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Today I noticed I had several apples that needed to be eaten…soon. I’d already purchased a new bag of red skinned apples. What could I do with these three that appeared a bit past their prime?
I have a wonderful fresh applesauce recipe. However, with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees and fresh snow on the ground, something warm and fragrant appealed to me more.
I came up with a simple solution…healthy fried apples.
An Apple a Day
We know how beneficial apples are. They play a crucial role in fighting inflammation of all kinds, calming the systems of the body by reducing viral and bacterial loads that inflame the body. In addition, the phytochemicals in apples feed the neurons of the brain and increase electrical activity. That makes them brain food!
Red skinned apples are especially beneficial. The pigments that create that rosy color have anti-obesity properties and strengthen the digestive system. They are the best colon cleanser. Pectin from an apple rids the intestinal tract of bacteria, viruses, yeast and mold. It also helps to eliminate debris that clogs pockets in the intestines.
And yet, we often turn to an unhealthy treat when hungry for a snack. Or we drizzle apples with caramel, pop them into pies or turn them into a side loaded with butter and sugar. Think about those restaurant style fried apples. We may think a side of fried apples is a healthier choice, but it isn’t.
This easy recipe does not contain refined sugar or butter. It’s vegan and gluten free. And it makes an excellent side dish, stand alone meal or simple dessert.
Healthy Fried Apples – diced honeycrisp apples
Recipe for Healthy Fried Apples
Healthy Fried Apples
Warm and fragrant healthy fried apples for a side or a simple dessert
In a large non stick skillet, add diced apples and water. Stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Cover and cook apples for 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are softened and water absorbed.
Add coconut oil to skillet. Continue to cook and stir apples for 5 minutes.
Add maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla, combining with apples to coat. Cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes, until apples are cooked through completely. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings as a side or 2 servings for main course or dessert.
Keyword Fried Apples
Healthy Fried Apples – stirring and cooking with water
Tips for Healthy Fried Apples
Here are a few tips for creating your own apple side.
Add a bit more water, if needed, while cooking. With medium heat I had no problem with apples sticking to the pan.
Check apples every minute while they are cooking, covered. Stir and cover again.
Omit coconut oil, if desired. Add more water instead, as needed. Or add a tablespoon of plant based butter.
Feel free to add a sprinkle of nutmeg along with the cinnamon.
Top healthy fried apples with walnuts or raisins, if serving as dessert.
I enjoyed these wonderful fried apples so much that they became my lunch today. And they truly were perfect for a cold, overcast day. The mouth watering aroma as they cooked warmed me before I even took my first bite!
Plus, as I prepared this dish, another recipe idea came to mind featuring fried apples. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Healthy Fried Apples ready to eat.
Learn more about the benefits of apples and other foods in Anthony William’s book below. Click photo to purchase on Amazon.
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October is National Chili Month. What a perfect meal to enjoy on cool fall evenings. Chili is a spicy tomato based stew. It contains a blend of beans, seasonings, onions, garlic, peppers and typically, meat. However, I’ve discovered that plant based chilis are just as flavorful, warming and satisfying as those with meat.
This month, or any time this fall or winter, create one of these best vegan chili recipes, all without meat.
Best Vegan Chili Recipes
Look through this round up of plant based chili recipes and choose one or try them all. Click on the underlined titles for links to ingredient lists and instructions.
This quick bean chili comes together in minutes. It’s perfect for an evening after a full and busy day. Having recipes available that can provide a hot meal in a few minutes lessens the likelihood of grabbing fast food on the way home.
This recipe comes together quickly due to using canned goods, instead of dried beans. I like to use great northern beans, however any canned beans works. This is a moderately spicy chili. Adjust the heat level by adding or reducing the cayenne pepper. Use a small vegetable chopper to make quick work of prepping veggies.
I created this recipe shortly after becoming plant based. My dad used to make an amazing chili and this recipe is inspired by his, minus the ground beef.
The simple to make, hearty chili comes together in minutes, and uses easily found ingredients. I used organic, and non GMO, canned goods from the grocery store, with fresh veggies such as onion, green bell pepper and garlic.
Lentils make a wonderful substitute for beans in this delicious chili. They are inexpensive, easy to prepare and packed with protein. The recipe includes vegetable stock. Make your own with veggie scraps HERE.
