Heavenly Hummus

If you are interested in making your own hummus (and you should be)... use this recipe. Seriously. At the very least you should follow the beginning instructions and soak your dried chickpeas in water and baking soda. I've made hummus from canned chickpeas and it doesn't even compare to this. According to Alton Brown on Good Eats, the outer skin of the chickpeas soften better in a slightly alkali environment, and the baking soda provides this environment. Softer chickpeas = creamier hummus.

This recipe has endless possibilities for flavors. You could add a slew of spices, roasted garlic, roasted peppers, pine nuts... anything! For my next batch I'm going to try adding a little olive oil (1-2 tablespoons maybe?), because the hummus tightens up a bit in the fridge.

(Good) Warning: This recipe makes A TON. I had two medium-large containers full of hummus. It freezes surprisingly well though, so you could either do what I did, which is make it all and then divide it into two portions - one for the fridge and one for the freezer, or you could just cut the ingredients in half.

Recipe from The Healthy Foodie

Ingredients:

2 cups dried chickpeas *I used a 1 lb. bag - it was basically 2 cups
2 tbs. baking soda for soaking + 1/2 tsp. for cooking
1/2 cup tahini
Juice of 1 lemon *I probably used about 2 lemons-worth, but it's all up to your taste buds
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp cumin *I used about 1 1/2 tsp. of cumin
1/2 - 1 cup of water  *Start with 1/2 and work your way up. Runny hummus could get weird

Instructions:

1. Soak chickpeas in water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda over night
2. Drain, rinse, and soak again in water for a few more hours. The chickpeas need to get nice and plump - almost doubling their volume
3. Drain and rinse the chickpeas once more and put them in a large pot 
4. Cover the chickpeas with water and add 1/2 tsp. baking soda to the pot
5. Cook on low heat about 30-45 minutes until they are very soft. Regularly skim the surface of the water while the chickpeas cook to remove any foam or floating chickpea skins (They really do foam... it's kind of weird)
6. Once tender, drain the chickpeas and then transfer them to a food processor. Grind them into a thick puree, occasionally stopping the processor to scrape down the sides
7. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cumin and process the mixture
8. Add the water slowly until you get the desired texture. You probably want to make the hummus thinner than your actual desired texture, because it firms up in the fridge a little.

In a week and a half, I managed to eat all of this single-handedly.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe from Barefoot Contessa

Ina Garten knows her stuff. This soup is simple and really delicious. Even if you don't like curry, don't shy away from this recipe! I promise. My boyfriend is not a curry fan, and he loves this soup. The curry powder just gives the soup more depth of flavor and a nice warmth.  It's a bit labor-intensive to prepare (a lot of peeling and chopping), but it is completely worth it. Just set aside at least 20 minutes to prep the ingredients and about an hour to cook everything. The original recipe includes a list of suggested toppings.  I've made this soup about 10 times, and somehow every time I go to the store, I forget to buy the toppings... so I can't comment on what's best. They all sound like great flavor compliments though, so I'll include them for those of you who are capable of remembering a full list of ingredients while grocery shopping.

Soup Ingredients:

3 to 4 lbs. butternut squash - peel and remove seeds
2 medium-small yellow onions
2 McIntosh apples - peeled and cored
3 tbs. olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
Garlic powder *This wasn't in the original recipe, but I think it tastes better with it
2 to 4 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp. curry powder

Toppings:

Scallions (white and green parts - chopped on a diagonal)
Flaked sweetened coconut - lightly toasted
Roasted salted cashews - toasted and chopped
Diced banana

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
2. Cut the squash, apples, and onions into 1-inch cubes
3. Place them on a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper
4. Divide the chopped mixture between 2 sheet pans to spread out in a single layer on each pan
5. Roast for 30-45 minutes until very tender, tossing the mixture occasionally for even roasting
6. Meanwhile, simmer the chicken stock on a low heat
7. When the squash mixture is done roasting, transfer the mix in batches into a food processor (or a blender). Puree to desired texture (I like to leave a few chunks, but you could make it completely smooth if you like). Add some of the chicken stock to help puree the mixture more easily.
8. Pour the pureed veggie mix into a large pot and add enough chicken stock to make a thick soup
9. Add the curry powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and a few good sprinkles of garlic powder (I've never actually measured out how much I put in... but it's always good to start with less because garlic powder is some strong stuff)
10. Add toppings (or don't) and eat!!

So. Much. Soup.

