A FEW RECIPES HERE SO PLEASE KEEP SCROLLING!
OUR HUMMOS
This is the BASIC NO FAT HUMMUS recipe featured by the Esselstyns at their workshop and in Anne Esselstyn's book The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook (which you can purchase from Amazon at Amazon.com and through the sidebar here).
While it calls for a 15 oz. can of no salt added chickpeas, you can get the same amount by cooking about 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas. (If using a rice cooker, using a little extra water will let them be softer). For some conversion figures on chickpeas, click here.
Joan's note: If you are making this from dried chickpeas consider adding the garlic, roughly chopped, into the cooking chickpeas, along with a coarsely chopped jalapeño pepper!
The Basic Recipe for Our Hummus
1 (15 oz.) can of no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 large cloves garlic
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp spicy brown mustard, or to taste
1/2 tsp salt (optional, we do not use it)
Combine in food processor and process until uniformly smooth.
Serve immediately or refrigerate. Refrigerate leftovers.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can combine it with green onions, or more garlic, or dill, basil, cumin, or whatever other flavors appeal to you. Try small amounts seasoned different ways to find your favorites! It's a great food to have in your fridge for weekend snacks!
For a great sandwich break a plain fresh corn tortilla in half and warm in your toaster, then spread on some "Our Hummus" and top with a nice pico de gallo (tomato, peppers, onion combo) or oil free salsa. (Note: plain corn tortillas may be a little off the chart but look for ones of plain ground cornmeal. There are plenty available in the Chicago area. My favorites are El Milagro made here in Chicago, in paper sacks on grocery shelves and La Tortilla Factory is made in California and in plastic bags in the cold food sections. These are just a few that come to mind.)
And if even making the hummus seems like too much of a stretch, consider one of the oil free products on the market. Whole Foods features Engine 2 Hummus produced by Rip Esselstyn. They are tasty and may give you some ideas about making your own next time around! I love all the flavors! Especially the Spicy Black Bean!
Keeps well in covered container in fridge for a few days. And if you wish, freeze some in small (3 oz) containers. Later you can thaw one, mix with some lemon juice or some vinegar (including balsamic) as you wish for a sauce for cooked greens or a heavier salad dressing.
GUACASALSA
As most of us know, Dr. Esselstyn limits but does not totally eliminate certain fatty foods for those who have not had heart disease. One of these foods is AVOCADOS. Dr. Esselstyn allows about 1/4 of an avocado for those who have not had heart disease. But how to stop at just 1/4?
A few years ago the Plant Based Nutrition for Life Meetup enjoyed a wonderful dinner at La Casa de Isaac and Moishe in Highland Park, where Chef Moishe demonstrated several beautiful fat free or very low fat dishes with delicious traditional Mexican flavors. One of these was Guacasalsa, a salsa built on a ripe avocado, where the avocado gives its flavor and some of its texture to a dish built around flavorful veggies. Make it to your taste so you can enjoy this delicious, tangy Avocado Extender!
Here is one version of this delicious condiment!
One Ripe Avocado, peeled, seeded and broken into a few pieces.
Juice of one lemon or one lime. (Or more if you wish!)
about half of a small onion, finely chopped
a medium or large jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
one large or two small tomatillos, finely diced.
(Lots of markets sell tomatillos. Just remove the paper thin cover, rinse and chop!)
OPTIONAL: Lots of chopped cilantro
OPTIONAL: Lots of chopped parsley
OPTIONAL: about 1/2 tsp of cumin powder
Using a coarse fork, mash ingredients together, leaving the avocado in somewhat coarse chunks.
Spread on toasted fresh corn tortillas, with or without fat free hummus or pico de gallo or other spreads or salsas.
When storing in covered container in refrigerator, squeeze a little lemon juice to protect surface from air. This will last for a few days -- and lemon juice helps it last longer. If you wish, freeze some in a small (3 oz) container to thaw and mix with a little lime (or lemon) juice for a green goddess type dressing.
EAST MEETS WEST IN A SANDWICH!
Ingredients:
1. A fresh corn tortilla (look for ZERO fat, made from traditional ingredients, corn, water, lime and salt (should be very low sodium) and yes, quite a few brands now use non-GMO corn!
See Corn Tortilla post for more information on warming and softening tortillas.
2. Our Hummus flavored any way you like.
3. Guacasalsa.
Toast the tortilla in your toaster. (The first few times you'll need to experiment to set your toaster correctly) You can leave it soft or let it get crispy. Your choice!
Spread a nice layer of hummus.
Spread another nice layer of guacasalsa.
Enjoy this nice snack or side dish!
