Lisa's Culinary Atrocities

     I make a lot of hummus and tahini.  A lot.  Lovin’ the hummus and tahini, I am!  For a little change of pace I thought I would try making my nummy hummus using different oils.

I used flax seed oil, toasted sesame oil, olive oil, and red curry paste mixed in olive oil, all topped with white and black sesame seeds and a little pink himalayan salt.  They were all good, but the toasted sesame seed oil was reallllllly good and added a beautiful toasty note to the garlicky hummus.

Also made a cheese, veggie, tahini and rice cracker plate with cucumbers, carrots, apples, almonds and sweet & spicy pecans.  For the cheeses: Apple Smoked gruyere, smoked gouda and portobello/leek jack from Palisade.  The Apple Smoked gruyere with the apple is a superb combination of sweet and smoke. Paired with a Malbec…heaven.

Lisa’s Hummus:

1 heaping tbl. tahini
1.5 cups cooked garbanzo beans (use canned if you must)
5 cloves garlic (to taste, of course)
5 tbl. Kalamata Olive Oil
sea salt to taste
2 tbl. H2O

     Soak garbanzo beans overnight and simmer 2.5 hrs. or pressure cook for 20 minutes.  Make some tahini:  raw sesame seeds + dash of sea salt + olive oil + food processor.  In food processor combine until desired consistency.  I often vary between a chunky and a fluffy-creamy hummus, depending on my present culinary temperament.  The longer you process and the more water you add, the fluffier and creamier it gets.

Next: results from today’s Waffle Lab!  Yaaay Waffle Lab!!  One thing I will add here is that my go-to waffles do not seem to like the mile-high altitude.  Should have taken a pic of THAT mess.  Pft.

Sourdough boule broiled with olive oil & sea salt, basil leaf and black tahini.

Looks strange–tastes good!  It is a very strong-tasting experience and the color is disconcerting when eating it, but I will say it is quite good as long as you add another strong flavor, such as the basil leaf. Worked very nicely together.

Black Tahini:  black sesame seeds + food processor.

Falafels?  Waffles?  Fawaffles!

I started my waffle lab this week with my brand new pancake-waffle pan from Williams Sonoma!  I know I said I don’t like to fry things..but that was before I discovered you can make WAFFLES on the stove! Utter excitement!

I decided it would be wise to start this experiment with falafel mix and save the homemade stuff for later. Glad I did:

Final and vastly delicious version:

Falafel

• 1 cup dried peeled fava beans (7 ounces), soaked overnight, cooked.
• 3/4 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, cooked.
• 1/4 cup green onion
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• 1 (or so) garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons water
• Splash (or so) of extra virgin olive oil

Combine and process in food processor until a very coarse mixture is attained. With olive oil on hands, roll into small balls and press onto waffle iron or on nifty pan.   Cook until pretty and not burnt like above.

Tahini sauce:

• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seeds + food processor)
• 3 gloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped (optional)

In a food processor or blender, combine ingredients and process until desired consistency.  Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for best flavor.

Vegan Tzatziki Sauce:

• 1/2 cup cucumber
• 1/2 cup unsweetened soy yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced

In a food processor or blender, combine ingredients and process until just-combined. Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for best flavor.

I love to make fresh hummus and since I’ve already posted about this, I’ve decided to repost but with my recipe.

-Soak garbanzo beans at least 7 hours and simmer 2.5 hrs. (I usually soak the beans in the morning, then cook them when I get home from work)

- Pick up favorite baguette on way home (me: Ken’s Artisan Bakery makes a sensational baguette with a crunchy exterior and soft interior…plus it’s fresssssssh)

- Make some tahini:  sesame seeds + dash of sea salt + food processor

- In food processor combine until desired consistency:

• 1 heaping Tbl. tahini
• 1.5 cups cooked garbanzo beans (use canned if you must)
• 5 cloves garlic (to taste, of course)
• 5 tbl Kalamata Olive Oil
• sea salt to taste
• 2 tbl H2O

I often vary between a chunky and a fluffy-creamy hummus, depending on my present culinary temperament.  The longer you process, the fluffier and creamier it gets.  I also like to garnish with fresh roasted garlic (seen here), beans, and sesame seeds and extra virgin olive oil.  Nummy.

I paired this with a 2009 Rendez-Vous Beaujolais Nouveau (thanks Deano).  Now, I must be honest here and admit that I really don’t care for this wine by itself BUT paired with the garlicky hummus is very nice.  ’Nuff Said.