Yellow Split-Pea Dahl

Recipe from Sunflour Jane

Unfortunately, pictures of dahl do not do it justice. I know this looks like a pile of brownish-greenish mush on top of rice, but it is so flavorful, so delicious, and so good for you. The combination of spices and fresh ingredients in this recipe are perfect. I have never tried a different dahl recipe simply because I don't want to. This one is that good. Plus it makes a lot, so you can have dahl for days.

I don't have any alterations to the original recipe. However, I did discover that green split peas work just as well as yellow split peas. I've made this recipe using both (the pictures above and below are from a batch made with green split peas); the end result is the same either way. So, if you have any trouble finding yellow split peas in your local grocery store, go green!

Ingredients

3 tbs. vegetable oil + a dash for the split peas
9 cups water
1 lb. bag of yellow (or green) split peas
1 large onion or 2 medium onions - minced
3-6 cloves garlic -- I used about 5 because garlic is awesome
2 inches ginger - peeled and minced
15 oz. can of whole, peeled tomatoes -- I used all but 1 of the tomatoes in the can
2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. cumin
2 tbs. chili powder
2-3 tsp. turmeric
2 small green thai chiles -- I have made it with and without these; it's good both ways
garam masala to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot, combine the split peas, 9 cups of water, chili powder, turmeric, and a dash of oil. Boil until the split peas are very soft and have no bite. This takes about 45 minutes or so; just keep taste-testing your split peas to see if they are tender.
   
   Meanwhile.....
2. Mince the onion and set aside.  Chop the tomatoes and set aside (and again, I used most of the can but not all). Peel and mince the ginger and the garlic. Smash the garlic and ginger into a paste. I found that sprinkling some kosher salt over the garlic/ginger helped it become more of a paste while smashing.  Set this aside.
3. Heat the 3 tbs. oil over medium-low heat. Fry the cumin for about 30 seconds - just until it changes color and releases an aroma.
4. Add the minced onion and saute until translucent, stirring often.
5. Add the garlic/ginger paste and cook until fragrant.
6. Add the diced tomato and the green chiles (if applicable).
7. Simmer all of these together for about 5 minutes or so, stirring often. Once the oil separates from the tomato, you are good to go.
8. Transfer this mixture into a food processor and pulse a few times until mushy (I like to leave a little texture, but you could pulse it until smooth).
9. Once your split peas are soft, drain off any excess liquid. Because I didn't want to pour off all of the liquid and/or lose any precious peas, I did this by taking a liquid measuring cup, pressing down on the top of the peas until the cup filled with liquid, and discarding the excess liquid down the drain.
10. Once you have drained off some of the liquid from the peas, transfer the mixture from the food processor into the pot of peas. Stir/smash these together until you reach your desired consistency (I like to leave some texture from the split peas, so I don't smash it up very much).
11. Add garam masala to taste and serve over basmati rice

Oatmeal Raisin Protein "Cookie Dough"

Adapted from Chockohlawtay

I made this recipe for the first time last night, and I'm not 100% certain that I adjusted it to its full potential. I might have to re-post it after I try making it again with a few minor adjustments, but... it was still pretty darn tasty (and healthy), so it's worth making in the mean time.

This recipe is great because its texture/taste is similar to cookie dough, but it has no eggs, very little sugar, and lots of FIBER and PROTEIN. The original recipe was for sugar cookie dough, but I added cinnamon, whole oats, and raisins to make it an oatmeal raisin cookie dough. I think these additions may have dried my "dough" out a little (hence why I think it'll need a few tweaks) but it was still tasty!

The original recipe calls for things like stevia extract and granulated erythritol, but because I wasn't even sure what erythritol was, I just used sugar. Next time I will probably increase the sugar a little bit or maybe try brown sugar to give it a little more depth of flavor.**  But if your diet restricts sugar, check out the original recipe!

** I tried this recipe again using 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar and it made a huge difference. The "dough" was a lot less dry and a lot tastier.

Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats - blended into fine flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3 tbs. flour
1 tbs. cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar -- I think I would try 1/3 to 1/2 cup of brown sugar next time
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
Dash of salt
As many raisins as you like! I probably added about 1/2 cup
15 oz. can chickpeas (drained and rinsed really well)
1/3 cup milk (any kind)
1/4 cup almond butter -- I didn't have this and it was fine, but I would recommend adding it if you do
Hefty drizzle of honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. butter extract

Mix the oat-flour, oats, flour, cinnamon, sugar, protein powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas, milk, honey, almond butter (if you have it), and the two extracts until very smooth and combined. Try to eliminate as many chickpea lumps as possible. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and stir together. Fold in the raisins.  This "cookie dough" can be eaten right away or stored in the fridge for as long as you can avoid eating it all!