Moroccan Spiced Hummus

When I was a chef at the Ravens', one favorite starter on the menu was the grilled mushroom salad, or more formally, Grilled Moroccan Spiced Trumpet Mushrooms over fresh cut romaine, red bell pepper, celery, red onions, and olives with lime-cilantro vinaigrette. The mushrooms were marinated in fresh squeezed orange juice, tons of garlic and paprika and grilled to perfection. I was so taken by these flavors and then this hummus was born.

More recently, I occasionally can be found preparing it in 5 gallon quantities at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY. To day at lunch we served over 600 people - this is how I've spent my summer, making hummus, dressings, and all salad bar essentials for the dining hall. This adds up to about 500 gallons of hummus that I've made personally.

Five hundred gallons of hummus. That's enough to fill this fish tank:

And I'm still not entirely sick of it. The secret is the many variations that hummus can be a canvas for. This one here is definitely my favorite.

Moroccan Spiced Hummus

1/4 cup garlic cloves
4 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cans organic garbanzo beans (chickpeas) (15 ounces each)
6 tablespoons tahini
6 tablespoons orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
dash of salt
dash of black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper


In small pan over low heat, gently cook garlic cloves and olive oil until garlic is golden brown. Drain out the oil and let both the oil and the garlic cool separately and completely.
(*Alternatively you can roast the garlic in the oven, or just use raw.)

In a high-speed food processor, puree garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, orange juice, paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper until perfectly smooth. If it is too thick, add more orange juice. When at desired consistency, slowly stream in olive oil while food processor is running. Serve with crudite, crackers, in a sandwich, however you do your hummus!

Mac-Un-Cheese 2.0

Finally, a natural neon-orange glow.

As I mentioned before, my sister made Chef Chloe's The BEST Vegan Mac N' Cheese for Thanksgiving, and needless to say it has become a staple in our house. However, our budgets don't allow for enough nutritional yeast to make this as often as we like. Plus, odd as this may sound, I'm actually not a big fan of the stuff. In order to make it work, I found I could make a few adjustments to cook a delicious yeast-free version that still hits the spot.

My original yeast-free Macaroni Un-Cheese has an earthier taste and texture; visually, it really screams "HEY I'M VEGAN" but this new 2.0 version has a much more omni-friendly appearance. Also, the 2.0 is free of Tofutti, which may be expensive and is certainly no nutritional superstar (although pretty tasty).

And of course I encourage you to add some veggies in, stir them in when the sauce is on the stove, over low heat.

Mac-Un-Cheese 2.0

1 box whole wheat penne rigate (13.25 oz)
2 T tomato paste
2 T miso paste
1 T tahini
3 T unshelled pistachios, finely ground
1/4 c silken tofu
1 c almond milk
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c whole wheat flour
dash of sea salt
dash of black pepper

Prepare penne as box's instructions.

While water/pasta is boiling, combine tomato and miso pastes, tahini, ground pistachios, tofu, and almond milk in high speed blender. Blend until completely smooth.

Add oil and flour into a shallow pan over low heat, stirring until a roux is formed. Pour in mix from the blender, stir and turn off heat. Set aside until pasta is ready.

After draining pasta (when appropiate), return pasta to the pot and pour cheeselike-sauce in. Stir until well-mixed, adding a dash of salt and pepper to taste.