Adventures in Vegan Food - the start...

Today I began my quest for yummy vegetarian and vegan food that will satisfy not only my OCD eating disorder needs but also my love of good food. I also wanted to start with something that I knew both my husband and I enjoy: hummus!

I had a busy day today. Well I had a lot of waiting time with a little bit of prep work sprinkled within. I made spicy hummus and pita bread from scratch via a couple of recipes I found in Vegetarian Times. By the way, if you don't subscribe and you love veg*n food, if you want tasty gluten-free food, or if you just want some awesome recipes, you need to subscribe to this publication!

These recipes are in the current (September 2010) issue starting on page 40. I modified the "Classic Hummus" recipe to my tastes (more garlic, salt and heat), but I made the pita per the instructions. My husband and I both though the pita needed more salt as it was rather bland. Probably double or triple the amount (1/2-3/4 tsp. instead of 1/4 tsp.) because, honestly, bread gets it flavor from salt and yeast and need enough of both to do the job. But with the hummus on it, it was quite tasty.

My hope is to develop a whole-wheat or multi-grain version of the pita. Mmmmm... multigrain sounds FABULOUS!!!

First, picture o' the completed fare; and, yes, I love stripes. What you're looking at is my spicy hummus drizzled with EVOO and a sprinkling of paprika, fresh pita, and red bell pepper and carrots for additional dipping options.

And now, the recipes:

I started with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) cooked from scratch:

(Prep: 8 hours - Cook: 90 minutes - rest: 30 minutes = 10 hours)
Note: This yields 6 cups of cooked chickpeas, but only 3 cups are required for the hummus. (I made two batches of hummus, but you can freeze the remainder of the chickpeas to use later)

1. Pour 1 lb. dried chickpeas on flat surface, and pick trough to remove any stones or broken chickpeas.

2. Rinse and drain chickpeas (I forgot to do this during my pre-coffee morning stupor. They still came out fine.) Place in large bowl (I used a stock pot) with 10+ cups of water; let soak 8 hours, or overnight.

3. Drain soaked chickpeas, then rinse and drain again, and place chickpeas in large pot with 10 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer 90 minutes. (Note: I just read that if you add a small strip of kombu, a sea vegetable, to the chickpeas while they are cooking it will soften them and i ncrease their digestibility, as well as their nutritional value).

4. Remove from heat, cover pot, and let stand 30 minutes. Skim off any chickpeas that have floated to top. Drain well.

Spicy Hummus (modified from Classic Hummus recipe)

(Prep: 5 minutes plus time to prepare chickpeas - Processing: 6-7 minutes)

3 cups cooked chickpeas, or (2) 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained twice, hot or warmed in microwave

1/3 c. fresh lemon juice (roughly the juice of 2 lemons)

4 cloves garlic (or 2 tsp. minced garlic)

1/2 c. tahini

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

3/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

Garnish: EVOO and additional paprika

1. Puree warm chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and 2/3 cup water in food processor 3-4 minutes, or until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary.

2. Add tahini, EVOO, salt, cayenne pepper and paprika, and puree 2 minutes, or until mixture has consistency of soft cream cheese, adding 1-2 Tbs. water, if necessary. Taste and add additional salt, if desired.

3. Refrigerate until cold. Spread into a thin (1/2" thick) layer onto a plate, drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with fresh pita and veggies (e.g. sliced bell peppers, carrots, scallions, etc.)

Cast-Iron Skillet Pita Bread (from Vegetarian Times 9/2010 page 45)

(Dough prep/proofing: 3 hours 15 minutes - Cook time: 30-45 minutes)

3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting work surface

1 tsp. active dry yeast (measure from a packet, which usually holds 2-1/4 tsp.)

1 tsp. sugar (I used raw cane sugar)

1/4 tsp. sea salt (I recommend increasing this to 1/2 or 3/4 tsp.)

3 Tbs. olive oil

Canola oil, for greasing skillet

1. Mix 1 c. flour, yeast, sugar, and 1 c. lukewarm (115 F) water in large bowl with fork. Cover with clean kitchen towel, and let stand in warm place 30 minutes, or until mixture is thick and bubbly.

2. Stir 2 c. flour, salt, and 1/2 c. water into yeast mixture. Knead 2-3 minutes with hands or dough hook of electric mixer until dough is smooth. Add remaining 1/2 c. flour and olive oil; knead 2-3 minutes more, or until dough comes together. (Note: I left it in the mixer for more like 5-7 minutes and sprinkled 2-3 extra Tbs. of flour into the bowl as it was pretty sticky)

3. Transfer dough to a floured work surface, and knead 5-7 minutes more or until dough is no longer sticky. (If you leave it in the mixer longer like I did, then really only 2-3 minutes of kneading is required). Note: this dough is pretty soft.

4. Shape dough into ball, place in floured bowl, and cover with kitchen towel. Let rise 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size. Punch down dough, cover, and let rise 30 minutes more.

5. Shape dough into 10 2-inch balls on floured work surface. cover with kitchen towel, and let rise 30 minutes. Roll balls into 1/4-inch-thick circles. Cover and let stand 30 minutes more.

6. Brush cast iron (or other heavy-bottomed pan) skillet with canola oil, and heat over high heat. Turn heat down to med-high heat and place 1 dough circle on skillet. Cook 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until pita is puffed, pushing on puffed pita with spatula to cook edges. Repeat with remaining dough circles, leaving heat at med-high, and oiling skillet as necessary.

7. Serve with prepared hummus and enjoy!

So what did I get for all this?

Chickpeas: Iron, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, protein, fiber, complex carbs

Tahini: Zinc, calcium, protein

Garlic: superfood (anti-bacterial, antioxidant) 

Extra virgin olive oil: Vitamin E, Vitamin K, EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids)

wheat flour: B vitamins, iron, (less) complex carbs

red bell pepper: Vitamin C, fiber

carrots (raw): Vitamin A, fiber, Betacarotene