Wait, Dinosaurs?

Well, Mike stole my post day, but that won't stop me from posting anyway. MY POST DAY, MINE.

Anyway, congratulations to Mike for actually doing research on a diet.

By the way, dinosaurs, Mike? Really.

On to more important things, like delicious food. This week, I had some fresh chickpeas that I had soaked sittin' in my fridge. What was a girl to do? I decided to make some yummy hummus. If you know me at all by now, you should know that I didn't just make regular no-flavor hummus. I added my own twist.

Spicy Roasted Veggie Hummus

1 1/2c chickpeas, dry

1/4c tahini

1/4-1/2c olive oil

water for thinning

1 red bell pepper

1 head of garlic

6 scallions

1T chili powder

2t garlic powder

2t onion powder

1/4-1/2t salt

1/2t cayenne pepper

1. Soak chickpeas overnight in plenty of water.

2. After the chickpeas have soaked, roast the bell pepper, head of garlic, and scallions for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. I cut my bell pepper into four pieces, cut the tips off the garlic, and brushed all the veggies with olive oil.

3. Put the chickpeas and tahini in a food processor and blend until well combined. Add the olive oil and water until it reaches a good consistency. Add the veggies and spices. Blend until well combined, adding water and/or olive oil as needed.

Even the color of this stuff is fabulous. I love the flavor of this stuff, but I have to warn you, this makes A LOT OF HUMMUS. I really wasn't intending on making this much hummus. So after filling my large mason jar with hummus and still having a ton leftover.. I was left wondering what to do with it. I decided on making pizza! Remember my pizza dough? Well, I did that except I didn't use flax this time. I used mostly oat flour, with a little buckwheat flour. Fresh ground for both of course. I really see no reason in buying flour when it's so easy to ground your own. This recipe also utilizes another creation of the week, vegan cheese.

This stuff is really easy to make.

Super Cheesy Vegan Cheese!

2c cashews

1c nooch

2T miso

1 1/2c water PLUS water for thinning

2T agar agar

1/2t xanthan gum

1. Begin by soaking the cashews for at least 24 hours in a warm place. They get a nice smell to them when you do this, I think maybe they start to ferment. Regardless, it adds extra flavor to the cheese so don't skip this!

2. Blend the cashews, nooch, and miso until well combined in a food processor. Slowly add water until it reaches a consistency you like. 

3. Add the mixture to a bowl, cover and let it sit for at least 24 hours in a warm spot to ferment some more.

4. After the cheese has set for at least 24 hours, add 1 1/2c water to a small saucepan along with the agar agar and xanthan gum. Heat on the stovetop and let it come to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes, until it's a gel consistency.

5. Blend the gel with the cheese mixture until well combined.

6. Pour into a bread loaf dish, cover and refrigerate all night.

Voila! Cheese!

So with all this on hand, I went forward with my pizza. 

Scrumptious Pizza

1 recipe of pizza dough

1t olive oil

1t garlic powder

1t onion powder

1/4t salt

4 slices vegan cheese

1-2c spicy hummus

4 slices of a large tomato

1/2 small red onion, sliced

1 c baby argula

1. Roll the dough out in a 8x8 baking dish.

2. Combine the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Brush onto the dough.

3. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 5 minutes.

4. Spread the hummus on the dough. Top with the cheese, tomato, and onion. 

5. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

6. Top with the arugula and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Pizza pizza! Who needs to order pizza when it's so easy and delicious to make your own? :)