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.

Baked Nacho-style Kale Chips

Craving potato chips but not really wanting to induge because you don't want to be naughty? Well that will no longer be a problem with my yummy Nacho-style crunchy Kale Chips. You can indulge in firsts, seconds, & even thirds if you feel the need, completely guilt free!

This recipe is made baked in the oven, purely because not everyone owns a dehydrator. But, if you are following a raw diet, you can substitute the olive oil for the juice from 2 lemons & 1 cup of cashew nuts (soaked for 2 hours) blended together, and the vegan cheese for nutritional yeast.

Ingredients

• 2 bunches kale
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder or fresh crushed (both will work)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 5 tablespoons vegan parmigiano style powder cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Wash the kale, trim & discard the stems. Tear the leaves into chip-sized pieces.
3. Place the kale in a large bowl & drizzle with the oil. Toss the leaves with the chilli, garlic & salt, until thinly coated.
4. Place the kale on the baking sheets in a single layer. (You may need to repeat the baking process again to avoid the kale being on top of each other, depending on how big your oven is).
5. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until the leaves start to go brown at the edges, be careful not to let them burn as the chips will get slightly bitter. Turning them part way through.
6. Remove them from the oven, sprinkle with the vegan cheese, and then let them cool for a few minutes to make them crunchy.
7. Serve... & eat! :)

You could also serve the baked kale straight from the oven as a side dish.