HUMMUS!

Anyone catch the subtle Pearl Jam reference in the title?

In the process of sorting all my recipes on the handy dandy recipe page, I realized that I have quite a few vegetarian recipes up here. I was thinking back to how it all started.

At first it was a few Meatless Mondays here and there.  Who am I to defy Yoko and Paul's twitter directives? Then I was eating Meatless Monday leftovers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Plus, my default lunch of choice when I didn't bring food - the giant bodega sandwich - was no longer an option after going gluten free.  So pretty soon, I wasn't eating meat during the week and saving it up for the weekends.  This is largely what I shoot for now, though I am far from perfect.  There are times I seriously consider going full vegetarian, but I am really held up by not being able to eat many veggie/vegan meat substitutes like tempeh, seitan and many tofu products. I have yet to find any commercially available veggie chicken (though my favorite vegan lunch spot which also has gluten free bread and AMAZING gluten free wraps has some!), soy crumbles etc.  I used to swap meat out of many Mexican dishes in particular (two veggie taco recipes coming up for next week!) for those awesome proteins and haven't quite overcome not being able to use them.  I also still have the occasional bad day where I feel totally limited with food choices because of my allergies, and adopting a stricter vegetarian outlook would probably bring those about more often.

I have had great success utilizing mushrooms run through the food processor in place of ground meats, though.  And found a fail proof grilling formula that will make you crave 'bellas like they are a truly fantastic burger.  AND realized that I could top it with daiya cheese (IT MELTS!) and not miss a beat.  Woo-hoo.

So whether you are doing so for your health, the health of our planet or intially just because Paul and Yoko said so, I'm going to try and offer my support by posting recipes on Sundays/early Mondays for MEATLESS MONDAY at least for the rest of October.  Let's see if I can keep up...

Hummus is a perfect Meatless Monday pick that can stretch out way beyond .  You can use it in wraps during the week (I like mine with arugula, cheese and tomato/cucumber) for lunch, as a topper for chicken and salads.  Chickpeas are naturally high in protein and fiber.  They also provide a healthy carbohydrate profile for people with Diabetes or blood sugar issues.  I scarfed mine up in a wrap, simply with some Mary's Gone Crackers Curry Twigs, with Trader Joe's sweet potato chips and baby carrots.  And I'm sure there a million other applications I haven't been creative enough to consider.  Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Hummus

2 cups of canned chickpeas
3 roasted red peppers (totally optional but awesome for taste and texture)
3 cloves of garlic (you can roast garlic in the oven for 20 minutes before mixing in if you dislike raw garlic)
1/3 cup tahini
juice of 2 lemons (at least 6 tablespoons or to taste)
1/4 tsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
reserved liquid from can of chickpeas or warm water (at least 2 tablespoons)

Mince or press garlic. Add tahini, chickpeas, 6 tablespoons of lemon juice, roasted red peppers, salt and pepper to a food processor and combine well.  Add reserved liquid from can of chickpeas and additional lemon juice until it reaches your desired consistency. De - freaking - licious.



Enjoy!