Cilantro Hummus and Mexican Dip!

Hey guys and gals! We hope y’all had a good Easter weekend! For ours, my mom and step-dad threw together a last minute family gathering at their house. It was really fun and full of flavorful food! Since my mom and step-dad decided to go plant-based over 2 months ago, most of the food we served was vegan-and scrumptious :). My mom made her famous red beans and brown rice, a veggie pad thai, vegan spinach “cream cheese” dip, vegan potato salad, and a vegan seven-layer dip, among other things like veggie dogs with veggie chili. I added to the mix by making Cilantro Hummus and a Mexican Corn and Bean Dip. Everything was so good! A few other members of our family even brought over a veggie dish or 2! While not everyone may understand or is very keen on this lifestyle and way of eating, most people really enjoyed all the dishes.

I got the idea for cilantro hummus from the New Orleans Farmer’s Market on Saturday. My mom and I went early that morning to get some fresh produce and one vendor, a Lebanese woman who we always see there, made a cilantro hummus dip that she was selling. We tasted it and thought it had such a fun, flavorful kick! So I decided I’d try to replicate the idea. This makes a yummy dip for chips or carrots and veggies. Also, I think it would be a great addition to a veggie sandwich! Nix the mayo-add the hummus! Here’s what I sorta did!

Cilantro Hummus Dip (serves 6-10)

I am approximating a bit here, as I added and tasted as I blended-which I recommend you do as well.

3 cans garbonzo beans
half an avocado
1 tsp ground cumin
2 lemons squeezed
3 large garlic cloves
fresh cilantro leaves torn off the stems-I’d add this as you go to see how much you want. I added then blended then tasted a lot so I don’t know how much I really used.
olive oil-as needed but I wouldn’t use a lot since it’s fatty…
water as needed for whatever consistency you want

Blend all together!

Also, below I am giving you the recipe for an easy, tasty, affordable dip that you can bring to any party and people will love you for it!

Mexican Bean & Corn Dip (serves 6-10)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can rotel (I used lime & cilantro-but any should work fine)

1 can shoepeg corn, drained

1 avocado, chopped up

1/3 purple onion

2-3 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all together! Ole!

Eating Out New Orleans: Santa Fe Tapas Vegan Brunch

This past Saturday, we spent the entire day out and about with our mom. For lunch, we decided to be adventurous and try out a restaurant that we had heard about through the New Orleans vegan community grapevine.

Every Saturday, Santa Fe Tapas on St. Charles has a vegan brunch. Everything was absolutely delicious! Probably one of the best meals any of us have ever eaten! As soon as they brought us our meals, all 3 of us immediately whipped out our iPhone’s to take pictures! Everything was so pretty and looked incredible and we had to document this! The tamales were our favorite, though, hands down. And the bananas foster – oh my goodness! To die for!

Here’s what we ordered:

Roasted Vegetables Vegan Tamales, Poblano Mole, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole

Crisp marinated Tofu, Piquillo Roasted Corn Spinach Shallot Orzo (Risotto)

Panneed “Scallopini” Parsnip Potato Latke, Asparagus Amandine

Bananas Foster (with house made vegan ice cream!)

If anyone has a delicious vegan tamale recipe, please share it with us! We’ve been dreaming about it ever since!

Ole’ Ole’ Ole’! Veg-head Mexican Tortilla Soup

Ok guys, THIS is my FAVORITE soup ever! I came across it while surfing through vegetarian food blogs and posts a long time ago and it’s officially my top dish at home! If it were a website, it would have the most hits, let’s put it that way. Mexican is one of my favorite flavors of food and I’m almost always up for it-so this soup is a major staple in our home. Plus it makes a big pot so I can eat on it all through the work week!

I had to have portraits taken with my favorite soup!

It’s seriously AMAZING! The original recipe suggests cheese, sour cream, chips and avocado as garnishes to the dish. So that was all that I had to alter in order to vegan-ify it! -just use whole grain chips and avocado-cilantro would be great too!

Let’s get cooking!

You’ll need:

Water for sautéing
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 ounce) can diced mild green chiles, drained
2 (10 ounce) cans RoTel Diced Tomatoes with Lime & Cilantro
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (32 ounce) containers Organic Vegetable Broth
2 (15 ounce) cans organic black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions:

1. In a small bowl mix together cumin, sweet paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, coriander, and black pepper. Set aside.

2. In a large pot heat the water over medium high. Add the onions and bell peppers. Sauté until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the spices and garlic; cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the green chile peppers, RoTel, corn and vegetable broth. Cook until warmed through. Add the black beans and cook for 2 minutes before serving. Squeeze in lime juice. Serve in bowls and garnish as desired.

This original recipe is linked here: http://www.thecookingphotographer.com/2010/11/spicy-vegetarian-tortilla-soup-giveaway.html (Thanks, Cooking Photographer!!!)

Happy Eating! Ole!

-Kelli 🙂