Turmeric Hummus: Possibly the Healthiest (and tastiest) Hummus!

If only medicine could come from purely natural ingredients and taste like rich, creamy hummus…Oh wait, it can!

We are all familiar with turmeric as one of the most standard spices in Indian cuisine, but did you know that it has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine to promote a whole range of health benefits? It stimulates digestion, boosts the immune system, detoxifies the liver, and may even be effective at fending off cancer and depression. When paired with black pepper to help the body absorb curcumin (the main active ingredient in turmeric), it is also has powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.

Plus, it’s just delicious.

Knowing all this, I’m always looking for different ways to incorporate turmeric into my diet, and here’s a great one! Chickpeas are already quite the superfood, with their high levels of iron, protein and fibre, but combined with turmeric, this hummus is incredibly good for you.

I already had a batch of my homemade hummus in the fridge, so all I did was mix some turmeric power and a bit of black pepper into it.

But, just in case you want to make everything from scratch, here’s the whole recipe below.

• 500 grams of dry chickpeas (soaked overnight, then left to simmer until soft)
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 large cloves of garlic
• 1.5 tsp salt
• crushed chili peppers
• turmeric (I just kept adding it in and mixing until everything was a rich yellow colour)
• black pepper

Everything just goes straight into the blender, and that’s all there is to it! For a bit of added flavour, some paprika or cumin also gives it an extra kick.

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Falafel and Garlic Hummus Pizza

Don’t you just love it when a new recipe idea pops into your head, and you realize that you already have every ingredient you need?

Last night, the plan was pizza. Fully loaded falafel pizza. You see, I found myself at a Greek restaurant a little while back with some friends, and after searching the entire menu the only thing I could find that could be veganized was their pizza. (Well, either that or a salad.) So, I asked for a cheeseless pizza, and what I got was an impossibly dry crust scattered with a few slices of tomato and bell pepper. It was not at all the restaurant’s fault, though. I should have gotten creative and asked them to replace the cheese with hummus or baba ganoush. Every experience is a new learning curve!

Needless to say, I’ve been in serious need of some pizza redemption.

All I did for this pizza was take a large whole wheat pita and spread on some basil tomato sauce. Then, I stacked it with layer upon layer of my favorite veggies, topped with some homemade falafels and a drizzle of garlic hummus that I made the other day. Adding hummus to a cheeseless pizza is a fantastic way of giving it that rich, creamy texture.

Here’s the full ingredient list:

• Large whole wheat pita
• Basil tomato sauce
• Sliced up falafel (click here to check out my recipe)
• Garlic hummus (recipe here)
• Mayan sweet onion
• Spinach
• Bell peppers (I sauteed mine in water and soy sauce)
• Tomato slices
• Green beans
• Crushed chili peppers, black pepper, and Cajun spice sprinkled over top

Then, I just put this in a pan with the lid on and let it simmer at low heat on the stove for about 15 minutes. No oven required. When I was ready to eat, I raised the temperature to get the crust all crispy, and that’s all there was to it. Extremely satisfying, oil-free, vegan pizza in no time at all!

Magical Little Chickpeas (Hummus recipe!)

Remind me again why I’ve been buying hummus all these years?

I used to make hummus at home all the time, but recently I somehow fell into the habit of buying ready-made commercial hummus. Sure, it’s convenient and if you buy it at Costco like I do, it’s really quite affordable as well. But, it’s actually fun to make at home and you can adjust the flavour to your liking. Plus, not to mention once you’re done making it, you get to wipe up the blender and the spatula with thick slices of pita bread…which is a fantastic excuse to eat tons and tons of fresh, warm hummus! It’s all in the details.

For this batch, I thoroughly rinsed about 500 grams of dried chickpeas, brought them to a slow boil, and then let them sit overnight (or, for about 6 hours). The next morning, I brought them to a slow boil again and let simmer until soft.

Next, I filled up my Vitamix blender about 2/3 of the way with the chickpeas, and then added in the following ingredients. (All measurements are very approximate, so be sure to adjust to your liking!)

• 3 tbsp tahini
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 large clove of garlic
• crushed chili peppers

There were enough chickpeas that I made two batches like this, and still had enough left over to make some vegan chickpea “tuna” salad and a bit of chana masala curry. And, don’t forget that if you have some of the water left over after having cooked your chickpeas (otherwise known as aquafaba), you can use this as an effective egg white replacement in vegan baking!

I’ve got to say, I’m pretty impressed with the versatility of chickpeas. They’re healthy, cheap, delicious…and adorable. My new favorite legume.

Epic Vegan Pine Nut Sandwich!

I’ve been on a bit of a sandwich spree lately because I discovered this nearby bakery that always has the most amazing fresh bread…and it’s been a lot of fun coming up with tasty new ideas to put it all to good use!

My latest lunch time creation is this guy here:

Shredded cabbage mixed with sun-dried tomato hummus on a bed of sliced tomato and cucumber, topped with pine nuts and black pepper.

Toasted Vegan Egg Breakfast Burritos

Those chia scrambled eggs that I posted about the other day also came out pretty great in a breakfast burrito!

Chia eggs, bell peppers, vegan ham, and hummus in a whole grain wrap, topped with salsa and toasted up on the stove (: