Garlic Hummus

 

Garlic Hummus

100g dried chickpeas*
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 small lemon
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp tahini paste**
1/2 tsp salt
water, as needed
sunflower oil, to serve
smoked paprika, to serve

*Soak chickpeas overnight and cook in a pot for 1 hour. 

**To make tahini paste, place sesame seeds in a small saucepan and roast, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant. Don't let them brown too much. Grind them in a coffee grinder or a small food processor until turns into paste. It will take time to get a smooth paste so add a splash of water or oil to add some moisture.

1) In a small saucepan, heat a teaspoon of oil. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring occasionally,  until golden brown and fragrant.

2) Add cooked chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, sunflower oil, tahini paste and salt into your food processor and pulse to make a smooth paste. Add as much water as you want to achieve a preferred consistency (start with 1 tablespoon).

3) Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle some smoked paprika on top and drizzle with sunflower oil. Serve with pita, flatbread or veggies.

Recipe by collecting memories

Healthy Chickpea Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Healthy Chickpea Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

1 can chickpeas (200g drained)

125g / 1/2 cup homemade peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

60ml / 4 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt (if using salted PB, omit salt)

90g / 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

1) Preheat oven to 180C / 350F.

2) Add all the ingredients except for chocolate chips in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

3) Transfer to a bowl and mix in chocolate chips.

4) Form small balls and flatten slightly. They will not spread a lot. The dough will be very sticky. Wet your hands so it doesn't stick that much.

5) Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely before transferring to a plate. 

Makes 1 dozen.

Recipe adapted from here.

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

62g / 1/4 cup unsweetened homemade peanut butter
50g / 2 1/2 tbsp agave nectar
400g / 1 can chickpeas, drained
1 tsp vanilla extract
A handful of chocolate chips

1) Add peanut butter, agave nectar, chickpeas and vanilla extract into your food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Makes 1 1/2 cup.

Recipe by collecting memories

Oven Roasted Vegetables & Chickpeas

Garlicky Oven Roasted Vegetables & Chickpeas 

2 artichokes
170g (6 ounces) cooked chickpeas 
200g (7 ounces) cooked cauliflower, chopped into chunks
~50g arugula, washed and drained
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
White vinegar or lemon juice, to soak artichokes

Seasoning for the artichokes and onions:
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt

Seasoning for the chickpeas and cauliflower:
1 tsp dried garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chili paprika
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

1) First, prepare the artichokes. Fill a medium pot with water and add a generous splash of vinegar (or lemon juice). Wash the artichokes, cut of the ends of the stems (the stem is edible so you should cut off just the end of it), remove hard leaves close to the stems and trim the tops of the leaves with your kitchen scissors. Cut about 2 cm / 1 inch from the top of the artichokes, Cut artichokes in half and place in the water with vinegar. Try to prepare them quickly because they tend to brown very fast. If they start browning  too fast, you can dip them in water/vinegar mixture for a second and continue preparing them.

2) Bring a medium pot to boil. Add some salt and a splash of vinegar to it. Once it boils, add artichokes and cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes. Remove from water and let cool a little. Once cool enough so you can touch them, cut the halves of the artichokes in half so you have 8 pieces in total. Set aside.

3) Preheat the oven to 225C / 435F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

4) In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, basil and salt. Dip each artichoke quarter into this mixture and try to coat all the sides. Place them on the baking tray and top with remaining minced garlic/basil/oregano mixture (it won't stick to the artichokes so you will have to arrange them on top of them). Dip the onions in this mixture and place on the baking tray.

5) Add chickpeas and cauliflower into a medium bowl and add a teaspoon of olive oil. Shake to coat them. Add garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chili paprika and salt. Mix until coated evenly. Place chickpeas and cauliflower on the baking tray. Try to spread them in one layer so they roast evenly.

6) Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve with arugula leaves tossed with some lemon juice.  

Serves 2.

Recipe by collecting memories

Hummus with Green Olives

Green Olive Hummus 

250g cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Tahini paste*
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
70g green olives
Salt, to taste
Smoked paprika/cumin/olive oil, for topping (optional)

*To make Tahini paste at home, roast a small handful of sesame seeds in a skillet stirring constantly until lightly browned. Don't brown them too much or they will become bitter. Remove from heat and add to your food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, adding a splash of olive oil, if needed.

1) Add all the ingredients into your food processor and process until smooth. Scrape down the sides. You may want to add more lemon juice/water to achieve the desired consistency.

2) Serve on a slice of your favorite bread. Store in refrigerator for up to one week.

Recipe by collecting memories

Pan-Fried Chickpeas with Caramelized Onions

Pan-Fried Chickpeas with Caramelized Onions

240g (1 cup) cooked chickpeas, very well drained
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chili paprika

1) In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add onion and cook, over medium heat, until soft and translucent. When they start browning, stir with a wooden spoon and cook for another 10-15 minutes until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Add more oil if needed. Be careful not to burn them.

2) Add garlic, salt, smoked paprika and chili paprika. Stir to combine. Add chickpeas and stir-fry for 2-4 minutes.

Serves 1.

Recipe by collecting memories

Chickpea Blondies

Chickpea Blondies 

210g* cooked chickpeas, drained
85g (1/3 cup) homemade peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
100g (1/2 cup) unrefined light brown sugar
30g (2 tbsp) applesauce
28g (1/4 cup) ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate chips

*I cooked 100 grams of dried chickpeas and got 210 grams cooked. 100g dried should equal 240g cooked, but, well, hm, not for me, I guess. It's not that bad if you add 30 grams more or less though. If you are lazy, feel free to use 1 can of chickpeas.

1) Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Lightly grease a loaf pan or use a silicone loaf pan (which I prefer).

2) In your food processor, add chickpeas and pulse until smooth. Add peanut butter, salt, brown sugar, applesauce, ground flaxseed and pulse again until well combined. Scrape down the sides. Add baking powder and baking soda and pulse again until combined.

3) Spread into the baking pan and sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on top, slightly pressing them down. (You can mix in more chocolate chips if desired. I only sprinkled the top to make these healthier). 

4) Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting into squares.

Recipe by collecting memories