Banana-Pecan Muffins

I hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween! We tried the "Switch Witch" thing for the first time this year. My daughter was able to go out and trick-or-treat like everyone else, but at the end of the night she left her candy out for Switch Witch, who swooped in while she was sleeping, took her garbage candy ("to feed to her naughty cat") and left, in it's place, good quality candy that I don't have to worry about her eating. No dyes, no preservatives, etc. It worked like a charm and my kiddo didn't have to feel left out of the Halloween festivities! The junk candy went to work with my husband who left it out in the breakroom for his co-workers. 

The morning after Halloween I made these fantastic muffins because I wanted to use the tons of pecans falling from the tree in my front yard right now! I seriously have three buckets full of pecans and at least three or four dozen more pecans fall from the tree every day. I love pecans, so I'm in heaven! I can't wait to make pies. If you don't have pecans, or they are too expensive, any nut will do. Or you can replace the nuts in the streusel topping with oatmeal, which is super cheap. Feel free to be creative!

Also, my daughter (who is a really picky eater) absolutely LOVED these! She ate two for breakfast, then came home after school and ate four more. If you have kids, you might want to make a double batch.

1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond)

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2 2/3 cups flour (I used white whole-wheat)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 cup vegan butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar (organic preferred)

1/4 cup vegan yogurt (I used unsweetened coconut yogurt)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large overripe bananas, mashed

1 cup pecan pieces

1/2 cup brown sugar (organic preferred)

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12-muffin tin or place paper liners in it.
• In a small bowl, whisk the milk and vinegar together and set aside to allow it to curdle.
• Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about two minutes or so. 
• Add yogurt, milk and vinegar mixture, and vanilla. Mix well. 
• Add bananas and mix again.
• On top of your soft mix, dump the dry ingredients. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Then stir with a spoon or beat gently until well-incorporated, but take care not to overmix or your muffins will be tough.
• Spoon the batter into your muffin tin, filling each cup almost to the top. I did two scoops into each cup with a large cookie scoop, and that worked perfectly. 
• In a separate bowl, mix your nuts or oats with the brown sugar and spoon it onto the tops of your muffins. 
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
• Enjoy!

Scanners Scramble

Hey, who remembers Scanners? It was a David Cronenberg film, so if you are at all familiar with Cronenberg's body of work you can immediately imagine how bizarre and disgusting it is without me even having to describe it. It concerned a rare and small group of "special" people, called Scanners, who could do all kinds of crazy telepathic and telekinetic things, like read thoughts, start fires with their minds, control the bodily processes of other people, and - most notably - make people's heads explode.    

Scanners (1981)

I will spare you from photos of the infamous head explosion scene, because I don't want you to lose your appetite, Instead, I will cleverly use my tofu scramble to demonstrate the basic logistics of the scene.

Here we have two fully functioning brain lobes, just pulsing away happily.

Then this guy catches wind of something in those lobes he doesn't like.

And now the brains look like this... Ya get me?

'sploded or not, that scramble looks delicious. And it is! The recipe is not my own. Alas, it belongs to one Isa Chandra Moskowitz of Veganomicon fame. It is my favorite tofu scramble recipe and the only one I ever make anymore, simply because it is the best! Trust me and give it a try. Here's the original recipe post on the Post Punk Kitchen website. You can also find it in Isa's fantastic cookbook, Vegan Brunch. I'll put links to the cookbooks at the bottom of this post. Now, on to the scramble!

2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed with your fingers
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt*
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (or more, to taste)
1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Fresh black pepper to taste

(*This is way too much salt for me. I only use a half teaspoon when I make this and it always tastes great. I recommend starting with less and adding more later if you want to.)

• First stir the spice blend together in a small cup. Add water and mix. Set aside.
• Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic in olive oil for about a minute. Break the tofu apart into bite sized pieces and saute for about 10 minutes, using a spatula to stir often. Get under the tofu when you are stirring, scrape the bottom and don’t let it stick to the pan, that is where the good, crispy stuff is. Use a thin metal spatula to get the job done, a wooden or plastic one won’t really cut it. The tofu should get browned on at least one side, but you don’t need to be too precise about it. The water should cook out of it and not collect too much at the bottom of the ban. If that is happening, turn the heat up and let the water evaporate.
• Add the spice blend and mix to incorporate. Add the nutritional yeast and fresh black pepper. 
• Cook for about five more minutes. Serve warm.

