Showing posts with label hummus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hummus. Show all posts

Sunday, August 26, 2012

The Great Gluten Free Vegan Sandwich Dilemma

Those of you that have visited my blog before will know I've been vegan for a while, (vegetarian for even longer), but after my diagnosis, and the doctor making me go gluten free things started to get complicated, particularly in the sandwich department!


Problem 1.... The bread!
Always read the nutritional info and check the ingredients when you buy bread at the market or grocery store, because just because the packet is advertised as vegan or gluten free doesn't necessarily mean its both (quite a few gluten free breads have egg in). But there are still plenty to choose from, corn tortillas and buckwheat or millet bread rocks! Or, why not forget the bread and make a wrap using collard greens or lettuce instead?! (it's lower carb too).


Problem 2.... The filling!
When I was first diagnosed, I found it so hard to find yummy fillings for sandwiches that were both vegan and gluten free, especially as most vegan meat substitutes are made with wheat gluten. So, I have to admit, Peanut butter and Jelly quickly became my go to option. But, however yummy, my trusty pb and j quickly got boring. So here are a few other sandwich ideas I've tried out...
  • Burger patty spread with hummus and salad (tastes good warm and cold). Amy's Kitchen do a great gluten free vegan 'Bistro' burger, their 'Sonoma' version is also v/g-f .
  • Roasted Mediterranean vegetables, (eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onion, mini tomatoes).
  • Soy cream cheese with mango or grape.
  • Mashed roasted butternut squash, garlic, sauteed red onion and black pepper.
  • For a variation on the classic PB and J, I love almond-nut butter, grilled banana, and my blackberry chia jelly.
  • Bean Chili with grated vegan cheese.
Or, of course, there is the best kind of sandwich.... THE ICE CREAM COOKIE SANDWICH!



Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Black Bean Hummus

I love hummus, and being a gluten free vegan it's one of the foods I know I'm okay to eat. It's such a quick, easy & (more importantly) delicious lunch/snack option, but I have been getting a bit bored with the regular store bought kind... our apartment consumes way too much of it! So I decided to experiment & came up with this recipe, using black beans. You will have to try it out yourself, but I think it tastes even nicer than using chickpeas. It's so yummy on a sandwich too!


Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups cooked black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • sprinkling sea salt & fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 small jalapeno pepper, de-seeded & chopped
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions
  1. Peel & crush the garlic cloves, place in a food processor with the cilantro, & pulse a few times.
  2. Add the black beans and the lemon/lime juice to the food processor & blend until smooth.
  3. Place the rest of the ingredients in with the black bean mix, and process until fully combined & mixed through.
  4. It can be kept in the refrigerator for a little while in a container if needed, but it can be served straight away too. Serve with raw veggies, gluten free pitta bread, or tortilla chips.