Hummus

...or houmous, humous, hummous, houmus... anything but humus (which is something else entirely). Any way you spell it, it's delicious. I swear, I could live on hummus, and have been close to doing so on many occasions. It goes with everything - bread (any kind), crackers (any kind), chips, vegetables, on sandwiches or falafels. I even tried a samosa dipped in tamarind chutney and hummus - heavenly!

Hummus is always better (and cheaper) if you make it yourself. It lasts about a week in the fridge.

Hummus

1 can chickpeas*
3 cloves garlic
3 heaping tbsp tahini**
juice of 2 lemons***
1/3 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
paprika (optional)

You can use a a regular blender or a hand blender for this - I prefer the hand blender, honestly, but use whatever you have. Put the lemon juice, olive oil and garlic in a large bowl or blender and blend until the garlic is fine. Drain/rinse the chickpeas and add them, along with the tahini and salt & pepper. Continue blending until it has reached a desired consistency. You can add more tahini, garlic, lemon juice or olive oil to suit your taste. I like to sprinkle a little paprika on top when I serve it. Simple as that!

Hummusian Variations

If you've got a few extra ingredients lying around, you can make delicious variants of hummus. For example;

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: add 1 or 2 roasted red peppers, either from a jar or from your own oven****. Blend into the basic hummus recipe.

Olive & Sundried Tomato Hummus: add 15 - 20 black kalamata olives and 6 - 10 sundried tomato halves. Blend into the basic hummus recipe.

Dill & Lemon Hummus: add a tbsp of lemon zest (grated rind from one of the lemons) as well as the juice of an extra lemon (making 3 in total), and 2 tbsp (or more) or dill, fresh or dried. Blend into the basic hummus recipe.

Spicy Pepper Hummus: add a few drops of hot sauce (depending on how strong it is), throw in an extra clove of garlic and 3 - 4 pepperoncini peppers (cut the stems off first!) and/or 1 - 2 hot banana peppers. Blend into basic hummus recipe. Don't kiss anyone for a week!

Spinach & Basil Hummus: add some fresh or dried basil (6 - 8 leaves if fresh) and 2 handfuls of raw spinach. Blend well into basic hummus recipe.

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*buying dried beans is always cheaper than the can, but you'd have to soak them for 8 - 10 hours and then boil them for 1 hour, so it depends on how much time you have.
**tahini is really worth buying. I promise to have more tahini recipes. It can be a bit pricey, but I assure you it's worth it, just find the best deal you can. If not, the hummus will be okay, just add more lemon juice and olive oil.
***you can use the lemon juice from a bottle/plastic lemon, but real lemons taste better. If you don't have a citrus juice squeezer, just squeeze the juice through your fingers so the seeds don't get through (make sure you've washed your hands, though!)
****roasting red peppers is easy! Just half them (stem to bottom), brush with oil and put them in the toaster oven (or regular oven) for 10 minutes on 400 degrees. Or just buy them in the jar if you like (sometimes they are cheaper like that, depending where you live).

A Little Introduction

I've been vegan for about 13 years. I learned how to cook for myself and since I also went to college during that time, I learned how to do it cheaply and deliciously. So, I am here to show you how it's possible, no matter what your budget or time constraint, to be a dedicated and healthy vegan.

We're lucky to live in this day and age - for all intents and purposes, it's WAY easier to be a vegan that it was 10 - 15 years ago. We're still a "fringe" group, sure, but we're heavily catered to, especially in countries like Canada and the USA. We have fake/substitute/analog everything, which exist in varying degrees of deliciousness. I like fake things, I like to support the companies that make them. I didn't become a vegan because I dislike the taste of meat; it was always about the animals. Still, occasionally a fake meat will come along that is just "too" good and it creeps me out. However, you shouldn't rely on them, because a lot of them are heavily modified/processed. I still eat them regularly, but they are not a daily, 3-meals-a-day thing anymore. But I digress.

I really encourage you to go out and find local ingredients! Hopefully they are cheap if they are local, I know it can be frustrating when they are not. Sometimes the local mega-supermarket will have cheaper versions, but I can almost guarantee you it will not be as fresh. Seek out Farmer's Markets, or the little produce store around the corner. Even if it's a longer walk, walking is good for you! As a vegan, fresh fruits and veggies are a necessary staple. Do what you gotta do.

The bulk section in your local supermarket (I'm not against supermarkets, really, I just always find I have to go to 3 or 4 of them to get everything I need!) you will find all sorts of grains. If you're lucky, maybe even dried legumes! My favourite is quinoa. Oh, my goodness, I promise there will be MANY recipes here involving quinoa. It's just about the best gift nature gave us vegans. It's always good to have a bunch of spare mason jars lying around (so eat a lot of pasta sauce!) for filling with grains and things, but tupperware/ziploc storage containers work, too. That way you have something you have a base that you can just add a few little inexpensive fresh veggies too when you are feeling the wallet crunch.

My inspiration for recipes is not very original. I'll basically see something delicious that I can't eat for whatever reason and think to myself - "I wonder if I can veganize that?". Often I can. Sometimes I fail miserably (case in point - gulab jamun. *sigh* I'll tell that story later). So here you will find delicious vegan versions of my (and hopefully your) favourite meals, and the best ones won't be too pricey (and they pricey ones will last you a week, trust me!)

Okay, time for dinner! Bye for now!