Hummus

Ingredients
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15-ounce cans, 1 drained)
3/4 to 1 cup water or chickpea cooking broth (or the liquid from 1 can of chickpeas)
2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled  (I used garlic granules)
4 tablespoons tahini 
2 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I used bottled lemon juice)
1/4 to 1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper
Salt to taste


Instructions
Place all ingredients except salt in the food processor in the order listed, using the smaller amounts. (Next time I think I'll start with the sesame seeds and add the rest)


Start the machine on low and increase speed to high. Use a spatula to  break up air pockets and push chickpeas toward the blades, if necessary.If the mixture is too thick, add additional cooking liquid a little at a time. Turn up to the highest speed and blend for a few seconds until hummus is completely smooth.
Stop blender and taste the hummus. Add additional seasonings and salt to taste and blend briefly to combine.
Store hummus in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It’s best after it’s had a chance to rest for at least an hour, but use within a week.


Variations


What really makes it for me when it comes to hummus is getting creative with it.  I enjoyed one batch in particular where I threw in cashews, Annie's goddess dressing and roasted red pepper into the mix.  


Try adding any one of the following during the last brief blending: roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, chipotle chile peppers, green onions, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, jalapeno peppers, black or green olives, balsamic vinegar, spinach, smoked salt or Liquid Smoke.

Ruth Hekman's caramel sauce

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sweet cream or whole milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Blend all and cook over medium heat till thickened.  Cool

Kim Essenberg's Easy Banket

1/2 lb almond paste
1/2 lb. margarine
2 eggs
1 tsp almond flavor
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour

Cream all but flour, then add flour 1 cup at a time.
Press into ungreased 9x13 inch pan.

Back 40 minutes at 300 degrees.  Cool, dribble glaze

Anda's broccoli chicken casserole

From Anda who cooks like I do---with "abouts"


"Here is the broccoli chicken casserole. It is still comfort food for me, though I cook less with "cream of..." soups than I did back then.

Boil chicken and pull into pieces. (I think I used about 400-500 grams of sasami- about a pound+ of meat)

Cut up 1 large head of broccoli and cook until just tender

Mix together:
2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup,
about 1 cup of mayo,
about a tsp, lemon juice,
about 1 tsp curry powder,
about 1 T mustard,
about 1 cup shredded cheese.

Mix together, add the chicken and broccoli, and bake 1 hour.

It's a bit Midwestern, but you have some of that flowing through your veins too!"


I'm also not using "cream of ....." as much but every once in awhile it's fun to pull out the Minnesota roots....thanks Anda!  Actually, I associate this recipe with Tokyo because of the taste of Kewpie mayonnaise that i enjoyed in the casserole.

Anda's Kaye's Laurel Seely's Frozen mocha cheesecake

This recipe came as a facebook post from Anda. I found the original recipe card and it says:

"Frozen Mocha (or rum) cheesecake from the kitchen of Laurel Seely".  I added the parts about the rum into

Anda's notes

"1 1/4 chocolate wafer cookie crumbs ( I use oreos)

Then the recipe calls for 1/4 cup sugar mixed in with the cookie crumbs, which I never use;

1/4 cup marg. or butter, melted - that gets mixed together and patted into a 9x13 pan;


1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 c chocolate syrup
2 T instant coffee or rum dissolved into 1 tsp hot water
1 cup whipping cream, whipped.

 Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until fluffy, slowly adding condensed milk, then chocolate syrup, then coffee or rum.

 Fold in the whipped cream, and pour into the pan and freeze for six hours"

Kasha with vegetables and gluten-free gravy

1. Measure some kasha in a glass or a measuring cup, then tip the grain into a frying pan.

2. In the same glass or cup, pour water, measuring one-and-a-quarter times the volume of kasha you took, and pour the water into a sauce pan to boil it, adding a generous amount of salt or a bouillon cube. Ideally, use a pan that can go into the oven and be covered, such as a cast iron pan. Otherwise we'll change the vessel later.

3. With a table spoon, measure some butter. If the kasha you measured amounted to something like a standard drinking glass or mug, then a half table spoon will do.

4. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius).

5. While you boil the water, roast the kasha in the frying pan. Roast it "dry", without using any oil or water. Use a wooden spoon to move the kasha around in the pan. If the kasha starts to stick or turn black, you've gone too far.  Alternatively, use pre-roasted kasha and skip to step 6.

6. Remove the kasha from the flame. Mix the butter with the kasha until it is all melted.

7. By now the water should be boiling. Lower the flame. Pour the kasha into the water. Without covering the pan, leave on low heat until all the water has evaporated.

8. If your pan cannot go into the oven, move the kasha into a pan or dish that can.

9. Cover the pan or dish that will go into the oven. If you are using a pyrex dish that has no top, perhaps you have a larger dish you can place on top.

10. Place in the oven and leave for 30 to 45 minutes. Over time, you will see how long you like to leave it, which will depend on your taste and your oven.

11.  While the kasha was in the oven, I sauteed some vegetables (I used frozen Asian stirfry mix).  Then, I folded this into the kasha for the last 10-15 minutes of the baking time.

12.  I served this dish with nori cut into thin strips and vegan gravy


For the Gluten-free Gravy (very good)

1.  Saute sliced onions in a skillet and remove (Shiitake would also work very well)

2  Melt 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, ghee, or vegan butter

3.  Quickly stir in 2 1/2- 1/3 amarynth flour (I used quinoa flour)

4.  Add 2 cups vegetable broth (I used one cube but this was too salty- next time I'll use half a cube) and stir  constantly.

5.  add herbal mixture (I used an Italian blend plus hing)

6.  fold in onions and/or shiitake