Hummus

 Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and
drained

½ teaspoon baking soda (if you’re using canned
chickpeas)

¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 ½ to 2 lemons), more to
taste

Zest from 2 lemons- I use a
micro-planer

¾ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 medium-to-large clove garlic, roughly
chopped

½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to
taste

½ cup tahini

2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, more as
needed

½ teaspoon ground cumin            

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive
oil

Meanwhile, in a food processor or high-powered blender,
combine the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process until the garlic is very
finely chopped, then let the mixture rest so the garlic flavor can mellow,
ideally 10 minutes or longer.

Add the tahini to the food processor and blend until
the mixture is thick and creamy, stopping to scrape down any tahini stuck to the
sides and bottom of the processor as necessary.

While running the food processor, drizzle in 2
tablespoons ice water. Scrape down the food processor, and blend until the
mixture is ultra smooth, pale and creamy. (If your tahini was extra-thick to
begin with, you might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice
water.)

Add the cumin and the drained, over-cooked chickpeas to
the food processor. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until the
mixture is super smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary,
about 2 minutes. Add more ice water by the tablespoon if necessary to achieve a
super creamy texture.

Taste, and adjust as necessary—I almost always add
another ¼ teaspoon salt for more overall flavor and another tablespoon of lemon
juice for extra zing.

Top with garnishes of your choice, and serve. Leftover
hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1
week.

Peanut Sesame Pasta

Serves 4

1 pound Rice spaghetti pasta – cooked al dente, drained well
3 red peppers — cut in matchsticks
1/2 cup peanuts, dry-roasted
2 bunch scallions — cut thinly, diagnol
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup Coconut Aminos (soy free soy sauce!)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup cilantro — minced, packed

Heat sesame oil, then add red peppers. Toss in oil 3 – 4 min until slightly softened

Add red peppers to drained pasta.

Buzz peanuts in food processor. Some peanuts should remain large, and some should be ground.

Whisk together Bragg’s, rice vinegar and honey.

Toss all ingredients together.

Raw Apple Pie with Fig -Crust

As I take the Meal Delivery Service back toward a plant based diet, I am making more raw dishes. I made this for the service last week and got a GREAT response!  Here’s the recipe.

7   Gala Apples, cored, not peeled9
  10  ounces black mission figs- cut off stem
14  ounces dates- pitted
1   Tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Place figs and dates in food processor with half of the cinnamon, or to taste.  Blend until it turns in to a paste, it will eventually just ball up in one mass much like pie dough.  Wet the pie plate and press 3/4 of the mixture into the plate to form a crust.  You will definitely need to keep wetting your hands in order to spread it out .

Slice apples any way you want and toss with a small amount of lemon water and then fold in the remaining pie crust mixture after you have blended in the rest of the spices.

Escarole, Bacon and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Dried Apricots and Pepitas

Roasted Squash:

2-3 cups butternut squash (or pumpkin), peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt

Salad:

1 head escarole, or Romaine Lettuce, roughly chopped

2-3 slices cooked bacon, chopped

½ cup dried apricots, thinly sliced

¼ cup roasted and salted pepitas

Vinaigrette:

1 shallot minced

2 tablespoons grainy mustard

2 tablespoons honey

¼ cup Balsamic vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

kosher salt

· Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the squash with the olive oil and sprinkle it with kosher salt. Roast the squash for 15-18 minutes until golden browned on the edges and fork tender. Set aside to cool.

· In a small bowl whisk together the vinaigrette and season to taste with kosher salt.

· In a large bowl combine the escarole, bacon, apricots and pepitas with the butternut squash. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top and gently toss to coat. Season to taste with kosher salt and serve immediately.

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

On the Menu for delivery Week after next. I love shortbread cookies!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons baking cocoa

Directions

1. In a small bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, sugar and cocoa; add to creamed mixture. Beat until dough holds together, about 3 minutes.

2. Pat into a 9×4-in. rectangle. Cut into 2×1-1/2-in. strips. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with a fork.

3. Bake at 300° for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Easy Dairy Free Key Lime Pie that’s Very Low in Sugar!

1 can (13.5 ounces) organic coconut milk

1 banana

1 tablespoon arrowroot

3 organic  eggs

1/8 teaspoon unrefined sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice (NO substitutions!)

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 Tablespoon Lime zest

1 prepared pie crusts (gluten free pie crusts are available at the health food store.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Prebake pie crusts about 14 minutes, using a pie crust guard.

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Pour filling into prepared crust and bake in middle of oven for 50 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack (filling will set as it cools), then chill, covered, at least 4 hours before serving. Serve cold

Passion fruit Glazed Shrimp

photo by; Becky Luigart-Stayner

Original recipe on My Recipes (although I have changed the recipe)

Passion fruit Glazed Shrimp

Serves 4

1/2 cup passion fruit nectar or Pomegranate juice and Tamarind juice (if you can’t find nectar)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 lime wedges

1. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add passion fruit pulp, stirring well, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool 15 minutes.

2. Strain passion fruit mixture through a sieve into a large bowl; discard seeds. Add lime juice, soy sauce, red pepper, and salt, stirring well. Set 1/2 cup passion fruit mixture aside. Add shrimp to remaining passion fruit mixture, and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes.

3. Preheat broiler to medium.

4. Thread 4 shrimp on each of 8 (10-inch) skewers. Place skewers on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Broil under broiler 2 minutes on each side or until done, basting with reserved 1/2 cup passion fruit mixture. Serve with lime wedges.