BBC Radio 2 Desert Island Discs Podcast ~ Nigel Slater
After an indulgent holiday season I have happily gone back to my healthy eating habits. Blimey, did I miss them more than I realised. I feel so much better now I have ditched wheat and sugar again. I'm always vegan..nothing will ever change that...but I had allowed myself to eat wheat breads and convenience vegan foods. All packed with preservatives, sugars and salt...so therefore by the end of the holidays I was feeling bloated and just plain horrible. It wasn't worth it. I wish I could say it was. But now the bloat has gone...I feel perkier...and my body is responding better once more. Why do we put ourselves through this? I am sat here with my decaf Green tea and glass of water...about to make my lunch time salad and I am extremely happy with this picture.
During the holidays I bought store made Hummus. I know..I can hear you gasp in horror...lol. But being human means I am liable to the occasional failure. I found them to be too acidic and this overrode the great flavour that hummus can have. And because of the preservatives I was at one point left with mouth sores. Yep..what a plonker..I know. So since getting back to my 'real' life I have been avoiding Hummus. And then I got a grip..and started looking through my many hummus recipes in my files and cookbooks. But I wanted a good and preferably a fat free version..or no added fat at least. I couldn't make a decision and then I was sat working and my thoughts drifted to the hummus search once again. I usually have Pinterest open on my desktop for those..."Argh I can't think of the words I need...." moments. lol. I tapped in a fat free hummus search and today's recipe was the first one that popped up. It had no additional fats...and it looked like it would be packed full of flavour. It is the creation of Sarah @ everydayvegan.blog.com and she gives you a great reality check when it comes to the hidden fats in regular hummus. For the original recipe and Sarah's great post simply click this link.
As with all homemade hummus it is easy to make once you have grilled or roasted the peppers. And I didn't even mind peeling the skin off of each piece as I normally do. (It usually gives me the heebies jeebies as does removing the flesh from roasted aubergines...it's a slimy texture thing..lol) Then it's a throw everything in and blitz recipe. It makes a light textured hummus and the spice really kicks in after a couple of mouthfuls...which is probably good when you are trying to keep portion control. lol. I enjoyed mine as a snack like the photo below...served with yellow pepper strips, carrot sticks and homemade Rustic Oat Cakes. It was a simple pleasure...no hidden nasties..just good, fresh and flavour filled food.
 |
| Sarah's Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus |
Sarah's Spicy Red Pepper Hummus
(Recipe from EveryDayVegan.blog.com)
1 large red bell pepper
1 can of chickpeas ( 3/4 drained)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like heat)
1/2 tsp smoked garlic
salt (to taste)
Cut large red bell pepper into quarters (dispose of stem/seeds) and place on cookie sheet that had been covered in foil. Roast under the broiler at 500'F until skin is blackened. (Or roast in a hot oven as I did ~R~) Take out and transfer to a bowl, cover and let set for 10 minutes - once cool, peel off burnt skin and discard, then place the rest of the pepper in food processor along with chickpeas ( 1/4 of liquid in can) and all remaining ingredients. Pulse until smooth. Serve.
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Thursday was excellent....
~Red~
NB: This recipe is not mine and therefore I take no credit for its creation. It is the hard work and creation of Sarah @ Everydayvegan.blog.com. I thank her for a great recipe..~R~
