Garlic Hummus

Homemade Hummus. Did you see this coming? After making tahini sauce, it was only natural to use it in a hummus recipe.

As a vegetarian, I always find it a challenge to come up with different fillings for sandwiches. Hummus, my friends, is the ultimate solution. It is easy to make, delicious to eat, and packed with protein. I made a big batch of this stuff almost 2 weeks ago, and I've been eating it ever since. Just freeze it in portions and let it defrost the day before.

The raw garlic in this recipe gives the hummus a nice kick. Be warned however, that this means you will have garlic breath. I have garlic breath almost every single day, so I'm now used to it, the BF is too. Not having to worry about garlic breath -- one of the best things about a long-term relationship.

The measurements here are estimates. The great thing about this recipe is you can add more of this and less of that depending on your tastes. Add some heat with a bit of cayenne, richness with more oil, or (my favorite) an extra kick with more garlic. Mmm...garlic breath.

Hummus Recipe (adapted from Simply Recipes, makes about 2 cups)
* 3 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
* 1 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed, OR about 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (keep can or cooking liquid)
* 1/3 cup of tahini
* 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1/4 cup liquid from can of beans or cooking liquid from beans (I threw this out by accident so just used water)
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon of salt

In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Process until smooth. Add more olive oil if necessary to achieve desired consistency.

Vegetarian Cassoulet

One of the most rewarding perks of living in California is the amazing produce we can get pretty much all year round. Many Californians are fortunate enough to have year-long farmers markets that are fully stocked with fresh and local fruits and vegetables. So it's not surprising that one of my main goals for this blog was to post recipes for foods prepared with these seasonal ingredients. Sounds simple right? Maybe for some, but for me? Not so much. Things come up. Interviews, presentations, deadlines. A certain advisor sends a certain angry email regarding a certain thesis that should have been finished some three weeks ago. See, things come up, and although I made this cassoulet a while back, when it was more probable to find fresh local leeks, here I am weeks later finally posting about it, and guess what?...my thesis is still not done (ssh...don't tell the advisor!)


I have been fascinated by cassoulets ever since I saw a Julia Child recipe in her Menu Cookbook. Julia's recipe is definitely not for the faint of heart. It requires 3 types of meat- pork, sausage, and goose (I'm not even sure I know where to buy goose from). The recipe also states that it requires more than 4 hours of cooking time (plus more for preparation). That's the required time for normal people, so for someone like me, this recipe would take oh, roughly...4 days. Yup, that sounds about right.

One of these days (I'm thinking maybe sometime around retirement?) I'll try Julia's recipe, but until then I will definitely be making this simpler vegetarian version often. It takes about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish - including preparation (and yes, even for me!) and is so delicious and hearty that even my carnivorous BF didn't miss the meat. Although I'm sure a few chunks of chicken or sausage wouldn't hurt a thing, and would certainly bring you one tiny step closer to Julia's version.

Vegetarian Cassoulet (adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Gourmet)
For cassoulet:
2 medium leeks (spring leeks work well, white and pale green parts only)
1/2 large onion, diced
4 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
4 thyme sprigs (I used home-dried thyme sprigs)
4 parsley sprigs
2 Turkish or 1 California bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 (19-ounce) cans cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained or 4 1/2 cups cooked dried beans
1 19-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 quart vegetable broth

For garlic crumbs
4 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley

To make cassoulet:
Halve leeks lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces, then wash well and pat dry.

1. Cook leeks, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil with herb sprigs, bay leaves, cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes.
2. Stir in beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, then stock, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes.

To make garlic crumbs while cassoulet simmers:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Toss bread crumbs with oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl until well coated. Spread in a baking pan and toast in oven, stirring once halfway through, until crisp and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool crumbs in pan, then return to bowl and stir in parsley.

To finish cassoulet:
Discard herb sprigs and bay leaf. Mash some of beans in pot with a potato masher or back of a spoon to thicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, sprinkle with garlic crumbs.

Acorn Squash Quesadillas with Apple Salsa

I love making quesadillas. They are super versatile since you can fill them with pretty much anything and they are just gosh darn tasty. The gooey warm fillings combined with a crisp exterior is just perfect with some cool salsa. I make quesadillas often in the summer time since there are so many awesome summer vegetables to stuff them with, plus yummy tomatoes for pico de gallo (aka salsa). This time, I wanted to try a more autumnized version of quesadillas, because hey, Fall has some great vegetables to offer too. I went with acorn squash and spinach. I also wanted to make a yummy autumnized salsa so I decided to make a sweet, spicy, and tangy apple salsa.

