Green Goddess Dip/Dressing

I cannot believe that it has been so long since I posted. And yet I have so many recipes to put up here. So, this is my latest gem. I found this by happenstance. I had a box of silken tofu and due to the fact that I have not used it all that much, I am still, pretty much in my experimental stage with this product.

But, what I am finding, is, is that this is an extremely versatile product. Do not confuse it with its cousin, block tofu. these products are used for totally different style dishes. There will be people who will tell you that you can, and that is all fine and dandy. But I prefer to keep the two separate.

My preference is to keep the silken for desserts, puddings, smoothies and the such. And I like the block tofu for dishes that require a bit more substance or when you need a product to physically hold together. With that said, let's get to the recipe.

1/2 package silken tofu 
2 green onions, chopped
2 t capers, rinsed 
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup cilantro
1 T agave
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 t vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 t prepared mustard
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In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and process until smooth.

I will tell you, that this is one of thee most versatile dishes I have ever made. What I mean by that is, is that you can substitute so many different things. You hate parsley, up the cilantro. Don't have cider vinegar, use rice wine. Don't have capers (but you should), use olives (kalamata preferably). Out of lemon juice, use limes.

See what I mean by using other things? After I made this dish, the very first thing that came to my mind was Super Bowl Sunday and getting a pumpernickel bowl and placing this dip in the center. This is such a wonderful dish. You can also use this as a dressing. You would need to thin it out a bit. You can do this by cutting back on the herbs or just adding a wee bit of alternative milk to the dish.

Make this and you will be one happy camper. And remember, make...eat...and enjoy!

'Cheeze' Sauce

If you ask most vegans what they miss the most about their meat eating days, most would say it is cheese. I cannot say that I fall into that category. Did I use it? Yes. Did I go out of my way to use it in recipes? No. But I still love my broccoli, or cauliflower smothered in a cheese-style sauce. Well fasten your seat belts, cuz it's about to get real.

I have found a cheese-style sauce that would make Velveeta lovers curling their toes in sheer delight. So let's get down to this recipe...shall we?

1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup flour
1 t garlic powder
1-2 t salt (start with one, taste, and add more if needed)
2 cups water
1/4 cup vegan margarine
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Combine all dry ingredients into a saucepan and mix thoroughly. Add water and whisk on medium /high heat until thickens and starts to bubble. Remove from heat and add margarine. Stir until completely combined. Serve over steamed/boiled vegetables.

This is so delicious, that I can eat this all be itself. And these ease of this dish is what is the scary part. So go make this and let me know how it goes. And remember, make...eat...enjoy!

1,000 Island Dresisng

I am rediscovering salads. Yes, most non-vegetarians assume that those of us who are, live on rabbit food. Ahhh, not true. But I have been on a salad kick lately and experimenting with some dressings and this one hit the spot I remember oh so well.

I was never a super-duper fan of 1,000 Island Dressing, but every now and then I would get a hankering for some and this brings me back to the days of eating the old fashioned stuff. So give it a try and tell me it does not taste like the real deal. And once it sits overnight...watch out!

1 cup vegan mayonnaise(we use Veganaise)
1T sweet relish (NOT dill)
1/2 cup catsup (yep I spell it that way)
1 t onion powder (do not omit)
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Throw all ingredients into a food processor and have at it. You will love this. And so much better the next day. If it were me, I would double this one right form the get go, that way you do not run out when you really need it! Make...eat...enjoy!

Vegan Ranch Dressing

To say I was a ranch dressing fan would be a false statement. Does that mean I never used it on my salads? No, I would occasionally use that flavor, but if I had other choices, I would opt for something else. With that said, I would like to introduce to you one of thee best vegan alternatives to traditional ranch dressing. I, of course, found it on VegWeb. But I found it quite by accident. Yes, I was looking for a new dressing, but not a ranch one in particular. But there it was staring at me and I had all of thee ingredients.
I am giving you thee altered recipe, for thee original was a bit too runny for all our tastes. And if I had read the reviews, then I too would have seen that the general consensus was the same as mine. But you do not have to go through that same mistake, I am giving you thee updated version. So try it and see how truly right I am.

