Avocado Hummus: A Perfect Spread for Sandwiches!

I made a big mistake. I went a few months without eating an avocado.

I know, I know. It's horrible.

But I must say that going so long without that plant-based, buttery goodness made it taste that much better when I did finally have it again. 

I'm not entirely sure why I went so long without buying them. It could have been my frugal nature or the fact that I'm usually traveling and rarely home. Thankfully my avocado-less streak ended when Brett and I were at my parents house during the first two weeks of May. We landed in Virginia around lunch time and were quite ready for a meal by the time we made it to my parents house. My Dad whipped out stuff for taco salads: lettuce, black beans, salsa, jalapeños and avocado. I quickly made Brett and myself some salads and as soon as I took a bite with a piece of avocado, it was like a choir started singing in my mouth. It was creamy and rich and so flavorful and I couldn't stop saying, "Mmmmmm!" Seriously, it was like buttah.

The rest of the week I put avocado on everything from salad to toast and ate it right of a spoon too. One of the best things I ate was a veggie sandwich where I included both hummus and avocado. It was such an amazing combination. I didn't want it to end. 

That combination got me to thinking, "Why don't I just combine the two myself?" So I did.

This hummus is great with veggies. It's a perfect spread for sandwiches. It also completes a "snack plate" for lunch if you eat it with some Power Seed Crackers or Whole Wheat Rosemary Wheat Thins!

Avocado Hummus

(Makes a big ol' bowl)

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas)
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 avocados
• 4 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Using a food processor process the tahini and lemon juice for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process for 30 seconds more. By whipping the tahini and lemon juice, you'll be able to get a really creamy hummus.
2. Add in the olive oil, garlic, cumin and salt and process for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and process 30 more seconds.
3. Add in half the chickpeas and process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add in the remaining chickpeas and process for another 1-2 minutes until as smooth as possible.
4. Add in the avocados. Turn the processor on and slowly add in the water until you get a smooth consistency.
5. Pour the hummus into a bowl and if desired, drizzle with some more olive oil before serving.

Notes: Process found and recipe adapted from here.

Start by whipping the tahini and lemon juice for 1 minute.

Whip everything some more after adding in the olive oil, garlic, cumin and salt.

Add in 1/2 the chickpeas and, you guessed it, whip some more!

Finish by whipping in the avocado and then slowly adding in the water while the processor runs

until you get a really smooth consistency.

Eat Consciously,

Faith

Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad with Sweet Tahini Dressing.

I crave this salad like it's dessert and I can't help but go back for seconds. Every. Time.

Usually salad aren't my first choice for a meal, but lately I've been experimenting more with toppings and dressings and they've started to grow on me. A while back I discovered this amazing Sweet Tahini Dressing from Happy. Healthy. Life and I've been drizzling it on everything. It's my favorite on roasted cauliflower and carrots!

Not long after I discovered the Sweet Tahini Dressing I came across a recipe for curry roasted cauliflower and knew that I would wanted to try both of them together. So I got to it. I added in chickpeas for some protein and crunch and the combination was just as I hoped: INCREDIBLE!

Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
• 2 cups (or 1 can) chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Prepare a baking tray with aluminum foil and set aside.
• Place the cauliflower florets and chickpeas in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil.
• Shake the curry powder, salt and pepper overtop of the veggies and toss everything together so that the cauliflower and chickpeas get fully coated with the spices.  
• Pour the veggies on your prepared baking tray and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until fork tender.

For Kathy's Sweet Tahini Dressing you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Juice of one small lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad 

with Sweet Tahini Dressing

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 4 servings of spinach
• 1 recipe for Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas (see above)
• 1 recipe for Sweet Tahini Dressing (see above)

Directions:

1. Evenly divide the spinach among four bowls and top with the curry roasted veggies and dressing.
2. That's all there is to it! Enjoy!

Cheesy Vegan Spaghetti Squash and Broccoli Casserole

I've made a lot of progress this week in my goal to cook with at least one new ingredient each week. After my half marathon (recap here!), Brett and I stopped at the Winter Park Farmers Market and picked up a bunch of produce. In addition to our regular produce, we got bok choy, fennel and spaghetti squash, three veggies that I have yet to cook with before. 

I sauteed the bok choy with some salt and pepper and put it inside a whole wheat wrap with sweet potato, black beans and tomato. It definitely reminds me of some Asian dishes I've had and made me want to try it again soon in a noodle soup or stir fry.

