Spicy Lentil Hummus with Chapati

I’ve embarked on a recent journey toward the world of fresh and dry legumes, parting ways with my former reliance on canned beans. While I miss the ease of reaching into the cupboard and relative ease of opening a can (our can-opening device is slightly defunct), I can adjust to the lifestyle of dried beans. Types that need a good soak before cooking require more planning, but they are truly superior in taste to canned versions. Creamier on the inside, firmer on the outside – I don’t know anyone that likes the soggy mushiness of canned beans after having tasted a fresh batch. Even bean purees are much tastier, which is what lead to this Indian version of a middle eastern staple.

As for my health tangent of the day – most of us keep hearing about BPA as the latest bizarre and potentially harmful compound invading food packaging for whatever reason cheapie commercial manufacturers give. BPA is illegal in many countries and linked, however convincingly, to a whole gamut of maladies. And not so good ones to boot. Despite many companies having stepped up to discontinue the use of BPA in plastic bottles, canned food is still BPA strong and stubborn due to lack of strong evidence of its adverse affects. I don’t care how many studies it takes to make the FDA buck up and lay down the BPA law, I can live without it. So long my BPA-laced convenience!

Back to the beans: we were having a couple of people over last minute for the 4th of July and because of the late notice, I had not spent my typical 3-5 days planning the edible entertainment. The crowd was small and wasn’t going to be starving or expecting food, but in my house any guest equals food and I still needed to eat. My default in this case: hummus, chips and salsa, and fresh fruit. Going back to the fact that beans take some planning…I didn’t have any soaked chickpeas or canned beans. My ready-to-cook selection consisted of mung beans and lentils. I love mung beans, but they are not the best chickpea stand-ins for hummus. Lentils however were a fabulous alternative.

Having recently attended a vegan cooking class at a superb Indian restaurant in Houston, I learned a few lovely spice combinations during my time at Indika. What better opportunity to apply new knowledge than a small gathering where people may or may not eat? It takes the pressure off of the testing phase, and a chance at fusion made it even more thrilling. Aside from spices, we also got an impromptu lesson from the chef herself about making Indian flatbread made from garbanzo flour. Though I had garbanzo flour, which I used in the hummus recipe, I decided to try it with plain ole whole what flour. Zero leftover and a double batch the next day….pretty good results.

Spicy Lentil Hummus with Chapati

Makes 2 c. Hummus and 8-9 Flatbreads

Total Prep Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For the Hummus
½ c. Lentils, dry or 1 ½ c. cooked*
¾ c. Chickpeas, cooked or canned (drained & rinsed if using canned)*
1 ½ T. Tahini
1 T. Lemon juice, freshly squeeze
1 T. Garlic, chopped
1 T. Jalapeno, chopped
¾ T. Fresh Ginger, chopped
½ tsp. Ground cumin
½ tsp. Sea salt
¼ heaping tsp. Garam masala

For the Chapati
1 c. All purpose or whole wheat flour
¼ tsp. Salt
Water
Olive oil

* I cooked dry lentils and used the cooking liquid with Bob’s Red Mill garbanzo bean flour instead of actual chickpeas. To do it this way, bring 1 cup of the lentil liquid (or add enough water to lentil liquid to make 1 cup) to a boil and whisk in ¼ cup of garbanzo flour. Lower heat to medium low and simmer about 3-4 minutes – clumps are ok. Pour into food processor with lentils.

Directions

For the hummus: If lentils are dry, cooking in 3 cups of liquid by bringing lentils and water to a boil with a pinch of salt and 1 bay leaf. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils (reserving liquid if using method above) and place in food processor. Combine remaining ingredients in food processor and process until completely smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste, using more or less jalapeno depending on your spice preference.

For the chapati: In a medium mixing bowl, combine four and salt and mix well. Slowly add ¼ cup water at a time until you have a stiff dough. If dough is too sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour. If too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Knead dough for 5 minutes. Roll into a ball and place in refrigerator wrapped in plastic for 1 hour.

Once the dough has sat, knead again for another 5 minutes. Tear off a hunk of dough and roll into a ball about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Repeat with the rest of the dough which should yield 8-9 pieces. Coat dough with cooking spray or olive oil and roll each ball out into a small flat disk, about 1/8 inch think and 5 inches in diameter. Heat a dry electric or stovetop griddle over medium heat. Place however many pieces you can easily fit without crowding. Cook 30-45 seconds on the first side and flip over. Cook until golden spots appear on other side. Flip once more and press each chapati with a cloth until if puffs up. Repeat with remaining chapati.