1/4-1/2 cup non-dairy milk(use plain unsweetened if you have it)
1 cup vegan mayo(We use Veganaise)
1 t each, garlic and onion powder
2-3 T red wine vinegar
1 T fresh or dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
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Throw all ingredients into a blender/food processor and whirl until smooth.
If you like it thicker, and more like a dip, then stick closer to the 1/4 mark of milk. But if you prefer it more like a dressing, then go closer to the 1/2 mark.
I tell you that is all you have to do. And both my husband and daughter could not believe how close to the real thing it truly was. When all three of us agree on something, we know we have a winner. So, make...eat...enjoy!

Spinach Hummus

Well, who knew spinach could be made into hummus? I didn't know. But I do now. This last Raw Class I was scrambling at the last minute, which I usually try not to do. And when I do look for recipes for my class, I definitely keep them simple and gadget friendly. Meaning, I do not use recipes that use dehydrators, or high-powered blenders. I want people to see that eating healthy DOES NOT have to be expensive, save for the food itself.


I would rather spend a little extra now then be pumped up on TONS of medication the pharmecuticals fell we need. But if we just changed how we ate, we would not be in the mess of health this country is in. Look at all thee other countries around the world that live on whole foods. You do not see their countries ravaged with obesity, cancer or diabetes. Why is that? Well, it is because so many compnaies here are trying to sell you a load of crap and tell you that Cheerios is a nutritional breakfast. Have fun with that. It is a business and if they do not sell their product they have no jobs. So they will bend the facts so far past realism that you would think eating insect wings is good for you, because they paid some scientist to say it is so.

You know what has to be done, go with your gut (no pun inteded) and just eat whole, organic food and the rest will take care of itself. Now on to this delicious reipe. I will not acept any mariage proposals after you have made and eaten this. And I do want to give credit where credit is due. I found this lovely gem at VegWeb! I love that place.
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1 clove garlic (put through a press)
2 to 3 cups spinach
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 to 4 tablespoons raw tahini (or regualr tahini if you are not a hard core raw foodist)
olive oil, as needed (mine equaled about 1 T)

Place garlic and spinach in food processor and process until minced finely.  Add lemon juice and tahini and blend until the consistency of hummus. You can add olive oil if needed, but the spinach and tahini should be enough.  For me I needed just a very small touch of oil.

I have fallen in love all over again with this recipe. I already love spinach, I just love it more now. Make...eat...enjoy!

Creamy-Not Always Coleslaw-Dressing

That 'Not Always' part, I added myself. I wanted a homemade salad dressing that my husband will eat. He is still buying bottled dressings. And from Kraft of all companies. Ick! Anyhow, I was going through La Dolce Vegan who is the How it All Vegan authoress', and found this oh so simple dressing. Yes yes, it is meant for coleslaw, but where in the world of veganism is there a rule book that says this 'has' to go over shredded cabbage...yeah, just what I thought.

With that said, I loved this recipe. It has a wee bit of a bite to it, but best of all, my hubby loved it!!! So make it and love me for it later...and Sarah Kramer also.

3/4 cup vegan mayo
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 T sugar (your choice, just not brown)
1 T fresh parsley, minced (we were out and it was still great)
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
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 In a jar or dressing bottle, combine all thee ingredients. Shake well, with the cap on of course and pour on your favorite salad. Makes about 1 cup. My hubby liked this one, as did I, this one will definitely be made again, for sure. Make...eat...enjoy!

Feta Schmeta

Well, I have struck gold once again. And all thanks to Sarah Kramer and her How it all Vegan book. I tell everyone that I meet, that his is my proverbial cooking bible. I would be lost without this book. It is simple and using ingredients that are found, for the most part, in your everyday grocery store. Do not get me wrong, there may be one or two ingredients that you may have to get at your local health food store, but that is not a bad thing.

