Showing posts with label hummus. Show all posts

Curried Red Lentil Bites with Two Types of Hummus




These tasty curried red lentil bites were made from the leftovers of this fantastic red lentil curry recipe. A recipe that was adapted from one by Emma Maher. I had some left over, so I decided to make these impromptu bites. They pair perfectly with hummus and made a great accompaniment to some fresh vegetables for a dipping platter. My favourite new way to make hummus is with peanut butter instead of tahini paste. The peanut hummus pairs really well with these lentil bites, but the traditional recipe works too. Recipes for both are provided below. Both types of hummus are delicious. The main difference is the peanut hummus has a much richer, nuttier flavour. I think it
tastes more decadent.

Serves 3 / Approx. 5-10 minutes / 


Lentil Bites - Preparation

Approximately 100g of leftover lentil curry makes about 15 walnut sized bites. I have provided the ingredients to make the full curry recipe, but I would suggest if you intend on making just the bites to allow the lentil curry cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour before making the bites. 

Begin with rolling the bites into even, walnut sized balls.
Then, in a large, non-stick pan heat a knob of butter or a good glug of oil on a medium/high heat.
Add the bites and fry for 5-10 minutes or until warmed through and golden brown.

Hummus - Ingredients and Preparation 

Peanut Butter Hummus 

Ingredients 
400g of tinned chickpeas
3 tablespoons of peanut butter, unsalted and unsweetened
4 tablespoons of lime juice
1/2 tsp of ground cumin
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp salt (only 1 if using peanut butter with salt)
1/2 tbsp of olive oil
approx. 50 ml of water

 Preparation 
  1. Wash and peal the chickpeas. Pealing the chickpeas is not necessary per se, but it will make the hummus MUCH creamier. 
  2. Add the peanut butter and lime juice to a blender or food processor. Whiz for one minute. Then scrape down the sides and whiz for another 30 seconds. 
  3. Add the cumin, garlic cloves, salt and olive oil. 
  4. Finally, add the chickpeas. 
  5. Combine whilst pouring the water. You may need more or less water. Stop adding water until you get a desired consistency. It should be like a thick mousse. 
  6. Simply remove from the food processor and enjoy! 

Traditional Hummus 

Ingredients 
400g of chickpeas
60ml of tahini paste
4 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of cumin 
1 clove of garlic 
1 tsp of sea salt
2 tbsp of olive oil, more for drizzling 


Preparation 
  1. Wash and peal the chickpeas. Pealing the chickpeas is not necessary per se, but it will make the hummus MUCH creamier. 
  2. Add the tahini and lemon juice to a blender or food processor. Whiz for one minute. Then scrape down the sides and whiz for another 30 seconds. 
  3. Add the cumin, garlic cloves, salt and olive oil. 
  4. Finally, add the chickpeas. 
  5. Combine whilst pouring the water. You may need more or less water. Stop adding water until you get a desired consistency. It should be like a thick mousse. 
  6. Simply remove from the food processor and enjoy! 
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Peanut Butter Hummus


 
This recipe was a happy accident. Now that I've made it, an accident I would happily repeat. Whilst in Switzerland I have had a hard time finding hummus, so I decided to make my own recipe. Chickpeas were easy to find but tahini paste not so much. I thought why not try peanut butter. Easily available and the nuttiness should work well as a substitute. To my surprise, I kind of prefer it this way. The flatbread chips are my normal recipe featured here. For chips simply bake them at 190C for 10 minutes.



Ingredients 
Makes about 850g worth of hummus 

 800g of tinned chickpeas
6 tablespoons of peanut butter, unsalted and unsweetened
8 tablespoons of lime juice
1 tsp of ground cumin
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp salt (only 1 if using peanut butter with salt)
1 tbsp of olive oil
approx. 50 ml of water

Preparation 
  1. Wash and peal the chickpeas. Pealing the chickpeas is not necessary per se, but it will make the hummus MUCH creamier. 
  2. Add the peanut butter and lime juice to a blender or food processor. Whiz for one minute. Then scrape down the sides and whiz for another 30 seconds. 
  3. Add the cumin, garlic cloves, salt and olive oil. 
  4. Finally, add the chickpeas. 
  5. Combine whilst pouring the water. You may need more or less water. Stop adding water until you get a desired consistency. It should be like a thick mousse. 
  6. Simply remove from the food processor and enjoy! 
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Veggie-balls with rice and hummus