Curried Kale Salad with Roasted Cauliflower and Apples

Silly admission # 473 (yes they happen that often): I’ve been craving legumes like normal people crave ice cream. During the month of May in which my token omnivore voluntarily followed a vegan diet, I avoided making too many bean dishes so as not to deter him from the already….windy side effects of eating so much fiber. While I didn’t omit beans entirely, I certainly treaded carefully seeing as though he has a natural aversion to the magical fruit. He’ll eat certain kinds so long as they aren’t cooked to absolute mush, but I didn’t want to overdo it during his vegan trial for fear of exhausting him on the beany buggers. Now that he’s back on the flesh wagon however, I don’t feel bad reintroducing beans as my vegan superstar ingredient. Packed full of iron and healthy fiber, my body was screaming for the little pearly pockets of yum. And part of me wants to overdo it now since his body is probably going through some nutritional withdrawal since his sudden reversion to cholesterol and saturated…I mean meat.

Well that’s a little off track for this recipe, but it leads to my inspiration. I hadn't soaked any beans and for dried beans that cook quickly, mung beans were the only option. I’ve made them time and time again, but as hard as I try to be creative, the dish always ends up tasting the same. This time was no different. Always delicious, but always the same. Mung beans stewed with potatoes, carrots and tomatoes with a generous pinch of cumin seed and crushed red pepper. If I try to get fancier, it complicates the dish which ends up tasting rather blah. Since I knew what the dish was going to taste like, I thought I could at least make a well-paired saladn to get creative. Trying to think of something that would go well with a stewed dish, I recalled working at the Afghan restaurant in Madison. Kabul had a killer curry salad dressing that was the talk of the town. Made with raw eggs, tons of oil and about a pound of sugar per batch, patrons rarely knew what was coating their lettuce. Tasty nonetheless. So I attempted to recreate a healthier, vegan version.

Raw eggs and lots of oil - sound like anything familiar? Perhaps a well-known American condiment? Hello mayonnaise. For the Memorial party, I had made my own vegan sour cream that sort of morphed into mayo after the leftovers spent a few days in the fridge. Since real mayo shares many similarities with the original dressing ingredients, I figure this would be a good stand-in. Instead of adding a ton of oil, I used some leftover broth that didn’t make it into the stew with just a touch of walnut oil. Agave replaced white sugar of course and the tiniest pinch of turmeric gave it that signiature yellow hue that comes from the egg yolks in the old recipe. My version was every bit as tasty. The crunchy roasted cauliflower was perfectly matched by sweet apple slices. The curry tied it all together. The mung beans were fine, but the salad was delish!

Curry Kale Salad with Roasted Cauliflower and Apples
Makes 2 side salads

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 c. Cauliflower flowerets
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Freshly ground pepper
2 tsp. Nutritional yeast
Cooking spray

¼ c. Vegetable broth, from bouillon
2-3 T. Vegan mayo
1 T. Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ T. Mild tasting oil (walnut, avocado, canola)
¾ tsp. Curry powder
¾ tsp. Agave nectar
1/8 tsp. Turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste

3-4 Large kale leaves, ribs cut out and sliced thinly into ribbons
½ Medium apple (gala, pink lady, or other sweet varienty), thinly sliced with slices cut in half

Directions

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

Place the cauliflower in a medium mixing bowl and coat completely with cooking spray. Season with salt, pepper and nutritional yeast. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the outside. Remove from heat and set aside.

While the cauliflower roasts, prepare the dressing by whisking the next 7 ingredients together. Season with additional agave if too acidic and salt and pepper to taste. In a separate mixing bowl, pour ½ of dressing over kale and apples. Let sit while cauliflower finishes cooking.

To serve, divide salad into 2 portions and top each with half of the roasted cauliflower.

Tangy BBQ Tempeh with Apricot Couscous

A partial motivator behind this meal was a recent request for more protein from a resident omnivore who, though very supportive of my meatless mania, needs a little more “umph” to keep up with both weight-lifting and cycling 30-40 miles 3-5 times a week. I consider myself active, but I’ve never had a protein concern on a vegan diet due to my small frame. For someone whose caloric needs are almost 50% more than my own, this was a very polite and respectful request. So as to place more emphasis on the capability of a vegan diet to satisfy even the most extreme of athletes, and to prevent potential carcass from having to be stored in a shared appliance, I’ve been much more conscious of protein’s presence in the general macronutrient distribution on our plates.

