Sweet Potato Hummus

Sweet Potato Hummus

This. Is. So. Yummy. I could just eat this all by itself. I previously made a post about the hummus at Wegmans, and how delicious it was. Well, I found the perfect recipe for the sweet potato variation!

Adapted from wholeliving.com recipe.

Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. (about 2 1/4 cups mashed) sweet potatoes, baked, without skin
• (Place 3 medium sized sweet potatoes on baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 50-60min or until a knife inserts easily when pierced. Let cool. Remove skins.)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice (add 1 tbsp if you like it be more tangy)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp reduced sodium salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 3/4 cups canned low-sodium chickpeas
• 1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)

Directions:

Easy as pie!

Add all ingredients to food processor...Process until super-smooth (about 5 min), periodically scraping the mixture down the sides if needed.

Cashew Nut Cream

I used this recipe to make the Vanilla Cashew Cream variation, for my strawberry muffins, but it can be a neutral creamy base for many other ideas. I think it tastes just like regular dairy cream, only thicker. It is not heavy like a nut butter; it's surprisingly light, and has that creamy richness of dairy cream. Using different herb/spice blends, you could probably make this into a variety of different vegan 'cream' sauces. I made this to be used later in a chicken tikka masala recipe, but since I couldn't wait to eat some, I mixed some up with a little vanilla and stevia, to make my breakfast muffin extra special.

Basically all you have to do is soak raw cashews in cold water over night, and then in the morning, drain & rinse them. Then purée them in the food processor with some water until it completely smooth. It's that easy! 

Cashew Nut Cream

Makes about 2 cups 

1.5 cups raw cashews*

3/4 cup cold water

1. Put cashews in a bowl and fill with enough cold water to cover them. Cover and let soak overnight/12 hrs.

2. Drain and rinse cashews. Add to food processor. Start running processor, and slowly stream in 3/4 cup cold water. Continue to purée until smooth, periodically stopping to scrape down sides as necessary. 

*Depending on the recipe you want to use this for, you could sub in roasted cashews, but I would suggest not using salted ones  

Vanilla variation:

For 1 big dollop

1.5 tbsp cashew nut cream

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp stevia

Recipes using Cashew Nut Cream:

Strawberry Chia Seed Muffins
Chicken Tikka Masala (coming soon)

Pineapple-Ginger Marinade & Broiled Salmon

Broiled salmon filets with marinade semi-reduction

Yum. What is great about this is that the citrus and sweet flavors mask any hint of fishiness that might have been without the marinade. I’m fairly new to liking seafood, and still really only tolerate the freshest, non-fishy fish like halibut, sole, and tilapia. I have been wanting to love salmon too, and hadn’t really found any preparation I liked, other than those in which the salmon is swimming in some kind of teriyaki sauce.

From The New AHA Cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp reduced-sodium tamari
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp sesame hot chili oil 
• 1 tsp canola oil

Marinate the salmon filets (makes enough for about three 4-oz filets) in the mixture for 30 minutes. To cook the filets, spray the broiling pan will cooking oil. Broil them about 5 inches from the broiler, for 5-6 min on each side. While the filets are cooking, transfer the marinade mixture to a sauce pot, and heat on medium high. Bring to a boil, and cook on a low-boil for about 10 min, or until it has thickened slightly and reduced. Pour over the finished filets when serving.

Broiled salmon with steamed vegetables and lemon-thyme rice