As you can see in the photos, I topped mine with fresh pico de gallo. I had some leftover from yesterday's C.H.U.D. C.H.I.L.I. so I used it to top my scramble, which was ever-so-gently lain on a stovetop-warmed tortilla from Trader Joe's. Dang, it was good! Best.Breakfast.Ever.

Happy MoFo'ing, everyone!

 

Low-Guilt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Please take heed that I titled these cookies "low guilt," not "NO guilt." So, yes, there is a small amount of guilt involved with the consuming of these cookies, but I just love eating cookies so much, I will accept an extra dimple or two on my butt as a token of my affection for this confection.

I do still love whipping up Dreena Burton's yummy Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies when I can, but my pocketbook does not often allow the purchase of maple syrup. Seriously, why is that stuff so expensive?!
So, I took the liberty of altering Isa Chandra's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe from the Post Punk Kitchen and tried to make it just a smidge healthier, albeit not totally guilt-free.

I replaced half of the oil with unsweetened applesauce, left out the milk entirely, subbed potato starch for tapioca starch (because it's cheaper), subbed whole wheat pastry flour for the dastardly white stuff, and added in an extra quarter cup of chocolate chips (because I flippin' love chocolate).
The verdict? Slightly less evil, but just evil enough to taste amazing. The family went nutso for these, and my husband was shocked that I'd removed an entire 1/3 cup of oil. He said he couldn't tell the difference at all between these and the wonderful Isa Chandra recipe I've been making for years.
Give these a try and let me know what you think!

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons potato starch (this sounds weird, but I promise it's cheap and easy to find)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (can sub white flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly oil two large cookie sheets. In lieu of oil or baking spray, a Silpat works well for these cookies if you have one.
• Mix together the sugars, applesauce, oil, starch, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. 
• Add flour, soda, and salt. Stir until well-incorporated and smooth, but take care not to overmix or your cookies will lose that crunchy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside magic that makes them so good.
• Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Use a Small Cookie Scoop to scoop out your dough. Place 16 dough balls on each cookie sheet, and bake for 9 minutes. Watch the cookies closely during that last minute, to make sure they aren't getting too overdone.
  
• They will be puffy when you pull them out of the oven, but as they cool, they will flatten and crisp to perfection.
• Enjoy!

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Tempeh Bacon "BLT" Sandwich

I was recently skulking around on the Happy Herbivore's Facebook Group, "Herbie Parents" (great group of really sweet, supportive folks!) and I read a post wherein a pregnant vegan gal admitted to the group that she is having desperate cravings for deli meat, and might there be a yummy vegan replacement? Follow-up comments suggested all sorts of brands and types of faux meats that might fit the bill, but I don't like how overly-processed all that stuff is, so I suggested the Tempeh Bacon "BLT" I found recently on the Prevention RD website. It is sweet and smoky, and tempeh is fairly easy to come by at any veg-friendly grocery store. Plus, the recipe is a cinch! Just mix the marinade, pan fry the "bacon," and build the sammie.

It's the perfect meal for a Friday night at home with the family. I say that because this is what we had for dinner tonight - that very sandwich you see in the photo was snarfed greedily by yours truly only mere seconds after snapping this picture. I paired it with a side of cut fresh fruit and cucumbers mixed with fresh chopped mint leaves (straight from my garden) and fresh-squeezed lime juice. It was so good! My husband said of the sandwich, "I could eat about three more of these." High compliment from the man of the house! And my daughter said, pulling the tempeh ever so slightly out of the sandwich and eyeballing it with curiosity, "What is this stuff? It tastes good." She's four, so... you know that's pretty high praise.

Here's the original recipe from Prevention RD:

"Tempeh 'Bacon':
5 oz tempeh
2 Tbsp maple syrup*
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
a dash of cayenne

To assemble:
6 slices of whole grain bread
1 tomato, sliced
6 large lettuce leaves
3 Tbsp light mayonnaise

• Slice tempeh into about 6 oblong strips.
• Combine maple syrup, olive oil, liquid smoke, soy sauce, cumin, pepper, and cayenne in a shallow dish. Soak tempeh in marinade for 2-3 minutes, turning to coat.
• Turn a saute pan on medium-high and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the tempeh to the pan in a single layer and cook 1-2 minutes on each side, or until browned.
• Build three sandwiches with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 2 lettuce leaves, tomato slices, and about 2 slices of tempeh. Serve immediately. Yield: 3 servings.
• Nutrition Information (per serving): 408 calories; 16 g. fat; 5 mg. cholesterol; 583 mg. sodium; 55 g. carbohydrate; 12 g. fiber; 16.7 g. protein
• Result: Sweet and salty tempeh make this BLT a much more nutritious option. Healthy fats and lots of fiber make for a filling, heart-healthy sandwich. The tempeh bacon takes about 10 minutes to prepare and cook, so this meal comes together in a jiff! Enjoy!"

