Tomato Basil Hummus

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups garbanzo beans, cooked (1 – 15.5 oz. can)
3/4 cup crushed tomatoes (in puree)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon tahini
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor add all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into container, chill and serve.

NOTES: You could use this tomato basil hummus recipe as a basic hummus recipe and substitute out the tomatoes and basil for other combinations of ingredients to suite your taste, for example roasted red pepper. This can be used as a dip with pita chips and vegetables or served in pita bread with falafel.

Tofu Tikka Masala

INGREDIENTS:
Marinade
1 block of tofu
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp garam masala
1 clove of garlic crushed
½” piece of ginger crushed
Salt and pepper to season

Gravy
1 medium onion preferably red, chopped
½ a can of crushed tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 inch piece of ginger minced
1 small stick cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garam masala
½ cup almond milk (plain)
2 tbsp almond butter (optional)
Lemon juice to make the gravy tart
Salt and pepper (if necessary)

DIRECTIONS:
Drain tofu and chop into squares. Combine spices and lemon juice in a bowl. Add tofu, stir around and let marinate. I let it sit for about 20 minutes and warmed the oven to 350. Transfer the tofu to a cooking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Move them around after about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.

In a skillet, heat water. Next add the whole spices and warm for a few minutes. I made it a bit more than paste by adding a bit more water. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook till the onions are translucent.

Next, add the crushed tomatoes. Cooking the tomatoes is the KEY step in this gravy. If the tomatoes stay undercooked, the taste of the final product will suffer. So how do you know, well add the tomatoes and the spices and cook till you see the edges of the tomatoes separating from the pan (never saw this with my tomatoes).

Next add the almond butter, ½ cup of water and almond milk. Mix and let it come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add lemon juice and season to taste. Finally add the tofu and let it go for another 5 minutes, so that the tofu can soak the liquid and spices.

NOTES: I omitted ALL of the olive oil, it wasn’t needed to saute the onion and didn’t want to load the dish with unnecessary fat. I might use the juice of 1 lemon for the marinade since I omitted the olive oil. All the tofu was well coated when it went into the oven.

I also wish I had used some more crushed tomatoes in the recipe, possibly a 1/4 cup more would have made for a more consistent gravy.

SOURCE: The Healthy Diary