This Instant Pot Vegan Chili, from Choosing Chia, is loaded with protein, vegetables, and savory spices! It’s made with two types of beans, and uses a secret trick to create the perfect chili texture.
Best Vegan Chili Recipes – instant pot. Photo from Choosing Chia.
From Midwest Foodie Blog, this chili is loaded with more than 50% of required daily fiber per serving and filled with fresh Mexican flavors. This chili fills you up and fuels you through a busy day!
Best Vegan Chili Recipes – black bean. Photo from Midwest Foodie Blog.
This slow cooker vegan chili recipe, from Happy Kitchen Rocks, delights the taste buds. It’s not only wholesome but delicious and easy to make. Try this vegan twist on a classic comfort food for the chilly days ahead.
Best Vegan Chili Recipes – slow cooker, Photo from Happy Kitchen Rocks
Do You Have a Favorite Chili Recipe?
I hope you found new chili recipes to try in this round up! As the temperatures dip this month, it’s the perfect season for stirring up a big pot of chili.
Do you have a favorite chili recipe? Share it with me in the comments below!
Kitchen Helps from Amazon:
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During this time, when the world is a bit different with each new day, food supplies are interesting. I’ve never in my lifetime experienced a shortage of food or toilet paper scarcity. For the moment, it is our reality.
In my corner of Missouri, as in most parts of the world, paper goods, cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer fly off grocery store shelves, as soon as a delivery arrives. As we marvel over how golden toilet paper is, other supplies continue to dwindle as well. Eggs, meat, dairy products, bread, canned goods, dry goods and convenience foods such as mac and cheese are not impossible to find, but they are limited.
Going to the market each day, to see what is available, is a bit of an adventure. I squealed today when I found a solitary jar of my sugar free peanut butter. As a plant based person, I’m not eating differently than I was before all this started. I just get creative as I prepare meals. I realize others may be experiencing a temporary form of plant based eating that is new to them and I want to help.
Here are easy to make meals using 5 common staples. I’m sharing more than 20 recipes, prepared with simple, nutritious foods such as dried goods (rice, beans and lentils), canned goods, pasta, herbs and spices and my favorite, fresh produce.
Dried Beans Lentils and Rice
These staples have a long shelf life, making them ideal pantry ingredients. In my area, dried goods are not plentiful, however, they do arrive daily in small amounts. Pick up packages of your favorite beans including pinto, navy, black, kidney and chick peas. Dried green, brown or red lentils are so versatile too. And while you are shopping, pick up long grain brown rice as well.
Beans and Lentils
Beans are easily prepared in the instant pot, slow cooker or on the stove top. Try this simple recipe for classic pinto beans. Cover 2 cups of pinto beans with water and let soak overnight. Drain and rinse. Place in a slow cooker. Add 6 cups of water, 1 chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder and 2 teaspoons sea salt. Cook on low 8 hours. Or combine all ingredients in a soup pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour on the stove top.
Combine several varieties of dried beans and add cajun spices for a delicious spicy meal. Use cooked beans to create homemade hummus, refried beans or combine with rice for a satisfying meatless meal.
Dried lentils cook quickly in the instant pot or on the stove pot. Use in curry dishes, shepherd’s pie or combine with rice for a quick and nutritious meal that is high in protein.
I prep brown rice in the instant pot (2 cups dried brown rice plus 3 cups of DIY veggie broth) and store it in the fridge. Cooked brown rice is excellent combined with stir fried veggies, beans or lentils and as a base for curries.
Easy to make meals using 5 common staples – curried chickpeas
Canned Goods
So many simple, nutrition packed meals come together in minutes using canned goods. I keep a variety of beans, vegetables and fruits such as peas, non GMO corn, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green beans and pineapple chunks on hand.
Combine several cans of beans, diced tomatoes and spices for an instant chili. Create a salsa full of chopped veggies, canned black beans and non GMO corn. Make classic hummus from canned chickpeas and serve with crackers or an assortment of veggies. Or simply combine two or more cans of vegetables…such as lima beans and non GMO corn…to make a succotash. Serve with baked potatoes for a hearty meal.
Easy to make meals using 5 common staples – bean chili
Pasta
Pasta is another versatile, easy to use to staple. Because of a gluten sensitivity, I choose gluten free varieties, available in most grocery stores. I keep gluten free macaroni and spaghetti on hand. Stock up on your favorite kinds of pasta.