*I don't know about you guys, but I straight-up cannot afford maple syrup. For this recipe, I subbed some organic raw agave nectar that I got on a deep sale at Sprouts. OR, you can use use this recipe for Homemade Maple Syrup if you're really broke.  --Jen

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"AwesomeSauce" Even Omnis Will Love

My favorite vegan restaurant, Spiral Diner Fort Worth, makes an amazing nacho dish with what seems to be the latest sensation, a vegan "cheesy" sauce made from cashews. I love these nachos super hard. They are mouthwatering and fantastic. I even eat the jalapeno slices on top, because there's the microscopic possibility that they might be ever-so-slightly impregnated with the sauce. The only problem is that, despite their fantastic food and friendly waitstaff, Spiral Diner has one slight imperfection... It's expensive! And I'm eternally broke! To be fair, they do charge a decent price considering that the bulk of their foodstuff is organic. And, if I could afford it, I would not feel ripped off eating there every single day. Hell, every single MEAL if I could! But, sadly, my trips to Spiral happen only a handful of times per year. And I am forever trying to copy their recipes so that I can make their delicious yums at home for a fraction of the price. They do teach cooking classes on occasion, but I can't afford those either. What's a poor vegan to do??

Today I was really, desperately craving those nachos. Like, I mean, I had to have 'em, man! And I know the  not-so-secret ingredient in Spiral's "cheesy" sauce is cashews. But, since when can a poor person afford raw cashews? Since almost-never, that's when. So, I farted around with a couple of cashew-free "cheesy" sauce recipes I found online and came up with my own delicious chip-dipping substance, sans the expensive cashews. And it is fabulous!

Even your omni friends will love it. They won't have any idea it's vegan - it's way too decadent to be rabbit food! They'll think it's some exotic, richly creamy awesomesauce. Hence the name, "awesomesauce." I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (can sub all-purpose flour)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon mustard

• Whisk all ingredients together in a medium saucepan.
• Bring to a slight bubble, stirring constantly, over medium heat. 
• As soon as mixture begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and continue whisking until sauce thickens. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools, so be careful not to overcook.
• Turn heat off and remove saucepan from heat source. Stir a few more times and serve. 
• Enjoy!

P.S. AwesomeSauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. To reheat, just add a tablespoon or two of water and stir gently over medium-low heat until warm.

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Simple Stick-To-Your-Ribs Lasagna

I pulled this creation from thin air yesterday when I wanted a hot, hearty meal but I didn't want to do a lot of prep (i.e. chopping veggies for half an hour). I wasn't sure how it was going to taste, but it smelled amazing as it bubbled in the oven, and the entire family gobbled it down like it was chocolate lava from the Alps. It was so delicious! And, quite honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between my version and the "real deal," even though I can admit that it's been a long time since I've tasted the real deal. Anyway, this would be the perfect dish for a non-vegan dinner guest or an omni potluck.
Put this one together when you're really hungry, and want some comfort food, but don't want to work too hard for it.

INGREDIENTS
9 lasagna noodles, prepared according to package directions then "shocked" with cold water
1 pound firm tofu, drained
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
16 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

• PREP
•  First, you need to whip up the noodles. Easy enough. After you've drained them in the colander, just "shock" them by rinsing them off with some cold tap water until they're nice and cool. This will keep them from sticking together while you make your tofu ricotta.
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• Now, to make the tofu ricotta, you simply dump your drained tofu into a bowl and add the spices. Use a fork to smush the tofu and push in the spices. Just smush and stir until everything's combined. It only takes a minute or so. It should look like this - 

• Now you'll just layer your ingredients in a casserole dish like so.

1. little bit of sauce on the bottom
2. 3 noodles
3. little more sauce - paint it over the noodles with the back of a spoon
4. a third of the ricotta
5. a smattering of mushrooms
6. 3 more noodles
7. little more sauce
8. another third of the ricotta
9. more mushrooms
10. last 3 noodles
11. remaining sauce
12. remaining ricotta
13. remaining mushrooms

• Put it in the oven, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked through and sauce is bubbling.
• Allow it to rest for about 15 minutes before cutting into it. 
• Enjoy!

