Day 15, or "I Got Skills"

Hummus-making skills, that is. But more on that later. 

Yesterday was another great day both in life and as a vegan. Armed with new a few new ingredients, lunch was a colorful salad oasis. Instead of using bagged lettuce like I usually do (it saves so much time, plus we don't have a salad spinner), I bought two small heads of romaine lettuce, which will double well should I decide to make a veggie sandwich any time soon (I'm thinking lunch Wednesday). 

Earlier, I also had my three pieces of fruit for breakfast (apricot, kiwi, grapefruit), purchased at the farmer's market right outside my house. 

For dinner, I was going over to Kathryn's house because Anya's mom was in town and cooking for us that night. I wanted to bring something that I knew I would be able to eat, and I'd been craving hummus for, well, since I got here in January. I also had a slew of diced broccoli and cauliflower left over from the curry (still) that needed to be used up. The only problem was that I didn't have a food processor, but I was sure it could still be done. After reading a bunch of recipes online, I made up my own using tips from each. And I must admit, it was completely perfect.

Homemade Hummus Without a Food Processor

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas (do not drain)

3-4 tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)

1 clove garlic, pushed through a garlic press

lemon juice, for texture and taste (approx. 2-3 tbsp)

ground chili powder, to taste

fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions: Drain the chickpea water into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat. Discard the shells from the chickpeas, adding each pea to the saucepan as you go. This is a pretty time-consuming process, but mashing the peas by hand is much easier if you don't have the shells to work with. Transfer the simmered chickpeas to a bowl and mash with a fork, adding liquid from the saucepan as needed. Add garlic and tahini and continue mashing. Depending on the consistency and the flavor you are going for, add the lemon juice a tablespoon at a time. Garnish with the parsley, and serve with diced vegetables and/or corn chips. Enjoy!

The appetizer was a huge success at Anya's dinner party. I had planned on making two cans worth of hummus, but the shell-discarding process took longer than I had anticipated and I ran out of time. Guess I'll just have to use the other can for myself. . .

Luckily for me, Anya's mom was very sympathetic to my "situation" and offered to make vegan versions of the salad and pasta she was serving (Anya is a vegetarian, so all that had to be omitted was the cheese). The beet and walnut (and bleu cheese) salad she served made me want to go out and buy my own beets for salad:

The pasta was delicious - tomato, basil, and sautéed eggplant (which I avoided like the plague - I'm allergic to eggplant). I played guitar during dessert, so it wasn't too painful to watch the little chocolate-marzipan cakes topped with chocolate chip ice cream go by. No seriously, it wasn't.