Create a simple meat free meal of pasta and marinara sauce. (Check out this post, for DIY Marinara Sauce and Pesto.) For another quick meal combine cooked pasta with canned tomatoes. Heat through on the stove and season with a bit of oregano and basil. If you happen to grow your own basil, make a yummy pesto sauce to serve over spaghetti. (See link to post above.) Toss together cooked macaroni and raw or cooked veggies for an instant pasta salad. Or add pasta to soups.
Easy to make meals using 5 staples – vegetable noodle soup
Herbs and Spices
These common herbs and spices add flavor to meals and nutritional value. Keep on hand onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, dill, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, cumin, chili powder, ground red pepper, ground ginger, madras curry and curry powder.
I love preparing oven roasted potatoes, two different ways. For a kick of flavor, season cubed potatoes with paprika, sea salt, onion powder and garlic powder. For a savory blend, use rosemary, thyme and dill. A bowl of seasoned roasted potatoes with a big salad or steamed veggies makes a wonderfully comforting meal.
Experiment with seasonings. Add dried herbs to soups, sauces and stir fries. Additionally, those dried herbs make health boosting teas. Steep 2 teaspoons of thyme in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes, for a tea that boosts the immune system and helps fight viral infections in the body.
Easy to make meals using 5 common staples – seasoned roasted potatoes
Fresh Produce
Other than potatoes, fresh produce remains in stock in my local grocery stores. This is good news because there are so many easy meals to make using this staple.
One of my favorite meals is a chopped veggie salad loaded with a dozen or more vegetables. Chop any combo of vegetables and combine with chopped dark leafy greens.
Think beyond salads though.
Another simple meal is the veggie bowl. Combine raw or cooked vegetables together in a big bowl and enjoy. Use onions, green peppers, mushrooms, black beans, lettuce and tomatoes for a Mexican bowl. Or switch it up with Brussels sprouts, asparagus, sweet potatoes and quinoa. Any combination of vegetables is acceptable!
Stir fries are another great way to combine fresh vegetables in creative ways. Start with a base of onions, garlic, carrots and celery and add in whatever you have on hand. Use that same base, add in more fresh veggies and canned peas, green beans and tomatoes plus eight cups of water or veggie broth and you have a delicious soup. Save all those vegetable scraps as you prep food for DIY Vegetable Broth.
Fruit makes an excellent meal as well. Combine fresh and frozen fruit with two bananas and a small amount of filtered water for a breakfast smoothie. Drizzle a mixture of berries with raw honey for a mid afternoon snack. Or toss chopped apples, oranges or berries in with a vegetable salad.
Easy to make meals using 5 common staples -veggie bowl
Easy to Make Meals Using 5 Common Staples
It is disconcerting to walk into a grocery store and see empty shelves. It’s an experience that is new to most of us. The current situation requires adaptability and a positive mindset.
I hope these suggestions and recipes encourage you to create nutritious meals from staples that are available or that you already have on hand. If you are not plant based, meat such as chicken can be added to many of the recipes.
I promise you though, these meals are not only easy to prepare, they are nutritionally dense and satisfying. You will not go hungry and you may even discover that you enjoy this different way of eating.
If you have questions, ask in the comments section below. I’m here to walk alongside you, virtually. We truly are in this situation together. And together, we will overcome. Together we will emerge stronger than before.
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I grew up eating peanut butter sandwiches. And honestly, I still love the stuff. Oh, I don’t eat bread now, so no more sandwiches. However, one of my favorite healthy snacks is a dollop of organic peanut butter and a cut up apple. Paired with a cup of hot herbal tea, this snack is perfect once or twice a week.
I’ve also enjoyed almond butter and cashew butter. Those jars of nut butters can get pricey though. And it’s important to read the labels, to make sure the ingredients are nuts and sea salt and nothing more.
Recently I’ve wanted to try making my own nut butters. It turns out, the process couldn’t be easier. Check out my first attempt…DIY creamy cashew butter.
Advantages of Making DIY Cashew Butter
The primary advantage to making your own nut butter is knowing exactly what’s in it. I purchased raw, organic, non GMO cashews from Natural Grocers. Although I intended to create almond butter first, the cashews appealed to me! I left the store with a 16 ounce package of cashews.