Vegan Italiano

The Gluten-Free Vegan Italian

Nonna's Italian Kitchen

Gluten-Free Hot Fudge Brownies

Okay, I know this picture looks like a plate full of steamy hot you-know-what, but trust me, it's really a plate of gooey awesomeness. Hear me out...
I have yet to bake a single recipe in the New Dawn Kitchencookbook that I haven't gone ga-ga over, and this one is no exception. As usual, I craved a sweet treat. And my daughter was begging me to make a bowl of buttercream frosting for her to eat. Ummmm... I don't think so! My pantry is seriously looking deserted right now, so I wasn't sure what - if anything - could really be concocted from the confines of it's barren recesses. So, I started digging through my cookbooks to see if I had any remotely viable options, and after a few minutes of leafing through cookbook pages, I stumbled across the 'Hot Fudge Brownies' recipe in Dawn Grey, PhD's fantastic (but self-published and therefore not widely known) cookbook New Dawn Kitchen: Gluten-Free, Vegan, and (easily) Sugar-Free Desserts. It was the strangest recipe for brownies I've ever made. And I will admit that I was very skeptical when I was pouring boiling water over raw sugar and cocoa. I even exclaimed once, "What the hell am I making?!" But it turned out oh-so-scrumptious. When I took it out of the oven, the crusty top was pulsing with the hot fudge underneath, and little bubbles of fudge were popping in the cracks. It looked like a dream. I could only wait about five minutes before I had to dig in and taste it. Yes, I burned my tongue. Please try to exhibit more self-control than I did. The cookbook recommends that this be served warm, so I was just following instructions. Yes?

"2 cups All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
1/2 cup granulated sweetener (I used organic white sugar)
3/4 cup powdered cocoa
4 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt product (I used fine sea salt)
1 cup chocolate milk product (I used Silk chocolate soy milk)
1/4 cup oil (I used canola)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups boiling hot water, divided
2 cups packed brown granulated sweetener (I used brown sugar)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, white sugar, 4 teaspoons cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
• Spread into two 9x9" square baking pans (I used one 9x13" pan, lightly coated with baking spray). Combine brown sweetener and remaining cocoa into a separate bowl until blended, then sprinkle over the two pans equally.
• Pour 1 3/4 cups hot water over each pan. For hot fudge effect, do not stir.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, until toothpicks come out clean. Rotate pans after 20 minutes. (I forgot to rotate - didn't seem to hurt.)
• Best served warm with mock whipped cream or non-dairy ice cream."
• Makes about 15 brownies.

NUTRITION INFO (per brownie):

Calories: 244 / Total Fat: 5.1g (Saturated Fat: 0.6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2.4g) / Cholesterol: 0mg / Sodium: 559.8mg / Potassium: 192.4mg / Total Carbohydrates: 61.9g (Dietary Fiber: 3.2g, Sugar: 47.2g) / Protein: 2.9g

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The Best Vegan Brownie You Will Ever Eat

Fudgy in the middle with a light layer of crust on top. Perfection! I've been tweaking and re-tweaking this recipe and I think I've found the perfect combination of ingredients to create brownie awesomeness. Oh yes, brownie awesomeness.
This recipe is for the basic brownie, but feel free to play around with it - top with walnuts, stir in some chocolate chips, or add some mint flavoring to the mix and sprinkle crushed peppermint sticks on the top to spice it up for the holidays.
And get ready! For what, you ask? For brownie awesomeness.
Yeah, you heard me.
BROWNIE. AWESOMENESS.
Make these right now. Trust me.

1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flaxmeal
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or sub another cup all-purpose flour)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy.
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour (or use baking spray in) a 9x13" baking pan.
• Whisk together all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
• In a large, separate bowl beat together oil, water, sugar, vanilla, and flaxmeal on medium speed until very well mixed. 
• Add dry mixture to wet. Stir or beat on low speed until just-mixed and smooth. Do not overmix, but don't undermix either. The batter will be thick but smooth.
• Spread mixture evenly into your baking pan. 
• Bake on middle oven rack for 25-30 minutes. Test with finger (don't burn yourself!). Top should be crusty, but innards should still have a little bit of "give."
• Makes about 15 medium-sized brownies.
• Enjoy!

