Pizza Hummus

After making my Pizza Dip for the first time a few weeks ago, I'm been on a major pizza-y dip kick. And now that there is no more cottage cheese to buy here for the time being (oh, the woes of Saba), I tried using chickpeas to make a pizza-y dip instead.  And then I made it again, and again. Yep, it worked well.

Every time I've made these dips (both the cottage cheese one and this hummus version here), I change things up a bit depending on my mood, my time commitment, and what ingredients I have on hand.  Below is a basic recipe with various add-in options listed.

You could even make a pizza using this dip as the sauce- it would work wonderfully for a vegan pizza as long you left out the cheese and pepperoni, of course.  I've also spread it on a baked portobello mushroom (similar to this here) for a light lunch.  Or just dip with veggies or crackers or chips or whatever you like.  Or make a "pizza" out of the dip: make a basic version of this, spread it in your serving dish and top with layers of other pizza-y ingredients (olives, chopped tomato, artichoke, pesto, cheese, etc).  However you decide to use this stuff, I'm sure it'll be a hit.

What You Definitely Need:

1 can of Chickpeas (14-19 ounces, doesn't really matter)

2-4 fresh Garlic Cloves (or a head of roasted garlic)

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1-2 teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar

Olive Oil/Broth/Water

1/2 cup Pizza sauce/ Marinara sauce/ Pasta sauce (some sort of tomato sauce that is pre-spiced- if you use plain canned tomatoes, you'll need to make sure to add extra spice)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Italian Seasoning, to taste

And What Would be Great to Add:

1/2 cup roasted Eggplant, skin removed

1/2 cup canned Artichoke in brine, drained

2-3 tablespoons good quality Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup "Broiled Pepperoni" slices (or regular, but if you broil it for a few minutes first, you can drain out the grease and it also becomes a little crispy)

1/4 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes

handful of Arugula 

Red Pepper Flakes

Just blend everything in the blender, adding your olive oil and other liquids as needed.  I start with a little olive oil and then add either water or broth to cut down a bit on the calories.  Just olive oil would be fine, of course.

Experiment and Enjoy!

Baba Ghanoush with Artichoke

This isn't the most authentic baba ghanoush recipe, but it is pretty darn good.  In fact, I think it is the best baba ghanoush I've ever made (good enough that after making it the first time, I made it again two days later).  The boyfriend gave his stamp of approval as well.  

The main differences from traditional baba ghanoush are the addition of artichokes and omission of tahini.  Both changes were circumstantial- I wanted to add a little more bulk to it and happened to have an open can of artichokes, and there is no more tahini in the grocery stores on Saba for the time being- and I'm glad that circumstances were what they were.  This is delicious! 

What you need:

1 medium/large Eggplant

Salt

1 head of Garlic

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, canned in brine

Olive oil

Start by roasting the eggplant and garlic:  You can either roast the eggplant whole or cut it in half.  If whole, poke a few holes in it with a fork.  If cut in half, spray with olive oil and roast cut side down on a baking sheet.  Roast at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on size of eggplant and whether or not you cut it in half.  The flesh should be VERY soft and smushy.  You can roast the garlic right along with the eggplant: cut off the top of the head to expose the tips of the cloves.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast for 30 minutes.  

Allow the eggplant and garlic to cool.  Scrape the flesh (including the seeds) away from the skin.  Discard skin.  Remove garlic cloves from their papery covering.  Add eggplant, garlic, lemon juice, and artichoke to a blender or food processor.  Add a little water (or the brine from the artichoke) and a drizzle of olive oil.  Pulse to begin blending it.  Add more oil and water (or just oil, but I like to add some water to cut calories) until it can be fully blended.  Season with salt.

Peanut Pesto

A delightful twist on regular pesto.  No need to buy expensive pine nuts!

What you need:
2/3 cup honey roasted peanuts
1 hot pepper, chopped
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup fresh parsley
3 T soy sauce
3 T rice vinegar
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
Olive Oil/ Water

Place all ingredients except oil/ water in blender.  Add oil/ water as necessary to create a thick paste (I used about half water and half oil).

Enjoy as a dip, spread, or base for a pasta sauce.  I made a tuna salad using this, canned tuna, chopped onion and celery, and olive oil mayonnaise 

Hot Pepper and Roasted Eggplant Spread

This recipe is inspired by Baba Ghanoush, a Levantine spread commonly served with pita bread.  Mine is a good bit different- for one thing, it is green due to all of the herbs and peppers.  It also does not have the tahini or very much oil at all.  It would probably be even better if you did add tahini or more olive oil, so give it a try if you're trying to cut down on fat intake.

What you need:

3 small eggplant (4-5 inches long and 1.5-2 inch diameter)
1/2 head of garlic
3-4 Serrano peppers (or a different hot pepper if you want.  Also, use more or less depending on how much heat you want), roughly chopped
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 packed mint leaves
2 T lemon juice
1 T soy sauce
1-2 t olive oil
1-2 t black pepper
Salt to taste

First, turn the oven on to 375 degrees Farenheit to roast the eggplant and half of the garlic (or you can roast all of the garlic if you find lots of fresh garlic too pungent).  Place the whole eggplants and peeled garlic cloves on a baking sheet.  Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle salt on the garlic.  Roast for the garlic for about 20 minutes and the eggplant for 30-40, or until the skin is all brown and it is soft to the touch.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

While the eggplant is roasting, you can work on the rest of it:  Place both types of peppers, the onion, mint, lemon juice, soy sauce, vinegar, olive oil, and black pepper in the blender.  Puree, adding splashes of the same liquids if it does not have enough liquid already to blend.

Peel the the skin off of the eggplant and add these and the garlic to blender.  Puree and you're done!