Sunday Supper: Vegan Nachos

Tonight’s Supper: Nachos!
Tonight's Sunday Supper Soundtrack: "The Wishing Chair", 10,000 Maniacs

As always, for more pictures see my instagram (hiltheimpaler; #islandvegan)!

This weekend I was on the mainland for a few days and discovered the wonder that is almond cheese.  I decided on a whim to try some, and was amazed.  It melts beautifully, and without the greasiness that Daiya shreds have.  Which made it perfect for nachos!

I learned my nacho technique from my wonderful partner.  Rather than putting the toppings directly on the nachos, make a circle with the chips and put the toppings in the center.  That way the chips stay nice and crisp, and you don’t end up with a few chips covered in toppings and the rest with nothing on them.











I ate this whole thing myself, but it could definitely feed 2 people if they had relatively small appetites.

Recipe:
Ingredients
Tortilla chips
1/2 package veggie crumbles (I used Lightlife Smart Ground)
1/2 tsp. each of salt, chili powder, and crushed red pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup salsa or taco sauce
1/4 cup vegan sour cream
1/2 cup grated vegan cheese
1 avocado

Season the veggie crumbles with the salt, chili powder, red pepper, and cumin; saute over medium heat until heated through.

Place the tortilla chips in a circle around the edge of a pie plate, leaving the center of the plate empty.  In the center, layer the toppings in this order: veggie crumbles, tomato, red bell pepper, salsa, sour cream, grated cheese.  Bake at 350 until the cheese is melted, garnish with avocado, and serve.

Sunday Supper: Hummus bil "lahme" from Vegan Feast Kitchen

Tonight’s Supper: Recipe from Vegan Fest Kitchen: Bryanna's version of hummus bil "lahme" (Hummus with Spicy “Meat” and Nut Mixture)
Tonight's Sunday Supper Soundtrack: Spotify's "New Music Tuesday"

Vegan confession time: I eat an embarrassing amount of hummus each week. Like, an entire family size tub of it, by myself, every week. So, I was excited to find this recipe for a new way to consume hummus!

I made the recipe pretty much as is, with the major exception that I used store bought hummus. There are many things I love making myself, but hummus is not one of them, possibly due to the fact that I don’t have a very good food processor. The only other changes I made were to use dill as a garnish rather than chives or green onions, and I didn’t have any vegan butter so I used just olive oil to saute everything.



It turned out delicious! After layering everything together, I scooped it into a pita and served it with some carrots and broccoli, just to get some color. It was great.



 I’ll admit I was skeptical about the cinnamon, but it added just the right earthy notes to the meat mixture. And best of all, the whole thing only took 2 dishes; the frying pan and the serving plate! And, it only took about 20 minutes, start to finish, so it would be good for a weeknight, too.

Recipe (modified from http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/2014/03/my-version-of-vegan-hummus-bil-lahme.html)

1 10oz container hummus
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
12 ounces vegan hamburger crumbles
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
salt and freshly-ground pepper

Garnish:
about 3/4 cup cooked or canned chickpeas (rinsed and well-drained)
chopped fresh dill
smoked paprika

Pita bread, for serving

Spread the freshly-made hummus on a serving platter and set aside.
Heat the oil in a cast iron skilled. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the hamburger crumbles, almonds, and spices and sauté for about 7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spread the “meat” mixture over the hummus, leaving an edge of hummus visible around the
outside. Garnish with dill and cooked chickpeas. Serve in pita bread.