I went looking for this because I have made the final leap to letting go of cheese. I know for the most part, cheese is made with rennet, which is the lining of an animals stomach. Mostly a cows stomach, but I have recently found out that it can come from a pigs as well as a sheep's. So, I am choosing to not eat the cheese. Letting go of cheese was my final hurdle to veganism. But I shall prevail. With that said, please enjoy the simplicity of this dish and make it often. I know I will.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 t salt
1 T dried basil
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t dried oregano
1 pkg firm herb tofu, cubed or crumbled(we used plain tofu)
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In a large bowl, mix together the oil, water, vinegar, salt, basil, pepper and oregano. Marinade the tofu in the mixture for at least one hour or more. Makes aprox. 1/2 cups.

I did mine a wee bit differently. I put all thee ingredients into the food processor and whirled them together. I did not massacre them, I just blended them together long enough to get the ingredients mixed thoroughly. Worked fine for me. This dish was incredible. I took some to work today and one of my co-workers said she had made it and it tasted like butt (she used an entirely different word), and I told her that she had to try mine. She did and was then in love with me, telling me how she could actually bathe in that stuff. Suffice it to say, the dish was a smash hit. This will be made often in my home.

Mashed Potatoes - NOT

I found this recipe quite by accident. Where I work, (Nutrition S'Mart) there is a small little raw food book that is a great introduction to the raw food world. What I mean by that is, it is simple, and easy read, common ingredients, and the instruction lines are three lines at the most. Now who cannot get into a recipe that has only three lines of instructions. I am all over that one.

The name of the book is Rapid Raw and it is loaded with tons of recipes. Oh, by the way, we sell it at the store but are currently waiting for the latest shipment. From soup to nuts. No really, I mean that. One day when I was having a slow moment at work I was scouring through the book and this one dish caught my eye. I love cauliflower. And I had no idea just how versatile it truly was until I started messing around in the raw world.

Try this recipe and see what you think.

2 avocados (they need to be EXTREMELY ripe, or this recipe will not work)

1 cauliflower head, chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice, (about 2 lemons)

1 sweet onion, chopped (I used a half of one for it was huge)

1 t salt

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

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Wait for it....Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy. All right, there is a bit more to it than that, and here is what I have found. I process the cauliflower down to the consistency of cous cous. Transfer it to the bowl you will be serving it in and then process thee other ingredients...THEN put back the processed cauliflower. If you do not do it this way, you will be doing ALLOT more bowl scraping and time is of thee essence with this dish.

After my husband ate this version (my first attempt tanked badly) he mentioned that this could also go as a guacamole dish, all you have to do is add some tomatoes. And you do not even have to inform your unsuspecting public what is in the dish. then when they are raving about it, tell them cauliflower has been added, and watch their faces. Yes, I have a streak of evil-ness in my blood.

Me at my raw food class preparing said dish.

'Chikin' Nuggets

Well I think I have finally found a recipe that will have me leaving the store bought brand of chic nuggets and patties in the freezer section. Please do not misunderstand me, I love the convenience of pulling them out of the freezer and plopping them into the frying pan. And the journey is turning out to be pretty darned tootin' good.

I stumbled upon these quite by accident via Post Punk Kitchen on Facebook. The recipe comes from Opera Girl . She is not a vegetarian, for she has meat dishes, but this one caught my eye and I had more then 90% of the ingredients.

I made them and they looked so much like the nuggets you get in a little box with toys that I scared myself. Thee only thing I need to work on is the texture. They were just a bit soggy in the middle. Not so much that I did not eat 4 of them...oh my gosh, did that just slip out on to the blog. The seasonings were to die for. Take that fast food. These will definitely be on our plates again for sure.

1 cup cooked chick peas
2T olive oil (for frying)
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/3 cup water
2T low sodium soy sauce/Tamari
3 cloves garlic, grated with a microplane
1/2 t lemon zest (we were out)
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t dried sage (we were out)
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1) In a mini chopper process the chick peas until mostly mashed.
2) Put the chick peas in a medium sized mixing bowl and add the rest of thee ingredients. Turn the mixture onto a cutting board and knead for 3 minutes until you see the strings of gluten forming.
3) Using a knife, divide the ball into 4 even sections. Then divide those 4 into 4 more balls. Shape the hunks of dough into nugget style shapes.
4) Heat up a think layer of oil in a heavy bottom skillet over a medium-low heat. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.

Honey Mustard Sauce

2T coarsely ground Dijon mustard (we used deli style mustard, stone ground)
1T honey
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Mix well and serve with nuggets.

