Smokey Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (Oil Free)

The trick to hummus is that nobody's recipe is going to work perfectly for you. You start with one that looks good, and add spices (or more chick peas) until the flavors feel perfect to you. I hope you won't have to tweak this recipe much, because I think it's one of the best things I've ever made. But since every woman in my family has a hummus recipe they believe is better than anyone else's, I know you might mess with my recipe a little to find your own.

For a meal, I like to eat hummus in pita pockets with crunchy cruciferous vegetables like this mix from Trader Joe's. The crunch is really key here. It's also good on a sandwich piled high with spinach, sprouts, and maybe an extra roasted red pepper. I've also heard hummus pasta is delicious, and I don't doubt it.

The best part about this recipe is that it makes enough to share. As a vegan, it can be hard to eat at other people's houses. But if you know you've got something you're crazy about, it's a lot easier not to feel deprived by the existence of beer cheese. Serve with mini pitas, and a variety of vegetables for dipping. I like celery, bell pepper, sliced cucumber, and sliced zucchini.

Smokey Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Servings: 10 (many more for snacking)
Total Start-to-Finish Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas (reserve 1 can's worth of liquid)
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 2 roasted red peppers packed in vinegar, drained
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika plus more for garnish
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp liquid smoke (I like more, but start here)
• 1/3 a chipotle pepper canned in adobo sauce OR 1 tsp chilli powder
• black pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

1. Dump everything but the bean liquid into a food processor.
2. Poor 1/2 cup of the bean liquid into the food processor, and process until smooth. 
3. Taste and add extra lemon juice or garlic if it tastes flat. Add extra cumin (go easy with this one), paprika, and chipotle pepper it tastes bland. Add extra liquid smoke if you want it extra smokey. Continue to play with seasonings until it is perfect to you. 
4. Top with a sprinkle of paprika for sheer prettiness, and enjoy!

Spaghetti Marinara with Roasted Vegetables and Tofu "Ricotta"

This pasta is lightened up with zucchini noodles and roasted vegetables, but the creamy tofu "ricotta" and whole wheat pasta sing the song of comfort food to my happy belly.

Spaghetti Marinara with Roasted Vegetables and Tofu "Ricotta"

Servings: 4
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Total Start-to-Finish Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 package whole wheat or gluten-free pasta
• 1 12 oz. jar fat-free marinara or pizza sauce or plain tomato sauce or whatever sauce you like
• 4 medium zucchini
• 2 lbs frozen or fresh broccoli chopped into small florets 
• 1/8 cup finely chopped parsley and/or basil (optional)

Tofu Ricotta:

• 1 lb extra firm tofu
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp yellow miso (or other white miso for more subtle flavor)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or more to taste
• 1/8 tsp mustard seed powder OR 1 tbsp very finely chopped fresh kale/cabbage/broccoli for the enzymes
• black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Put water for pasta on to boil
2. Spread out broccoli florets (or other vegetables) on a silicone mat or parchment paper and place in the oven. Set it at 350F for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them, you want the edges to be crispy and ever so slightly blackened, but mostly unburnt.
3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add miso and lemon juice and stir to dissolve the miso.
4. Place block of tofu in a clean cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as you can, then crumble into the mixing bowl with the miso.
5. It's probably about time to add your pasta to the boiling water with a pinch of salt. Cook according to package instructions, stirring every minute or two to keep it from sticking.
6. Add the rest of the spices to the tofu mixture and stir to combine well. Taste, and add more nutritional yeast and miso if you want it more cheesy, and more Italian seasoning and garlic powder if it tastes too bland. You want it to be pretty strongly flavored.
7. Stir the pasta. I know you forgot.
8. Spiralize zucchini into a separate bowl. You can do this using a a thing that looks like a giant pencil sharpener, a hand cranked machine, the grater attachment to a foot processor, or with a knife just thinly julienne (make tiny match sticks). Although that last option sounds like a lot of work, so if that's your option, I recommend you just use more broccoli and forget the zucchini.
9. When the pasta is done, drain it in the sink, then dump back in the pot (with the stove off), add the jar of marinara, and stir to coat. If you used a sauce that isn't seasoned, go ahead and add a teaspoon or more of Italian seasoning, and stir that in as well.
10. You can go ahead and add the veggies and "ricotta" into the pot and mix them, or plate them and mix at the table to better adjust for portions. Half your plate should be covered in veggies, the other half with pasta, with a bunch of the tofu "ricotta" on top.
11. Top with fresh parsley and/or basil and enjoy!

Banana Bread Oatmeal

Merry Christmas. Whenever you happen to be reading this, I hope your belly is warm, and your heart is full. Christmas dinner with my small but fantastic family has caused my belly and heart to be full to bursting, and I want to pass on the joy.

The smell of this oatmeal will make you crawl out of even the coziest winter bed, and is well worth the 15 minutes it takes to cook. Flax, walnuts, and chia seeds provide a delicious source of Omega-3 fatty acids, and the protein and complex carbohydrates in rolled oats will keep you full for hours.

Try it out one morning, and you won't miss plain oatmeal one bit.

Banana Bread Oatmeal

Servings: 1
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: 8 minutes
Total start-to-finish Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 1 apple, cored and chopped roughly
• 1/8 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon or more to taste
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 cups water
• Chia Seeds, additional walnuts, and maple syrup for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel banana and place in the bottom of a medium sauce pan. With a fork or spatula, mash the banana to coat the bottom of the pan. Place over medium, or medium-low heat and cook until the banana has released some of its moisture, is bubbling, and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. This makes the oatmeal taste like banana bread and it's the best part. 
2. Add in all ingredients besides toppings, and stir. Continue to cook on medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until oats are cooked, adding more water for a more porridge-like consistency. Or less for a more chewy, intact texture. 
3. Scoop or pour into a bowl to serve, and top with additional nuts, fruit, seeds, and a drizzle of maple syrup for best results. 

Note: If you're in a rush, you can just mash the banana, then add all the ingredients in immediately, then cook normally or microwave in a large microwave-save and BPA-free bowl. But the cooked banana adds a lot of flavor and is worth the wait.