The nut butter is easily customized with healthy additions such as honey, vanilla beans, cocoa or sea salt. Finally, making your own nut butter saves money, especially when nuts are bought in bulk. And you can make a small amount or a larger amount, depending on your needs.
Raw organic nuts for DIY Creamy Cashew Cream
Creating DIY Creamy Cashew Cream
Cashews have a creamy texture, making them perfect for creating nut butter. They are an excellent source of protein, fiber, vitamin E, calcium, iron, phosphorous, potassium and magnesium. Cashews also provide antioxidant properties. Check out the five healthiest nuts in this post.
I felt like the soft texture of the cashews would easily transform into creamy nut butter. And I was right. Using the food processor creates heat, which helps to quickly break the nuts down into a smooth butter.
The process is so simple.
Step 1
Add two cups of cashews, or nuts of choice, to a food processor. That’s it. For DIY creamy cashew butter there is one ingredient…cashews. I chose raw, unsalted cashews, however experiment with salted and roasted and see which suits you best.
Process on high. The nuts immediately become coarsely chopped and then become a fine powder. Stop the food processor occasionally, to scrape down sides.
Step 1 – Coarsely ground
Step 2
Continuing processing cashews. As they heat up the nuts release oils. The coarse pieces begin to stick together, forming a paste. Pause again to scrape down sides.
Step 2 – Paste forms
Step 3
Let cashew paste continue to process, until a smooth butter forms. The entire process took about seven minutes for me, stopping twice to scrape down sides…and take photos. Almonds might take a little longer to process.
Stop processor and scrape cashew butter into a glass container. Seal and store in the refrigerator. DIY creamy cashew butter, or any other homemade nut butters, will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. I don’t think mine will last that long!
Step 3 – Creamy butter
Enjoying My Healthy Snack
The DIY creamy cashew butter was so easy to make. I don’t know why I haven’t tried this before. Warm from the processor, I enjoyed a spoonful of cashew butter with a cut up gala apple. Perfection! I didn’t add honey, yet the taste was slightly sweet and the butter so creamy. Cashew butter is excellent with sliced apples or pears, on gluten free crackers or bread and used in baking.
I’m excited to make almond butter and perhaps something more exotic, like pistachio butter. I’ll let you know how that turns out!
Creamy Cashew Butter and Apple Slices
Use these links to purchase raw organic cashews and almonds.
This is the food processor I use. Click on photo for more info or to order.
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One of the things I’m enjoying, on this plant based journey, is adapting recipes. Stuffed peppers popped into my mind this week. A quick check of my fridge and cupboards revealed I had all the necessary ingredients on hand to create a new healthier version of this old favorite.
My old recipe contained ground beef. My desire to create a veggies and brown rice version seemed doable.
I’ve played around enough with cooking the past couple of years, to gain confidence in pulling together an impromptu recipe.
Here is the result, Vegan Stuffed Peppers.
Vegan Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Vegan Stuffed Peppers
journeywithhealthyme
This easy to prepare stuffed pepper recipe has all the flavor and it's full of healthy ingredients. Meat, dairy, egg and sugar free.
Preheat oven to 350F. Wash green peppers, cut in half and remove seeds. Place in baking pan, cut side up.
Saute onion and garlic in 1 tbsp coconut oil, until veggies are translucent.
Add diced tomatoes and cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and sea salt, stirring to combine. Add black beans and corn, combining well and heating through.
Add brown rice and combine well. Pour mixture over green bell pepper halves, filling peppers. Mound remaining mixture around peppers. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove covering and bake another 5 minutes. 6 servings.
Recipe Variations
This is one of those simple recipes that can be adapted according to tastes and ingredients on hand. Any color of pepper is suitable. I happened to have green bell peppers in the fridge.
Swap out the black beans for kidney beans or another vegetable. The same with the corn. I only use non GMO corn. Del Monte carries this product. Check the label to make sure it says “non GMO”. Quinoa can replace the brown rice. During the summer, when the garden is producing, fresh tomatoes would taste great, instead of canned. And fresh peppers from the garden….amazing!
Sampling my vegan stuffed peppers, I declared them excellent! I didn’t miss the ground beef at all. These were tasty and filling and something I will prepare again!