This is going to work well once I master the texture thing. I am hoping to make them into cutlets for a more main course style food. Wheeeeeeeee!

Raw Hummus

I love raw food and I love hummus. Now my other half feels the need to have pita bread in order to eat hummus. And inasmuch as I agree, it is not a necessity in my book. I feel you can enjoy this lovely dish without the added circular things of joy. And yes I love Pita Bread. But if you have ever eaten it from a fresh Arab Bakery, you will N-E-V-E-R eat it from a grocery store again. Trust me when I say that everything after that is a farce. Well a while ago I had seen a raw hummus recipe on Youtube, but it was quite complicated. And not that I am against complicated dishes, but I googled raw hummus and got this lovely recipe.

Now the young lady who's blog this is no longer blogs but she gave us this lovely dish to relish in and thank you muchly I might add. I may go back and attempt to make the other raw chick pea hummus, but not until I have enough time to do so and that my friends will not be for a while. But in thee interim, go and make this one, and enjoy whether it be with a piece of pita bread or some raw veggies, this is worth the making.

Recipe is Here

1 large zucchini, peeled and diced
1/2 cup tahini
2T olive oil
2T lemon juice
1t salt
1t cumin
1 large clove garlic, pressed
Sprinkle of paprika
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Peel the zucchini until all the green is removed, this is extremely important otherwise your hummus will come out green and in no way resemble traditional hummus. Combine all ingredients in food processor except for paprika and process until smooth and creamy. If you consistency is not coming up like you want it to be, then add a bit of water until you get where you want to be. Serve in a glass bowl and sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with olive oil if you so desire, and enjoy.

Move Over Mayo

Well another one bites the dust. And no, that is not a line form one of Queen's songs. But oh what a group. You are sorely missed Freddy Mercury. Anyhow, on to better things. I have been toying with thee idea of going vegan and am in that process as we speak. As soon as I find alternatives to dishes, condiments, and what not in the world of food, I lose thee old food and in comes the new one.

To say that I am addicted to mayonnaise, is an understatement. And I have to be honest, I have been cutting back recently. So much so that I went form buying a quart of mayo at a time to purchasing a pint sized jar this last shopping trip.

Well, I then remembered Sarah Kramer's (of How It All Vegan) recipe with tofu being the meat (pun completely intended) of this recipe. I am learning to use tofu and in more ways than I could ever have imagined. With that said, today was shopping day and soft tofu was on the list. Knowing good and well that was the version needed for the new mayo recipe. Today was a blitz of new recipes, but this one I somehow knew I would like. And you might look at the ingredients and think you will like a dish, but that is not always the case. But in this one, it was divine. Thee only thing I found a bit unusual was the tartness from the lemon juice. Do not get me wrong, I am a lover of anything involving lemon, but this was just a smidgen too much. I will work out the kins and get it right, but this will be the last conventional jar of mayo that comes into my home. Make this and know egg yolks are no longer needed to slather on to a slice of bread.

3/4 cup soft tofu
2T lemon juice or vinegar (we used lemon juice)
1/2 t salt
dash of pepper
2T oil (we used olive)
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In a blender or food processor, blend together (on high speed) the tofu, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and oil until thick and creamy. Store in refrigerator in a clean, dry container with a tight-fitting lid. Will keep for 7-10 days. Makes about 1&1/2 cups.

Creamy Italian Dressing

I am still trying to find dressing alternatives to those I used to buy in the grocery store. It is a taxing process. Because, not all recipes please everyone in the house. That's not to say they are not good dressings. It's just that they do not tickle everyone's taste buds. With that said, I have found a new recipe for a new dressing. Now, since I did not have another recipe lined up for the soft tofu, I was brave and doubled the recipe from the get go. But be forewarned, it is garlicky. But no in a bad way garlicky. Does that make sense?

I got this from How It All Vegan. She has some wonderful dressing recipes and with simple ingredients. So make this and trust me there will be no vampires at your house this Halloween.

