Hummus with Roasted Sweet Potato

Hummus and fresh veggies in the fridge means a healthy snack is always an option. Sweet potato ramps up the nutritional heft and the flavor in this version of hummus. I used part of the roasted sweet potato in a souffle and the rest for this appetizer/snack. Neal uses hummus instead of mayo on his sandwiches--have I mentioned he's a smart guy? With a few pantry friendly ingredients and a bit of time you can have a flavorful, healthy dip/spread at the ready.

Hummus with Roasted Sweet Potato
4 cloves garlic
1 cup sweet potato chunks, 1- 2 inch dice
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans
2 tablespoons tahini paste (I buy this at the local grocery store)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Salt to taste
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss unpeeled garlic and sweet potato chunks with olive oil and place on a roasting sheet. Cook for about 20 minutes or until tender, stirring once. When cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic out of skins into a food processor bowl along with the sweet potato. Drain beans, reserving liquid. Add beans, tahini, lemon juice and zest. Pulse several times. With processor on, pour in some of the reserved liquid and process until very smooth. Use up to half the liquid, depending on the consistency you like. Add salt to taste. Serve with naan, pita bread or veggie dippers.

Hints: A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top is great when serving it with naan or pita bread. Add more or less lemon if you like. Hummus should be very smooth and creamy. I like mine with a bit more body, especially with veggie dippers, and so I use less of the liquid from the beans. It is always easy to add a bit more liquid but impossible to take any out so don't let it get soupy (if it does, open another can of beans). This recipe doubles easily w/o any modifications. Good served at room temp, OK chilled, too. Stores for several days in the fridge.

Sweet potato makes this hummus colorful, so serve it with bright green veggies for a great visual payoff. Happy snacking! (Check out Lemon and Carrot Hummus  for another non-dairy, non-gluten recipe.)

Nuts and Cheese for Breakfast

 Here is another way to serve nut encrusted goat cheese-for breakfast this time!

 
Nut Crusted Goat Cheese
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1/4 cup hazel nuts
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 large cinnamon raisin bagel (or whole wheat or sourdough)
8 pitted dates, optional
Slice the cheese into 2 ounce, 1/2 inch thick disks. Chop nuts coarsely and place in a shallow dish. Mix pepper in and then press the cheese circles into the nut mixture until coated on all sides. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes. Place a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When pan is hot, place nutted cheese disks in it and cook 1 to 2 minutes until nuts are toasted but not burned. Turn disk over and toast other side. Serve with warmed, halved bagel and dates. Spread warmed cheese on bagel to eat. Serves 2 people.

Hints: The cheese can be sliced and patted into the disk shape. Patting the cheese so that the nuts stick may flatten them a bit. Just be sure it is about 1/2 inch thick when cooking so that the cheese gets soft and spreadable but does not melt into the skillet by the time the nuts are toasted. The dates are a nice flavor and texture compliment. I warm the bagel in the microwave for 20 seconds or so. But you could toast them lightly. As in the last post, you could try crusting and toasting another semi-soft cheese, one with a milder flavor if goat cheese is too strong for your palate.

This breakfast has protein, carbs and calcium- a good start to your day. Add a fruit or some juice and your day will be off on the right foot. (It makes a nice snack later in the day as well.)

For Olive Lovers

Tapenade

1/2 cup finely chopped Kalamata olives

1/4 cup finely chopped green olives (without pimento)

1/4 cup finely chopped black olives

2 tablespoons finely chopped sun dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon capers

1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix all ingredients together and serve with fresh sourdough type bread.

Hints: Use the best quality ingredients you can. It is much easier to chopped pitted olives. I use sun dried tomatoes that are not packed in olive oil but come in a pouch like dried fruit comes in. Some people prefer to rinse capers before they use them, I didn't bother for this dish. The rosemary should be in very small pieces; fresh rosemary would be great--use about twice as much, very finely chopped.

I was inspired by the spread that accompanied my bread for lunch at the Park Grill in the hotel Le Meridian  (San Francisco). Often tapenade recipes have anchovies in them, some lemon juice and they are made into a paste consistency. I made this recipe without the fish because I wanted something that I could make from pantry items and I don't have anchovies on hand. The chopped verses paste choice is really a matter of presentation. I prefer the chopped look. The paste does spread easier on bread (put all ingredients in a food processor). Both taste fabulous.

Hummus w/ Lemon and Carrot

Hummus with Lemon and Carrot

1 can garbanzo beans (15 oz)

3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)

1 lemon

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons finely grated carrots

Drain garbanzo beans, reserving the liquid. Place beans in a food processor with tahini. Zest lemon with a micro planer and then cut in half and juice. Add zest and juice to beans along with remaining ingredients. (You can reserve a bit of lemon zest and grated carrot for garnishing.) Process until very smooth. Pour in some of the reserved liquid as needed to get desired consistency. Hummus is typically a bit runny but can be made stiffer for spreading (it will stiffen up after being chilled). Serve with pita bread, toasted artisan bread, corn chips or cut veggies. Refrigerate tightly covered.  

Hints: Garbanzo beans are also called ceci beans or chick peas. I always have them on hand for white chili, salads and hummus. Tahini is available in most grocery stores and can be eaten on pita bread as is. Toasted sesame oil is very strong flavored so be careful not to add too much. It also is readily available.

I first tried my hand at making hummus to save money.  The store bought kind can be expensive. But now I make it because I can control the flavors and get just what I like. I hope you experiment and come up with your favorite flavor. Please share with me if you do.