Looking for more meatless meal ideas? Check out these:
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We’ve experienced days and days of cloudy, cold rainy weather here in the Midwest. Most of the ice and snow trekked north of my town. However, I’ve chosen to stay indoors nonetheless, cozy and snug. When cold days pile up, my favorite go to food is hot soup. I keep a pot of freshly made soup ready to reheat in the fridge. A hot bowl of soup warms me and nourishes me as well.
Enjoy these easy hot soups for cold days.
Homemade Vegetable Soup
This wonderful soup has been my mainstay the past week. Easy to make, this combination of veggies delivers an amazing blend of flavors and tons of health benefits. It’s so adaptable too. I call it my whatever I have on hand soup. This is a great way to use up the last few carrots in the fridge or half a can of peas. I can toss in whatever veggies and canned goods I want, double the recipe, or cut it in half.
Vegetable Soup
journeywithhealthyme
This richly flavored plant based soup is a great way to use up leftover veggies.
In large soup pot, saute onion, garlic, celery and carrots in olive oil, until veggies are softened.
Add potatoes, vegetable stock, water, sea salt, black pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.
Add canned veggies and simmer a few more minutes. Makes 12 servings
Notes
Recipe may be cut in half. Any variety of veggies and canned goods may be used. Additional herbs/spices may be added to suit tastes.
I cook in a big soup pot, like this one, and store the soup in the refrigerator in the same container. This vegetable soup only gets better the next day…and the next…as the flavors continue to blend. Seriously, I can and do eat it every day. This week, when the veggie soup runs out, I create another batch. I vary the ingredients slightly, depending on what I have on hand. I enjoy ladling hot, comforting soup into easy to hold cups, like these classic soup mugs.
Links to More Easy Hot Soups
Here are more of my favorites, all easy to make and just as hearty and nourishing on cold winter days.
I’m always on the watch for a great soup recipe. If you have a favorite, please share in the comments below.
Soup really is Mmmm Mmmm good, especially when it is homemade!
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I dearly love my afternoon tea time. Therefore, I’m always excited to find and try a new recipe for a healthy treat that can accompany my hot tea. This easy Vegan Blueberry Banana recipe, adapted slightly from one by Anthony William, is perfect.
This beautiful loaf is free from gluten, refined sugar, eggs and diary products.
Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread
I used gluten free oat flour combined with arrowroot starch, to help hold the loaf together after it cooled. See this guide about other gluten free flours and starches.
Any unsweetened non-dairy milk is acceptable. I like the combo of almond and coconut. Leave off the walnuts if you are watching fats.
Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread
Healthy version of a classic favorite, with the added benefits and taste of wild blueberries.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
Mash bananas in a bowl with fork or potato masher. Add maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and almond coconut milk. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine oat flour, arrowroot starch, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add wet ingredients and stir gently, until ingredients form a batter. Add frozen blueberries and fold in very gently, stirring just until mixed in.
Pour batter into loaf pan. Top with walnuts, if desired, and bake in oven for 40 minutes. Then turn off oven and leave blueberry banana bread in oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely, on a rack, before slicing. Serves 4.
Keyword Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread
Use a potato masher to easily mash up ripe bananas.
Ready to bake. I LOVE using parchment paper and line all baking pans and cookie sheets with it. Try this one from If You Care. This parchment baking paper is unbleached, compostable and totally chlorine free.
Isn’t that a gorgeous loaf? It smelled so wonderful as it cooled.
The two main ingredients in the Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread have important health benefits.
Wild Blueberries
These berries contain powerful antioxidants. According to Liver Rescue there’s not just one pigment inside a wild blueberry, there are dozens of pigments. The wild blueberry is to the liver as mother’s milk is to a baby. The pigments in wild blueberries have the ability to penetrate deep into liver cells and cross cell walls and membranes inside the liver, spreading their blue everywhere. Wild blueberries also enhance the intestinal tract, feeding good bacteria there, which benefits the liver greatly.
