Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus

This hummus is Mr.Surly’s favorite. I was waiting until my cilantro grew big enough to make this dip for him. He likes things hot and spicy, so I use serrano peppers instead of jalapeno peppers. Whenever I make this, it’s lucky to last 2 days. We prefer our hummus without tahini, so I substitute almond butter or cashew butter. I don’t really notice much taste difference between almond vs cashew butter. I've also used a lime instead of lemon, it makes it equally delicious. This time I used a lemon because I was all out of limes.

This is ridiculously easy to make; you just put everything in the food processor and puree. It only takes about 10 minutes to make, if even that. Gotta love easy, delicious dishes when the temps are in the upper 90’s/low 100’s.

Baked Falafel

This week is just dragging by for me. I think it’s because I’ve been pretty sick and lethargic this week. All I seem to want to do is sleep, and when I am awake, I struggle to keep my eyes open. Needless to say, I haven’t done much in the kitchen. I made these last week and just couldn’t muster up the energy to post about them. Today, I forced myself back in the kitchen and back to the computer.

These don’t look very pretty. They get their anemic, yellow hue from the turmeric, which isn’t necessary to the flavor, I just add it because it’s supposed to be a “healing” spice; a really good anti-inflammatory. I’ll try anything to help aide my GI issues so I usually toss this spice into a variety of foods. I don’t notice a difference in taste, just in color.

These could be fried or sauted in oil in a skillet, but since I try to minimize my stomach pain, I chose to bake them so they wouldn’t be greasy. I served mine with greek yogurt, and chipotle chile yogurt (I mixed a pureed chile and adobo sauce into plain, greek yogurt), but tzatziki would be amazing. I didn't serve them in pitas, we ate them with homemade sweet potato fries.

The hardest thing about making these is remembering to soak the chickpeas in advance, which for me, is difficult. After days of the leaving the recipe and chickpeas on the kitchen counter, I finally had to write a post-it note to myself. Guess subtlety doesn't work too well with me.

Homemade Refried Beans

I finally made dinner this week, nothing special, we just had taco night. I did decide to make my own refried beans. I don't like the kind from a can, to me they have a tinny taste to them, like most canned foods. Thank goodness making my own refried beans is super easy.

Have you ever made your own refried beans? Once you make them you are unable to go back the canned kind. They are easy to make in a pressure cooker. I don't really use an exact recipe. I just throw the stuff in my pressure cooker, cook and season to taste. One cup of dry beans would be good for serving about 4-6 people. I make one cup for both of us because Mr. Surly likes to have a lot of beans in his tacos. And we always have left over beans for the next couple days. These beans are good on their on with a little bit of cheese and a dollop of greek yogurt (or sour cream). I'm sure you could make them in pot if you don't have a pressure cooker; they would just take longer to make and you'd probably need to soak the beans overnight.

Black Bean Soup with Cumin Crema

I love black beans. So healthy, so tasty, so economical, what’s not to love? I’m always on the lookout for new ways to incorporate them into my diet. I like things spicy, if spice isn’t your thing just decrease the amount of chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. I wouldn’t eliminate them all together because they provide a nice smoky flavor. I normally add red wine and lime, but I didn’t have them on hand this time, and I didn’t feel like running out to the store. It still tasted great, you really couldn’t tell that they were missing. Serve with tortilla chips or some bread (pita or naan). And of course, sour cream can be used instead of greek yogurt. This could be used as a healthy black bean dip. I’d just add some more tomato paste to thicken it up, or simmer uncovered to reduce the liquid. To make it vegan either omit the yogurt or use a dairy-free substitute. Yummy.

Black Beans and Brown Rice

I’m sure everyone has some version of a recipe for black beans and rice. It’s so easy to make, the ingredients are inexpensive, the dish is filling, healthy and, most importantly, delicious. 

 

This recipe is based off a dish my aunt made for a family reunion years ago, after some members of the family became vegetarian. My sister used to make this for me during the two years we spent attending the same college, and it has always been a food staple for me. 

 

I make sure to have the basic ingredients on hand all the time because this is such a quick, easy dinner. Mr.Surly has never been a fan of this dish until last night. He declared it to be the best black beans and rice I have ever made; therefore, I had to record what I did so I will remember it in the future.