Category Archives: savory

Spicy Chickpea Spread

Posted on by

This is not a revolutionary recipe. (Truth be told, I made it one day because I didn’t have any tahini and was too lazy to use my blender.) But maybe you need a little something different. This chickpea spread reminds me of a Mahón & chickpea cheese spread that I used to buy at Stinky Brooklyn cheese shop over on Smith St. in Carroll Gardens. (Sadly, Stinky Brooklyn are no more). It comes together quickly and then you can enjoy it as a sandwich spread or a dip with substantial crackers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed, drained
  • 1-2 TB olive oil
  • 1 TB or so of Nutritional yeast (eyeball it)
  • Crushed red pepper flakes
  • Tajin

Put chickpeas in a bowl and mash up with a fork. You can leave slightly chunky; it doesn’t have to be a smooth paste. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Adjust spices to your liking.

I guessed on the measurements for olive oil and nutritional yeast and spices. You can make it super spicy, or not. It’s up to you. Trust yourself. There is really no way you can mess this up!

Spicy Chickpea Carrot Soup

Posted on by

What’s more comforting than a bowl of soup? How about some spicy soup? You can decide how spicy, onion-y, and garlicky you want to make this. For diced tomatoes, I used fire roasted with green chiles from Muir Glen. This recipe is all up to your own taste. Also, I prefer to use a neutral veg stock/broth because some brands are “too vegetable-y”. (IYKYK.) Use a hand blender to smooth out, or you can use a blender. (I use a hand blender). These are the ingredients:

Ingredients

  • 2 cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes (either spicy or regular)
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, chopped (you can roast them first too!)
  • 1-2 TB garlic
  • olive oil
  • 1 carton of veg broth (I like Swanson’s veg broth)
  • a little lime juice and zest to taste
  • corriander, to taste
  • cumin, to taste
  • crushed red pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or stock pot, sauté onion, garlic, carrots in olive oil, medium heat until softened. Add the diced tomatoes, cover and cook until some of the liquid has cooked out and the tomatoes have cooked down (10-15 min, depending on your stove). Add the 2 cans of chickpeas and the spices, lime juice and zest too. Again, all are to your own tastes. I like it medium spicy, not too many onions or garlic. Stir and let simmer for 20 minutes. Then, take out your hand blender, use until the soup is well blended and smooth. There, you’re finished. Now go enjoy your soup.

Vegan “Egg” Salad

Posted on by

Maybe you don’t like eggs, have an allergy, or are vegan….well, this recipe is for you!

  • 1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, drained
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 dill pickle, chopped
  • 1/2C – 3/4C vegan mayo
  • Dried yellow mustard
  • Turmeric
  • French’s yellow mustard
  • salt

Directions:

Drain tofu. I do this by putting it in a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and, using paper towels press out all the excess liquid. (You don’t want watery “egg” salad. Then I toss the excess liquid and use the same bowl to mix the ingredients together. You can also buy one of those tofu presses. Actually, I might buy one of those as I think I’d get a lot of use out of it.

Mash up tofu with fork, add the rest of the ingredients. Add the vegan mayo a little bit at a time; you don’t want soupy egg salad. Trust your instincts when it comes to adding ingredients. I also added a couple teaspoons of pickle juice. (Some recipes I saw online had you adding vinegar. Why? Vegan mayo already has apple cider vinegar). I like the tang from the pickle juice.

This makes a LOT. Probably will last a week.

You’re done! I like to eat the egg salad on crackers or on a toasted bagel. Now that I figured out how to make this I won’t have to buy it pre-packaged from the store any more! Woo!

ingredients, vegan egg salad!

Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad

Posted on by

I used to hate Brussels sprouts as a child. Up until about 10 years ago I realized what I’d been missing and really love them now. I usually roast my Brussels sprouts but this is a nice change. It’s crisp and light and works as a good side dish for dinners or as a main for lunches. It’s pretty adaptable as well. Don’t like chickpeas? You can omit them. Like red onion? Add some thin slices. Don’t have pumpkin seeds? No problem. I think toasted hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans would work too. I will say that toasting the pumpkins seeds adds a different flavor than just raw seeds. I switched it up a little this time and used Newman’s Own Light Italian salad dressing (I usually use oil and white wine vinegar). Add what you feel is right but don’t over-saturate the salad. No one likes soppy salad.

  • 1 bag of Brussels sprouts, washed trimmed, thinly sliced
  • 3-4 carrots, sliced
  • 1 can of chickpeas
  • 1/2C toasted pumpkin seeds
  • Newman’s salad dressing

Add all ingredients in a large bowl. This makes enough for probably 3-4 people. Or, will be enough for several meals if it’s just you. It lasted me about 3 days.

raw brussels sprouts salad with carrots and chickpeas
Raw Brussels sprouts salad

Raw Cauliflower Salad

Posted on by

This salad has everything: raw cauliflower, jarred artichoke hearts, pepperoncini, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, vegan mozzarella, and raw pumpkin seeds!

But, perhaps you’re not a fan of cauliflower. That’s ok. Not everyone likes cruciferous vegetables. If that’s the case, you can just be polite, nod your head and say, ‘No thank you’ like (hopefully) your parents or grandparents taught you. This recipe makes a LOT. Serves 4-6 easily as a side dish. Though, I’ve eaten it as a main dish with a slice of bread and a glass of wine for dinner when I don’t feel like cooking.

  • 1 head of cauliflower, washed, trimmed, and cut into bit size pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2C pepperoncini peppers
  • 1/2C kalamata olives, diced, or whole if you prefer!
  • 1/4C raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2C vegan mozz
  • handful of grape tomatoes (optional)

Dressing:

For the dressing I just used some of the liquid from the jar of pepperoncini and a little bit of olive oil. I’ve also used white wine vinegar and oil in another version. You can also omit the oil altogether. I like the punch that the juice from the jarred peppers gives this salad.

Assemble!

Add all ingredients in a large bowl then add the dressing. This is such a nice and crunchy salad to have for lunch or even dinner. It makes a LOT. Enjoy!

Cauliflower salad