I have made a variation of these veggie balls before as veggie burgers and whichever way you want to shape them, they're delicious. I am always on the hunt for good veggie meat alternatives. Before becoming a pescetarian I always thought buying things that looked like meat kind of defeated the point of not eating meat. Honestly, now I get it. Sometimes you miss meat and at the end of the day something that reminds of you meat but isn't is obviously better than the alternative. With that in mind this are not like Quorn meatballs by any means. They taste like vegetable goodness but can stand in the place of a meatball. Their flavours are complex and deep and in my mind more exciting than just plain old mince, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and maybe an egg.

My suggestion would be if you want Italian meatballs than substitute with Italian seasonings. Basically, adjust the spices to suit your dish. As a Swede though, I have to say that I don't think the black beans and sweet potato would suit the traditional Swedish meatball dish. A veggie recipe for Swedish meatballs is something I will have to work on or use store-bought. Also, you obviously can enjoy these even if you eat meat! My dad and boyfriend are both carnivores and they enjoyed them too!



 Ingredients 

a small handful of spinach or kale, roughly chopped
1 tbsp of paprika (depending on heat preference)
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of chilli powder or flakes
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of peanut butter (replace with sunflower seed butter if you have a nut allergy or simply add less oats)
2 (300g) medium sized sweet potatoes, cooked
1 (400g) can of black beans, drained
45g of porridge oats

Hummus Recipe

Preparation 
  1. Mash the black beans and sweet potato. When mashed, combine together. The best way to do this is to use a large, flat-bottomed tupperware. That way there is less mess for later, and you can do the mashing in the same container you mix. 
  2. Mix in the peanut butter and oats. 
  3. Add your chopped spinach or kale and seasoning. 
  4. When all the ingredients are well combined, use your hands to form small balls. 
  5. I made each veggie ball about heaped 1 tbsp size, but you can make them as small or big as you like. With the size I used, I would say one portion is about 6-7 veggie balls. 
  6. Heat oil in a frying pan. 
  7. On a medium/high heat pan fry the veggie-balls on each side until golden brown. 
  8. Serve with the cooked rice, some fresh coriander and hummus. 
  9. Enjoy! 
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Step By Step: Traditional Hummus


Ingredients V

400g of chickpeas
60ml of tahini paste
4 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of cumin 
1 clove of garlic 
1 tsp of sea salt
2 tbsp of olive oil, more for drizzling 

Add 60ml of tahini paste to a food processor.  
Add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice to the food processor.  
Combine the lemon and tahini paste for one minute. Then scrape down the sides and mix for another 30 secs.  
Add 1/2 a tsp of cumin, 1 small garlic clove, 1 tsp of sea salt and 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.  
Wash thoroughly one can of tinned chickpeas (400g).  
Add the chickpeas to the mixed lemon/tahini spice mix. Combine together. Then mix in the food processor until smooth with 1-2 tbsp of water. You may need to do this in two instalments depending on the size of your food processor.
Scoop all the hummus into a bowl. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with paprika. 

All the steps
  1. Wash and peal the chickpeas. Pealing the chickpeas is not necessary per se, but it will make the hummus MUCH creamier. 
  2. Add the tahini and lemon juice to a blender or food processor. Whiz for one minute. Then scrape down the sides and whiz for another 30 seconds. 
  3. Add the cumin, garlic cloves, salt and olive oil. 
  4. Finally add the chickpeas.
  5. Combine whilst pouring the water. You may need more or less water. Stop adding water until you get a desired consistency. It should be like a thick mousse. 
  6. Simply remove from the food processor and enjoy! 

Hummus is great paired with a variety of dishes. Some of my favourites include falafel (pictured above), pita chips, lamb and whole other variety of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. Chickpeas are a really healthy addition to your diet, and if you are light on the olive oil it is a healthy side dish. I usually make my own falafel, but these ones are store bought. They were surprisingly delicious with dried apricot and ginger. A recipe I am dying to try that would be similar linked here or I bought these. I also paired my falafel with some greek yoghurt mixed with mint and some tomato and cucumber salad.  
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