Happy Monday ladies & gents! Did you have a good weekend? The weather was surprisingly cooperative this weekend and we spent all day Sunday hanging out with family and enjoying the sunshine.
Things have been busy (again!), which is why I didn’t post last week, and I’m sorry for that. I’m trying to do better about keeping a regular schedule but sometimes it just can’t be helped. 🙂
An impromptu family get together in Romania always features food and drinks, as such I needed to come up with something that was easy, vegan and tasty enough that non-vegans would love it also.
Tall order, right?
Turns out…not so much.
Dips are always a hit because they are super easy to make and my extended family seems to really enjoy them. So I whipped up a quick hummus that I usually call “party hummus” or “hummus salad” because it is so much more than hummus.
It’s kind of an experience.
Oil Free
I know what you’re thinking. “Girl, you’re taking this oil-free vegan stuff too far.” And I agree, but I also don’t care. 😛 Seriously, though you can totally add oil if you want, just know that I did not in this recipe.
Substitutions
There are some pretty hard and fast rules when it comes to hummus and I get that, but I do like to experiment so here are a few changes that I made.
Tahini: I actually did use Tahini but I bought this pistachio & tahini paste that I used instead of straight up tahini and it gave it a nice, nutty flavor and a pretty green color.
Nuts: I toasted the pine nuts and added a few toasted pecans because I wanted to.
Add ins: I zested two lemons and added one bunch of chopped dill also.
This is a really easy vegan recipe that’s great for a party, a salad dressing or as the base of a pile of roasted vegetables.
Kitchen Tools:
*Blender or Food processor
*Kitchen knife
*Cutting board
*Rubber spatula
*Storage container (with lid if traveling)
Ingredients:
Chickpeas (drained & rinsed)
Lemon zest
Lemon juice
Toasted nuts
Fresh dill, chopped
Salt & pepper
Smoked paprika
Cumin
Water (if necessary)
For the “party”
Olives
Feta
Toasted chickpeas (reserved from the initial batch)
Instructions:
*Drain & rinse chickpeas to get rid of that canned flavor. If you cooked dry chickpeas, just drain and toss in the blender.
*Add all the ingredients except water to the blender and run it until smooth. You may need to add water or lemon juice ,so test out the consistency when you stop to scrape down the sides with a spatula.
*Pour into a storage container and season to taste once you have the consistency you’re going for.
*For the party: Leave a couple of handfuls of chickpeas out of the blender and toss them in salt, black pepper, garlic & paprika. Cook in the oven on 225C/425F for about 10 minutes, until crispy.
*Cut olives in half and crumble vegan feta with your hands. Or you can be fancy and dice it up, add it to a mixing bowl with crispy chickpeas.
*Layer vegan feta mix down the center of the hummus.
*Enjoy with bread or veggies…or both!
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