1/2 lb. soft or medium tofu (we used soft)
1/2 cup flax or olive oil (we used olive)
3T vinegar (we used apple cider vinegar)
1t salt
1/8 t pepper
4 cloves garlic (pressed )
2T sweet pickle relish
1/4 t dried oregano
1/8 t red pepper flakes
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In a blender or food processor, blend together the tofu, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy. Fold in the garlic, relish, oregano and red pepper flakes. Excellent as a chip dip in addition to a salad dressing.

Thee only small flaw I see with this but nothing that would make me stop making and or eat this dish was a tad bit of graininess from the tofu. But I think I may try to remedy that by using silken tofu next time. But for the record, this one is will worth its weight in gold.

Raw Baba Ganoush

I am always in transition with my eating lifestyle. Notice how I did not say diet. Why do I no longer use that word? Well. for the only reason I can think of, no one should ever have to diet. If you eat whole foods and lose all your processed foods then you will never have to diet. It's when people adopt the SAD diet that things go awry.

I found this lovely blog dealing with raw food and she said something in a past post. She claims, as do I, that we do not count calories, fat grams, carbs or points. We in this family eat anything our heart desires and that includes sweets. Please remember, that we use whole grains for our cookies/pastries and such and raw sugar and or agave as our sweetener. So for us it is very different. I believe that the minute you begin to deprive yourself of the things you love in the food world, that is when you will fall off the wagon...in a manner of speaking. No need for that here.

My husband and I also exercise regularly. He is more of a gym type of guy, I am more of a do it home type of gal. I walk, bike ride, do free weights and mild stretching here at home. Do I exercise every day? No, but I try my darnedest. I also walk the dog when I do get to walk. It does our bodies good.

So, on to this post. We are trying to add more raw food to our diets, but it can be quite pricey. But again, I try to add at least one new recipe whether it be raw or cooked to our menu every single week. And so far we are not doing so bad. People always ask us what we eat since there is no meat there to fill that spot on our dinner plate. And I tell them that are are tons of things to fill the void and fill the void we do.

I stumbled on to this raw baba ganoush quite by accident. The blog I frequent, but was not necessarily searching for a specific dish. But out of nowhere, this recipe caught my eye. I made it and it turned out great. But be warned, the raw garlic can be a bit overpowering if you are not use to it. But other than that, I say go for it and enjoy the joys of being raw.

2-3 Cloves of garlic
1/2 C Cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
1 Large Eggplant, diced frozen and thawed
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 T Olive Oil
Pinch of Salt
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Advanced preparation: Peel, dice and freeze the eggplant. Thaw before you prepare the eggplant. Soak cashews.
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Start food processor and drop garlic, clove by clove into the spinning blade. It will fine dice it and throw it on the wall of the processor. Add the cashews and process until smooth. Add diced eggplant, lemon juice, olive oil and pinch of salt. Process until smooth. Enjoy with your choice of flat breads.


Here is a great recipe Rawmazing

Guacamole

There is nothing more simple and delicious and flavor absorbing than avocados. I was a late bloomer in learning their fabulous flavor. I was in my early 40's when I came around to eating this little green balls of fantasticness. But a good recipe eluded me. Yes every region has thier own distinct flavor and spices. But I was looking for a basic recipe which I could eventually elaborate on. Well I found just the recipe. I found it here, at Avocado Central , and with a name like that, how could you go wrong? You can't. This is simple, easy and more like a side dish for me. I can now eat this with anything, or nothing. Thee only thing I have left to do is go out to the garden, cut back some cilantro and we are good to go. Yippee!



Ingredients
4 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded
1 tsp ground cumin
1 ripe, medium Roma tomato, seeded, diced
½ Cup minced sweet white onion
2 serrano chilies, seeded, minced (we had none)
¼ Cup chopped cilantro leaves
4 Tbsp fresh lime juice (we used lemon juice)
Hot pepper sauce, sea salt, white pepper to taste(we used sriracha...sparingly!)

Instructions
Cut avocado in large chunks and mash coarsely in large bowl with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and blend gently - leaving some small chunks is fine. Taste and adjust seasoning with more pepper sauce, salt and pepper if desired."