This combination was fabulous! The quesadillas rocked (as expected) but the salsa was AMAZING. No joke -- I seriously made a bunch of extra salsa and just ate it all on its own, it was that good. If you don't want to make the effort to make these 'dillas (although they are not difficult) you should still try this salsa. Even if you end up eating it out of the bowl like me.


Acorn Squash and Spinach Quesadillas with Apple Salsa
(makes 2 servings)
For the Quesadillas:

• 1 Tb olive oil
  
• 2 cups acorn squash, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 handfuls of spinach, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup cooked beans (pinto, black, kidney)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 large tortillas (I used whole wheat)
  

For the Apple Salsa:

• 1 medium crisp apple (I used fuji), diced
  
• 1 handful of cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
  
• salt, pepper to taste

For the Quesadillas:
1. Roast the acorn squash in the oven for about 20 min, until softened, but not mush.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the onion for about 5 min. Add the squash, spinach, and garlic, and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans, cumin, and salt and pepper. (Here's a secret: I also do this step in...the microwave! Yes, when I don't have the patience to stand over the stove, I put all these ingredients in a bowl and nuke 'em for about 2 minutes. And you know what? I can't tell the difference).
3. Add a few drops of oil to a hot skillet. Place a tortilla on the skillet and add to one side half the squash mixture and half the cheese. Fold over and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until crispy and browned. Repeat for other tortilla.

For the Apple Salsa:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Indian Chickpea Curry (Chole)

Here is Part III of my Indian Menu: Indian Chickpea Curry aka Chole.
Chole is a very simple, tasty, and healthy Indian dish made from chickpeas and tomatoes and flavored with all sorts of traditional Indian spices. It is very good served with some Indian bread (rotis or naan) or simply rice. The flavors in this dish are so delicious that you won't miss all the cream and butter found in many other Indian dishes. Plus it takes about 30 minutes to make! No joke. This stuff is the bomb.

Indian Chickpea Curry(Chole)

• 4 medium tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 3 small green chilies
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 3 cups (2 15 oz cans) of cooked chickpeas/Garbanzo beans
• 1 2/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• freshly ground pepper

1. Blend the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and chiles to make a puree.
2. Heat the oil and lightly fry the cumin seeds and bay leaves for
about 1 minute over medium heat. Add the flour and stir fry until lightly browned.
3. Add the tomato puree, coriander, tumeric, and chili powder, and let cook over for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas and water, and let cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.

My Legume Love Affair: Chana Dal Burfi

I've finally decided to quit being a food blogging hermit and branch out to the rest of the food blogosphere. Here I am! This week I decided to participate in a food challenge presented by My Legume Love Affair. This month is hosted by Glamah from Coco Cooks (who btw has some amazing recipes on her blog, like Pumpkin and Coconut Samosas...I drooled a little bit just typing that) and the challenge is appetizers and desserts. Naturally, being Indian and all, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to highlight the use of legumes in Indian desserts. Of course I forgot the fact that my mother's and grandmother's skills in preparing Indian desserts have apparently skipped a generation.

This recipe is for a a sweet, fudge-like dessert called burfi or barfi (I know the name doesn't sound appetizing, but trust me, it is so good!) I got the recipe from my mom, but being the pro that I am, I screwed it up. The results were still very good, of course not as good as mama's, but I'm not sure if they'll ever be.

Burfi is made with chana dal (the bf pronounces it 'china doll', which is wrong but kind of funny), a relative of the chickpea. I will post my mom's original recipe with notes on my screw-ups and desperate attempts to remedy them.


Indian Chana Dal Burfi

• 1/2 c chana dal
• 1/2 c water mixed with 1 Tb oil (I forgot the oil)
  
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 Tb oil (I used peanut)
• 2 Tb butter
• 1 tsp freshly ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup white, 1/4 cup brown)
• about 2 Tb non fat dry milk powder
  
• 1/2 cup roasted pistachios (my addition)

1. Soak chana dal in 1/2 cup of water overnight.
2. After dal has soaked, boil the dal in the same water. When the water starts to boil, lower heat to a simmer. Cook the dal until it is soft enough to mash with your fingers. Once ready, use the bottom of an empty jar (or your hands) to mash the dal. (This is where I messed up -- I drained the water out and mashed the dal without the water. I had to compensate much later on by adding more water).
3. In a separate pan, heat 1 Tb of oil and 1 Tb of butter. Add the dal, milk, and cardamom. Cook over medium low heat, being careful not to burn the milk, for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the sugar, non-fat dry milk powder, and pistachios, and stir. The mixture should be thick. Add more non fat dry milk if necessary to thicken to a paste-like consistency.
5. Pour the mixture into a dish or pan and allow to cool for at least 2 hours.