Bananas
Did you know that the fructose in bananas is the liver’s favorite source of food? It provides quick fuel to the liver and wakes up sleepy cells, increasing their ingenuity and work output. Bananas soothe the lining of the intestinal tract and also calm the nerves attached to the intestinal tract. This fruit is one of the most antibacterial, anti-yeast, antifungal foods available. It’s a great food to combine with other nutrient-rich foods or to take with supplements, because they improve the liver’s ability to absorb nutrients. (from Liver Rescue)Â
Perfect Afternoon Tea
This Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread is great as a breakfast bread or works well as a light after dinner dessert.
I paired a slice with a cup of hot spearmint tea, for the perfect afternoon break. The texture is light and the bread tastes slightly sweet, loaded with bananas and wild blueberries. I topped this first loaf with walnuts. Those can be omitted, if desired.
This recipe definitely goes onto my “make again…often” list. Is tomorrow too soon, to pop another loaf into the oven?
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I enjoy a warm drink in the evening, year around. During the summer, my drink of choice is a cup of hot herbal tea, brewed from herbs freshly picked from my garden. With the arrival of cooler weather, I look for additional nighttime drinks to sip on. It is essential to me that these bedtime drinks be warming and soothing and also full of health boosting benefits.
I was excited to try this dairy free turmeric milk. I found the recipe on Facebook, in a group I am part of called Avocado. This delicious and easy to prepare recipe comes from Anna Davis.
Warm Turmeric Milk
Ingredients
• 1 teaspoon dried turmeric
• 1 tablespoon raw organic honey
• Dash of coarsely ground black pepper
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1 cup of unsweetened dairy free plant based milk such as almond or coconut
In a small bowl mix together honey, turmeric, black pepper and cinnamon, making a paste. Warm plant based milk. Add small amount to turmeric mixture, stirring until smooth and thinned out. Add turmeric mixture to remainder of milk. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon and enjoy.
I used unsweetened almond coconut dairy free milk. The coconut adds a subtle flavor that I like. Plain almond milk can be used as well. As the milk heated, I whisked the honey, turmeric, and black pepper together.
The spicy aroma was wonderfully tantalizing as I added a small amount of warm milk to the honey mixture. After it was thinned out, I poured the mixture into the cup of milk.
A sprinkle of cinnamon on top and my bedtime turmeric milk was ready to savor. And savor it I did. This drink was so good that I had to pace myself. The taste is full of flavor but mild.
Turmeric is considered one of the most effective medicinal herbs with powerful benefits for the body. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The body absorbs curcumin much better when black pepper is ingested at the same time.
Curcumin is linked to improved brain function and a lessening of brain diseases, less risk of heart disease, cancer prevention, depression prevention, inhibition of Alzheimer’s, improvement of arthritis through lessening of inflammation and it has anti-aging properties.
That’s a lot of health benefits packed into a tasty nighttime drink. In addition, turmeric soothes the digestive tract, which contributes to a better night’s sleep.
Raw organic honey, locally produced, is a good source of antioxidants. Health benefits of honey include soothes the digestive tract, eases seasonal allergies and sore throats, protects the body from cell damage, and it is antibacterial and anti-fungal.
Best of all, this drink centers me as it warms me, preparing me for a time of deep rest. My body craves it, encouraging me to sip on a cup every evening. Turmeric milk has become my favorite bedtime drink!
I’ve shared this recipe before, including it with other party recipes. However this classic hummus is so good and so easy to make at home, that it deserves its own post. I make my own hummus at least once a week. With a food processor, a few pantry staples become a healthy and delicious snack or meal, served up with fresh veggies or gluten free crackers.
Here is the simple recipe:
Use fresh lemon juice. I cut one large lemon in two and use my aunts glass juicer, however each half can simply be squeezed into a measuring cup or directly into the food processor.
Tahini is sesame seed paste and can be purchased at health food stores or in the international section at larger grocery stores. A future project is to make my own tahini. This paste is great also as a base for salad dressings.
Drizzle olive oil over the hummus, after transferring it from the processor to a bowl, and sprinkle with paprika. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
There are so many ways to vary this basic recipe, by adding olives, red peppers, more garlic or additional spices. The possibilities are many!
Enjoy with fresh veggies, apple slices or gluten free crackers. Most of all, simply enjoy!
Try out this food processor:
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Use a potato masher to easily mash up ripe bananas.
Ready to bake. I LOVE using parchment paper and line all baking pans and cookie sheets with it. Try this 
Isn’t that a gorgeous loaf? It smelled so wonderful as it cooled.
