Hummus. 
I love hummus!! It's amazing that a can of chickpeas can be turned into something so luxurious.
"Hummus" comes from the Arabic word meaning chickpeas. Served hot from the oven, this traditional Middle Eastern dip becomes even more delicious. (Don't be eating any of that fridge cold hummus....just don't...... )

For this recipe, I made my standard hummus, then garnished it with olive oil, garlicky mushrooms & parsley. It's sooo good served hot with toasty baguette. I like to round it out with a little dish of olives and fresh veggies for dipping. If I'm making a bigger spread of food I'll plate up some grilled and sliced veggie sausages, and my recipe for Baklazhan. (A delicious tomato, pepper & eggplant dip)

Sometimes I make my own tahini to use in the recipe.
The flavour is awesome, but I use store bought stuff too. It is simple. Toasted sesame seeds blended with a neutral veg oil. It turns into a smooth creamy butter. So good. You can make the tahini in your food processor, put it in a jar, then continue on making hummus without washing the food processor in between. Couldn't be more simple.  

Ingredients

• 1 cup sesame seeds, toasted in a pan
• 4 - 6 tbsp neutral tasting oil (I used sunflower)
• pinch of salt

Method

1. Using a food processor, process toasted sesame seeds. Add 1 tablespoon of oil at a time until you have a consistency similar to natural peanut butter.  Refrigerate.

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Ingredients

• 1 x 540 ml can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup tahini
• salt and pepper​

Method

1.  Start by adding chickpeas to food processor, blitz and scrape down sides.
2. Add garlic and blitz to combine.
3. Add remaining ingredients and puree mixture scraping down the sides a couple of times. I really let my food processor do some work here to make the hummus as creamy and smooth as possible. 
4. Transfer to an oven safe dish. Cover with foil and heat in 350 F oven while you prepare the mushrooms. You can also microwave hummus with great results                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Ingredients

• 12 oz button mushrooms (or any mixture of mushrooms, I use button because they are affordable and still really tasty)
• 3 cloves garlic
• splash of vermouth or white wine. (I could see myself using brandy here if I had any)
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce (optional)
• squeeze lemon
• salt and pepper

Method

1. ​Get your pan nice and hot, add a couple drizzles of veg oil & then add your mushrooms. You want gorgeous caramelized shrooms, so make sure your pan is hot before they go in. Stir occasionally but keep in mind not stirring gives the part of mushroom touching the pan time to turn golden brown. So don't be too stir happy, either. 
2. Sautee for about 5 min then add chopped garlic and stir around for a couple more minutes. (you might need to add a bit more oil to the pan) Season with S + P 
3. Deglaze the pan with a splash of booze. Add soy sauce if desired. 
4. Taste and season mushrooms with squeeze of lemon juice and more S & P until you think it tastes good. 
5. Top hot hummus with mushrooms, olive oil and chopped parsley. (thyme or rosemary would be lovely, too)

This recipe comes from my father's wife Inna. They met and got married in Ukraine, and since I've known her she has made this dip. It's always on the table as part of a bigger Ukrainian feast or served up as a casual snack. I've been obsessed with it for years now. I'm always sent home with a container of leftover baklazhan when I visit....( no problem there )

This is the first time I've tried making it on my own and I hope I do the recipe justice. It is simple, humble food (my favourite kind) and delicious. Eggplant is layered with onion, tomato, peppers & lots of garlic. Once cooled, I scoop giant piles of it into my mouth with crackers or toasted bread followed by delicious bites of the briny-est olives. Heaven!! If you like vodka as many Ukranian folk do, here's a good time to pour yourself a shot or two....or a martini if you wanna be fancy. YUM. This makes a big batch, enough for a crowd. You can definitely halve the recipe if you don't want a ton of leftovers, but I like to make the full batch and just eat it all week. 

I kinda really love these. They come together in minutes with a food processor. They are vegan, gluten free, nut free and naturally sweetened. You can easily add protein powder for an extra boost of goodness. The texture is a lot different than other protein balls I've made in the past. They are super soft and moist.  I like these because they feel a heck of a lot lighter than energy balls that are full of nuts and seeds etc. I love my peanut butter energy ball recipe x a million, they definitely have their place, but this is a great alternative especially if you are have a nut allergy or are sensitive to gluten. 

I made one batch with strawberries and rolled them in shredded unsweetened coconut, and another batch with blueberries that I rolled in cocoa powder. AWESOME. They are life changing. Great to have a recipe for something sweet and nutritious in ones repertoire. 

Yield: 10 - 14 balls (depending how big you roll em)

Ingredients:
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• 1 cup frozen berries
• 3/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup coconut flour (or almond flour if nut allergies aren't a concern"
• 1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• splash of vanilla

Method:

1. Blitz everything in a food processor until combined into a dough. 
2. Form into balls and roll in either extra shredded coconut or some cocoa powder
3. Refrigerate or freeze

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