin seeds for their fragrance and flavor. Feel free to mix it up.

1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 T olive oil
1/4 c. chopped yellow onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground turmeric

1 c. yellow split peas
2 1/2 cups water

1/4 c. grated unsweetened coconut
1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

In a small covered frying pan heat cumin seeds over medium-high heat in oil until seeds begin to pop; uncover, add onion and fry until edges are nicely browned. Add garlic and spices and fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a soup pot bring split peas and water to a boil; turn down heat and add onion mixture to simmering dhal. Cover and continue simmering for 45 minutes, watching for bubbles and spilling! Mash dhal with a potato masher or spoon to break up. Stir in coconut and salt. Partially cover and simmer for 10 more minutes, adding water if it gets too thick. Stir to prevent peas from sticking to the pot. Stir in lemon juice, remove from heat and serve!

deliciously simple late winter salad

Healthy, delicious and ready in five minutes. This is a carrot salad for the ages. Definitely good enough for dinner with some warm bread and a little cup of soup.

Ingredients
2-3 large carrots, peeled and shredded
1 large red pepper, shredded
1 lemon
1- 2 T chopped mint
1 t Harissa
1 t good quality honey
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Toasted nuts or Marcona Almonds

Whisk the juice of one lemon with the honey and harissa. Add the mint and some of the lemon zest. Stir in the shredded veggies and dress lightly with olive oil. Toss the salad. and top with nuts, salt and pepper.

Food tastes better when you make it from scratch: Hummous edition

So, it's still bitterly cold and my South African tan has faded away...But, I'm ready for summer and find myself getting tired of all sorts of things as a result of my impatience for sun, skirts, and beer on porches. One of those things is my standard granola/fruit/yogurt breakfast. My favorite alternative to a bowl of sweet and crunchy goodness is a salty, heavily seeded everything bagel with hummus, avocado, sprouts, tomato and cucumber...Clearly my mom did a good job teaching me to eat my veggies! Unfortunately it is impossible to get a good tomato in this town and I'm pretty sure that you can't find decent bagels either. (I'm not quite ready to start making my own!) But, I've been soothing my frustrated inner Californian with dense seedy bread, avocado, sprout and hummus sandwiches for breakfast and eagerly anticipating tomato season.

Which brings me to making hummus. Store bought hummus is OKAY, but it frequently has weird extras in it like soy products, cream of tartar, lactic acid, etc. When I have time, I prefer to make mine from scratch because making hummus is incredibly easy provided you have a blender or blender like device and when I make it I know what is in it. And, things taste better when you make them from scratch. Recently I've been using toasted walnuts instead of sesame seeds to make an earthier, wintrier hummus. What follows is a Spain and South Africa inspired red pepper (Piquillos and Peppadews replace the standard roasted bell peppers) hummus. I'm also partial to delightfully green batches made with obscene amounts of cilantro, parsley or basil. Perhaps you'll find yourself encouraged to save a little money and make yours at home too and we can have a battle of the mashed garbanzo beans!

Ingredients
1 cup dried garbanzos
1 onion
1/2 bunch of parsley
6- 7 cups of water
salt

1 8 oz. jar of roasted piquillo peppers (ingredients should be peppers, olive oil and that's it!)
2/3 cup raw walnuts
5 pickled peppadews
3-4 cloves of garlic
1-2 lemons
olive oil
walnut oil (optional)
paprika
aleppo pepper, harissa, or red pepper flakes

Soak the beans over night. Cook them with the parsley and onions until soft and creamy in the center. Do not add salt until the beans are nearly done! Set aside and reserve the cooking water.

In a large skillet over medium heat toast the walnuts and the unpeeled garlic cloves until the nuts are fragrant. Peel the garlic and process with the walnuts and a good glug of olive oil and a hefty pinch of salt. Usually I use a little swig of walnut oil here too to add to the earthy, nutty background flavor.

Add the peppers and process until smooth.

Using a slotted spoon add the garbanzo beans to this paste and process, a little at a time, being careful not to transfer the aromatics from the cooking water into the blender. Use equal parts olive oil and cooking water to thin the mixture to your desired consistency.

Once you have combined all of the beans with the pepper and walnut mixture, add the juice of 1- 3 lemons depending on your preference and the juiciness of the lemons. A little orange zest is nice too. Season with 1 T of paprika, about 1 T of something spicy and salt. Process until incorporated.

Like most dips, hummus tastes best after sitting for a while. This recipe makes about 4- 5 cups of hummus and it will keep well in the fridge for 5 or so days.