NUTRITION INFO (per brownie):

Calories: 271.7 / Total Fat: 8.6g (Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4.5g) / Cholesterol: 0mg / Sodium: 111.3mg / Potassium: 99.5mg / Total Carbohydrates: 48.3g (Dietary Fiber: 4.6, Sugar: 26.8g) / Protein: 3.7g

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Veggie Bolognese Over Linguine

Justin, over at Marx Foods, was kind enough to send me a sample pack of several different varieties of their  dried mushrooms to experiment with. Lucky day for me! I love mushrooms, but you know The Bankrupt Vegan can't always afford the fancy stuff. So, it was really nice to get to play around with these.
This recipe features the dried porcini mushrooms from Marx Foods. I received eight varieties to try and this is the first one I've had a chance to use so far. Porcinis don't come cheap, though, so feel free to try the recipe without them and see how you fare. But, if you're able to get your hands on some dried porcini mushrooms, you will find that even a small amount can impart a delicious, rich and meaty flavor to your pasta dishes, soups and more. I really dig the flavor.
Here's the recipe...


1/8 C olive oil
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 8oz package white mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 C dried porcini mushrooms
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 C dry red wine
1/4 C water
salt and pepper, to taste
1 16oz package of your favorite linguini
nutritional yeast, for garnish

• Place dried porcinis in a blender or coffee grinder and chop until finely ground. 
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. 
• Add onion, carrot, celery, and white mushrooms. Saute until soft - about 10 minutes.
• Add the wine and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Add the water, salt, pepper, crushed tomatoes and porcinis.
• Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
• While the sauce is simmering, cook linguine according to package direction.
• To serve, scoop the pasta into a bowl and ladel with sauce. Sprinkle "nooch" on top, to taste.
• Make 4 "Texas-sized" bowls of pasta, or 6-8 normal sized bowls.
• Enjoy!

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Whole Wheat Vegetable Lasagna with Tofu "Ricotta"

I am a slave to my cravings. I really am. And when I desperately crave something that I cannot generally find vegan-style at a restaurant or the grocery store, and I don't know how to make it, I have no choice but to experiment. Sometimes it works out and sometimes I'm left disappointed, with only my unsatisfied craving to keep me company.
Today I was craving Italian food. Chewy, ooey, gooey, cheesy, piping hot, carb-rich Italian food. As usual, I'm broke, so restaurants are out. Plus, not many Italian food joints cater to the veg crowd. We have a great vegan restaurant here in town, but they don't really have what I'm looking for with this particular craving anyway. And none of the vegan Italian offerings at the grocery store are up to snuff compared to their price. So, I went into the kitchen and started playing around. And, I'm happy to report that the result was delicious!
My methods may be weird, but try it for yourself. Here's the recipe...

TOFU "RICOTTA"
1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained, squeezed and crumbled
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp all-purpose Italian seasoning, or any blend of your favorite Italian herbs
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 C nutritional yeast, plus more for garnish
1/4 C olive oil
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced

•  Place all ingredients into a bowl and stir until everything is mixed and tofu is well-coated. Set aside.

LASAGNA 
9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
5 or 6 large mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini squash, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 can of regular tomato sauce (I used plain ol' Target store brand)

• Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Layer ingredients in the following order (or mix it up if you want), from bottom to top, in a medium casserole dish
• a quarter of the marinara sauce
• 3 noodles
• half of the tofu "ricotta"
• a quarter of the marinara sauce
• squash
• 3 noodles
• the rest of the tofu "ricotta"
• the rest of the marinara sauce
• zucchini
• mushrooms
• 3 noodles
• all of the tomato sauce
• Sprinkle extra nutritional yeast all over the top, or splurge and use veggie mozzarella!
• Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until veggies are cooked and the whole thing is hot and bubbly. 
• Allow to cool for 10 - 15 minutes before serving. 
• While lasagna is cooling, heat the plain tomato sauce in a small sauce pan.
• Enjoy!

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Cheap-O Hummus

Let's start this blog with a basic staple of every healthy kitchen. Hummus! It's full of fiber and nutrients, and it's just so dang good I eat it almost every day. This is my own, very basic recipe. I know that tahini paste can be expensive, so if you can't swing the price, or just can't find it, you can substitute a few shakes of sesame oil instead.

2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (reserve juice from one can)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons lemon juice

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce (use gluten-free, if preferred)

2 tablespoons tahini paste (or a few shakes of sesame oil)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

• Place all ingredients into a blender (for smoother hummus) or a food processor (for chunkier hummus). 
• Add reserved bean juice a couple of tablespoons at a time, until desired consistency is reached. I use almost the entire can of juice in my hummus.  I like it really creamy!
• When you get ready to serve, sprinkle with a dash of paprika, and spritz a little lime juice on top. Green onions on top are nice too!
• We like dipping carrot sticks (cheapest organic veggie on the market right now) and baked tortilla chips into it. I also like to spread some on a whole wheat tortilla with a bit of salsa and green onion, and grill it up like a quesadilla.
• Makes about 8 servings.
• Enjoy!