On many occasions, I look to tempeh as a tool to both enhance the protein portion in a meal and replace a meat counterpart. A fermented soy bean product, tempeh is thought to have originated in Indonesia on the island of Java. In fact, it was when I was working in an Indonesian restaurant in Madison, WI that I had my first taste. Bandung Restaurant is the only Indonesian restaurant in Wisconsin and makes homemade tempeh from a family recipe. I’ve even requested the shipment of tempeh from my former boss, because there is nothing as good down here in the Southwest. Unlike tofu, which is a coagulated soy product, tempeh is sturdy in texture but soft to the bite. Similar to tofu, it does not have a strong natural taste and therefore holds seasonings and marinades very well. It’s a fantastic replacement for ground beef or other dark meat products. In this case, tempeh stands in for barbecued ribs, a hard thing to replicate as a vegan, not that many vegans want to mimic flesh on bone. But let’s face it - even for the carnivores…it’s all about the sauce.

Which brings me to the key inspiration for this recipe. A dear friend asked a very encouraging question regarding some crazy vegan blogger who listed pomegranate molasses in a recipe she wanted to try. Who has pomegranate molasses and where do you even buy it? You could actually make it at home; it is simply syrup made from pomegranate juice and sugar. A staple in many Middle Eastern dishes, you can find it in any Middle Eastern market or food store. It is the essential ingredient in Muhummara, one of my favorite pita accompaniments. Not wanting to force her to seek out a sticky bottle of obscure molasses for one recipe only, I sought to incorporate it in another tasty recipe.

So to fuse the two inspirational driver – using a lesser known but delicious ingredient in a dish that would satisfy a highly active omnivore male athlete who obliges my plant-based fanaticism – I give you BBQ Tempeh! I hesitate to call them tempeh ribs, because they come from no one’s chest and require no bone-gnawing to enjoy. But they are effortlessly satisfying in a tart, spicy sauce and perfect with a side of veggie-studded couscous. Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients in the sauce. They are all thrown together in a food processor and the measurements are by no means strict. Feel free to add more cumin if that’s your flavor of the month. Give it a taste and if it’s to tangy, add a little more sweet. If you need more heat, add crushed red pepper. Keep on tasting until you end up with something that’s finger-lickin’ good – despite the fact that this vegan dish requires no hands-on contact or tacky bib.

Tangy BBQ Tempeh

Makes 3 servings

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients

1 Package tempeh

6 Dried apricots (Turkish, unsulphured)

1 Medium tomato, chopped

2 Scallions, chopped (white parts only)

1 Large garlic clove, smashed

1/3 c. Organic ketchup

1 T. Olive oil

1 T. Pomegranate molasses

2 tsp Maple Syrup

2 tsp Soy sauce

¼ tsp Onion powder

¼ tsp Cumin, ground

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

Salt to taste (if needed)

Directions

Steam tempeh (or cover with water and simmer) for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1/8-1/4 inch thick slices, about 12-15 slices.

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

In a small sauce pan, cover apricots with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until apricots are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside reserving cooking liquid.

To make the sauce - combine apricots, ¼ cup of the apricot water and remaining ingredients in a food processor. Puree until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. For a less tart sauce, add more water and/or maple syrup. For more spice, add some crushed red pepper or more cayenne.

Coat an oven-safe dish with cooking spray. Spread tempeh in one layer and coat completely with sauce. Turn over tempeh to coat both sides. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and tempeh has browned. Remove and serve with couscous.

Apricot Couscous

Makes 3-4 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

2/3 c. Couscous

½ c. Zucchini, diced

½ c. Carrot, shredded

¼ c. Roasted cashews

2 Scallions, finely sliced (green parts only)

6-8 Dried apricots, diced (Turkish, unsulphured)

1-2 T. Fresh lemon juice, from ½ lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Pour 1 ¼ c. boiling water over couscous and let sit until all liquid has absorbed, about 10 minutes. Fluff couscous and mix in remaining ingredients using as much lemon juice as fits your liking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.