Catsup Sauce

This is a great sauce and can be use don anything you use BBQ sauce with, but I put it with the Tofu stick in the previous post. Easy schmeazy, and will keep in the frig if there is left-overs. We had a little bit left over. Try it, but be warned, it has a bit of a bite due to the ginger in the recipe, but oh so good in my book.

3/4 cup water
1/4 tomato paste
2 T maple syrup
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 t pureed fresh ginger (I used my micro plainer)
1 T minced fresh parsley (right out of the garden sha-BAM)
Cayenne pepper to taste (maybe a pinch)
Salt and pepper
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Whisk together the water, tomato paste, maple syrup, lemon juice and ginger in a small pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and cook for 1 minute. Let cool. Add the parsley and season with cayenne and salt.

I did not heat this dressing, but would definitely do it next time. It definitely would have thickened it up a bit, but the flavor rocked all the same.

Another great dish from Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook.

Pineapple Salsa

Well a request has been made, but truth be told I had planned on posting this anyway. I love salsa. Oh heck, let me be perfectly frank...I LOVE FOOD, and lots of it. Plain and simple. I also found this at Jalapeno Cafe

This one is fresh and light, but do not kid yourself, it does have a bite to it, but again, I was dipping chips as fast as I possibly could.

And what is the definition of salsa anyway? Savanah asked me that as she was making these 2 different dishes.

Merriam Websters definition is: A spicy sauce of tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers

I say Bah to tradition and throw caution to the wind. Break the traditional barriers and make and eat what makes you feel good. Make this one and you will not be sorry.

2 cups fresh pineapple, chopped in small chunks
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 or 4 fresh jalapeno peppers, minced
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
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Place pineapple, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and onion in a bowl. Mix vinegar, sugar and salt together, then pour over pineapple mixture. Mix well. Refrigerate before serving.

Kick It Up A Notch Salsa

I am a chicken. Yep, I openly admit it. I do not like spicy foods. And that goes for salsa. Keep it simple and keep your hot stuff. But I am about to go against my own doctrine of spice. This salsa rocks. Savanah found it via a friend of hers who made a pineapple salsa, which is to die for, no I mean it. I will post that one later. But on to this one. Thee original recipe called for 3 jalapenos, but we took it down to 1&1/2. But we now know we can bump it up to 2 and I will not have steam coming out of my ears. We got the recipe from Jalapeno Cafe. We have used 2 of their recipes and loved both. So take a look around ad see what you can see.

Incredible Salsa

1 can (28 ounces) stewed tomatoes (we used regular canned tomatoes)
3 large jalapenos (we used 1&1/2, but will use 2 next time)
4 large cloves of garlic peeled
Salt to taste
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
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Roast jalapenos ( in oven under the broiler) until skins are blackened. (we did not do this, we used them raw) Do not remove skins, but remove stems.

Blend jalapenos in juice of tomatoes, (no tomatoes at this point) add seasonings and garlic. Add tomatoes and cilantro leaves, chop in blender for 3 seconds.

Ready to serve with your favorite tortilla chips. Keep refrigerated.

Homemade Hummus

I learned this form my husbands family. People think it is difficult to make. WRONGO! So simple. And all the ingredients can be purchased in any local grocery store...OK, maybe not in the middle of Montana.

1&1/2 cup dry chickpeas(Garbanzo beans)
2T baking soda
1/4-1/3 cup tahini
1/2-1 t salt
Juice of one lemon
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
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You can start this process before you go to bed, or if you are an early riser, as soon as you get up.(I prefer before I go to bed)

Soak your dry chick peas in enough water to be covered by about 2 inches(The beans will swell) and baking soda. the next morning, drain your beans and rinse thoroughly. Place chick peas in cooking pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, taking care to remove any foam that occurs during boiling. Once beans are cooked through, turn off heat and let beans cool down(Very important)

Once chick peas are cooled, use a straining spatula and place chick peas in a food processor. Add tahini, salt, lemon juice, and garlic. Puree, until smooth. Your hummus should be the consistency of pancake batter. If too thick, then use the reserve liquid form the boiled chick peas to thin out your hummus. If you prefer more lemon, then add it, and the same goes for the salt or garlic. I like mine garlicky and salty, you may not.

Transfer finished hummus to shallow bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with pita bread or raw veggies.