For the fennel, I roasted the bulb with some potatoes and carrots and used the leaves and soft stems to make a lemon, fennel dressing. This dish turned out great! I'll be sharing it soon.

Lastly, for the spaghetti squash I combined two recipes to make this cheesy dish. I know I'm way behind in using spaghetti squash, but it really was so easy and shredded just like spaghetti.

To cook the spaghetti squash, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and cut your squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Then place the halves face up on a baking dish and spray the halves with cooking spray. 

Then stick it in the oven and roast for about 50 minutes until its tender enough to poke with a fork. After it cools enough to touch, just take a fork and shred the squash horizontally until all the squash has been removed. 

You can use it as a spaghetti substitute or have it act as rice for stir-fries or curries. Or even better, you can make this awesome Vegan Cheesy Spaghetti Squash and Broccoli Casserole.

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash and Broccoli Casserole

(Makes 6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

· 1 large spaghetti squash, roasted and shredded

· Two cups steamed broccoli

· 1/2 –1 cup green peas (optional)

For the Cheese Sauce:

· 1 1/4 cups water

· 1 cup almond milk

· 3/4 cup nutritional yeast

· 3 tablespoons cornstarch

· 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

· 1/2 teaspoon paprika

· 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

· 1 tablespoon tahini

· Ground pepper and red chili flakes to taste

  

Directions:

1. See above for how to roast and shred a spaghetti squash.

2. For the cheese sauce, place all of the ingredients from water to tahini in a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Pour the sauce in a large sauce pan and heat over medium-low heat. Allow the sauce to thicken while stirring occasionally. This should take about 5 minutes.

4. Once the sauce begins to thicken, add in the spaghetti squash, broccoli and peas.

5. Season with ground pepper and red chili flakes.

Notes: The cheese sauce is adapted from Oh She Glows.

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Spicy Black Bean Hummus (Oil-Free)

I got home late last night after being in Texas for the past week. It was a great trip, but I'm so glad to be home. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do - which is good, because it's a major part of my job - but some things get old after a while.

For example: I love getting to sleep in huge, comfy hotel beds, but there's nothing that compares to sleeping in your own bed. I love getting to spend time in climates other than Florida's hot and humid air, but it's hard to pack well for colder temperatures. I love getting to try out different restaurants and eat a wide variety of ethnic foods, but after a while I just want to cook my own food. And that's all I've been doing my first day home it seems! I feel like a little girl who just opened an American Girl Doll for Christmas. I'm that excited to start whipping up some new concoctions. Just today I made some date paste for baking, spicy black bean hummus and an iron rich chocolate mug cake. I'll share all these recipes soon, but for now I'll start with Spicy Black Bean Hummus.

Spicy Black Bean Hummus

 Ingredients:

· 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

· 2 tablespoons tahini

· 2 tablespoons lemon juice

· 1 large garlic clove, minced

· 1 teaspoon cumin

· 1/2 teaspoon paprika

· 1/4 teaspoon (or less) red chili powder

· 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

· 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a food process and process on high until smooth.

2. Serve with chopped veggies, tortilla chips or use as a spread in a veggie wrap!

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Simple Mac and Cheese

I've been hesitant to take the plunge and cook something with nutritional yeast. It's been in my cupboard for a while though and last night I finally decided to try out some mac 'n cheese. All the pictures I'd seen online for vegan mac and cheese looked great and it seems like a good number of people like the stuff. Why wouldn't I? I chose a recipe from "Oh She Glows" that was super quick and easy and I was really pleased with the result!

Simple Mac and Cheese
(Makes 8, 1 cup servings)

Adapted from Oh She Glows.

Ingredients:

1 box (13.25 oz or so) whole wheat pasta (I used elbow pasta)
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 Tablespoon tahini
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
Ground Pepper to taste.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, put all of the remaining ingredients (except the peas and pepper) into a blender and blend until smooth.

Place the drained pasta and the "cheese" sauce back in a sauce pan on medium-low heat and allow the sauce to thicken. It will take about five minutes. Add the peas towards the end of the thickening process. Add pepper to taste, stir and serve! (And don't let the add smell from the nutritional yeast scare you. It tastes great!)

Hope you like it!


Nutrition for 1 cup: Calories: 246 / Fat: 2.5 grams / Carbs: 45 grams / Fiber 8.5 grams / Protein 13 grams