For my book club this past weekend, I made Lemon Dill Hummus.
I used to dislike dill. Or maybe I never really ate dill except for dill pickles, which I hate, so I thought I also hated dill the herb.
Lately, it turns out I really love it. I love tzatziki (although I make mine without mint), and I love dill potato salad (hold the mayo).
Rather than look up a recipe, I mentally adapted my typical hummus recipe. It turned out pretty good, although very lemon-forward.
Lemon Dill Hummus
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas
1/4 c olive oil (can sub aquafaba–the liquid from the canned chickepeas–if you’d prefer no oil)
2 tbsp tahini
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (you can use fresh garlic, but it often overpowers the hummus)
1/2 c dill, split in half
dash of salt
Directions
Remove the stems from dill and chop 1/4 c of dill. Put aside.
Mix everything else in a high-powered blender or a food processor until smooth. I generally add the olive oil slowly so that I can get just the right consistency (by adding more or less than the amount in the recipe).
Stir in the remaining dill by hand, transfer to serving dish, and garnish with any remaining dill.
I served this hummus with plain pita chips, and garlic-parmesan pretzel crisps. It would also be good with cucumber slices or carrots.
As I mentioned, it came out very lemony. If I were making it again, I might switch it to 1/3 c each of olive oil and lemon juice, and then use olive oil or aquafaba to thin it to your desired consistency.
Originally, I had planned to also serve tzatziki dip as well. However, due to time constraints, I didn’t get to it. I will be making it later this week along with some tofu, and I’ll try to share some photos and a recipe when I do.
However, I hate the fact that often they aren’t vegetarian due to the refried beans, and the chips are always soggy or bare.
I decided to make my own plant-based nachos and see how they stack up to the competition.
It turns out, if you put the chips on the side, this solves the problem having soggy and bare chips! A nacho purist might argue against this, but I feel this is 100% needed improvement.
I’m pretty happy with how these came out, and would definitely make again.
Plant-based nachos recipe
Ingredients
Vegetarian refried black beans (Amy’s)
Fire roasted diced tomatoes
Plant-based cheese (Chao Mexican blend)
Avocado
Garlic – minced
Lime juice
Cilantro – chopped
Plant-based sour cream (Sprouts)
Hot sauce (Today I used Orange Sauce from La Vic’s)
Tortilla chips
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 375°
Layer in an oven-safe dish: refried beans, tomatoes, and then cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.
While that’s baking, combine avocado, lime juice, garlic, and cilantro. Add salt if you like! I typically use 1 avocado, 1 teaspoon of lime juice, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and a pinch of cilantro. Adjust lime juice depending on how ripe the avocado is.
When the cheese is melted, remove from oven, top with avocado mixture, sour cream, hot sauce, and additional cilantro.
I’ve been suffering from acid reflux, chronic sinus issues, and IBS. A few years ago, a doctor recommended an elimination diet. Well, the acid reflux and the IBS got a LOT better during the elimination phase.
Then I did a really shitty job of adding things back in and went crazy with pizza and wine. As far as I can tell, the IBS symptoms are most likely caused by corn, dairy, and/or not having enough fiber. When I was doing the elimination part, I ate an apple every day, and lots of lentils.
So, here I am trying again to get to the bottom of this and find the mysterious thing that’s making me sick. At the very least, this is a good opportunity to kick the caffeine habit. My doctor thinks that’s the most likely cause of my acid reflux issues, which might also be causing the sinus issues.
This time around I am doing a much shorter list. For three weeks:
No gluten
No dairy
No corn (it’s hiding in everything, this one is hard)
No soy (also hiding in a lot of things)
No eggs (easy, pretty much don’t eat them already)
No caffeine
No fake sugars (like sorbitol)
This time I am allowing alcohol, sugar, nightshades, and refined oils. Hopefully, I will still get some results. Once the three weeks are up, the key is to add things back one at a time and monitor for any symptoms.
Since I can’t order a pizza, tonight I made a salad. Roxy really enjoyed getting some scraps of green beans. I swear, she’ll eat anything if she thinks it’s people or cat food.
Lemony Dijon Dill Bean Salad
1 can butter beans
1 can black beans
1 can chickpeas
1 to 2 cups green beans
1/2 red onion (diced)
1 cup sliced radishes
1-2 TBSP Old Style (grainy) mustard
1-2 TBSP Dijon mustard
juice from 1 lemon (or 2 TBSP)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 TBSP dill (chopped)
This salad is really easy to make. If you don’t want to do ANY cooking, leave out the green beans.
Trim and cut the green beans into bite-size pieces. Blanch by boiling for 2 minutes, then transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water until cool. Pat dry and then place in a bowl.
Drain and rinse the canned beans, and place them into your bowl.
Add the onions and radishes.
Mix the mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and dill. Toss w/ salad or serve on the side.
