Tag Archives: smoked paprika

cooked, raw, spreads/creams/patés

Smoked Hummus & The Vegan Burger

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This recipe was put together in one of those days when the excitement that I had for trying out a new kind of hummus led to an unexpected number of lunch orders. Yeey!

So when I started, all that I had in mind was: hummus + beets + garlic + thyme. Somewhat of a Mediterranean flavor. But as the process started to take shape, I felt like adding more than that.

One of the main ‘taste’ ingredients turned out to be the smoked paprika powder that I love so much. It almost slipped in by itself as if called by the vivid color of the beetroot 🙂

And then, the main ‘texture’ ingredient, the one that actually holds the whole thing together is the linseeds.  Always use it freshly ground and don’t add to much, or you’ll get a slightly unpleasant taste in your food. And on top of that, way too slimy! Unless it’s consumed right away, I actually dislike it in salad.

You can also add onions and parsley, but if you’re going to refrigerate the hummus, better keep it only for serving.

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And, as the title points it out, the ‘smoked hummus’ can turn into the perfect filling for those vegan burgers that you wanna prepare when your friends are coming over! Use your imagination to simply add beside nicely sliced veggies and herbs. I even used my dear chapati pan to get the real taste of the flat bread 🙂

Hope that’s something to have fun with over the weekend!

list of ingredients

  • already prepared hummus
  • fresh beetroot
  • thyme
  • garlic
  • flaxseeds
  • smoked paprika powder
  • lemon & olive oil, if necessary
  • parsley
  • onions
dressings, raw, salads

Vegan Raita

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Is hard to hold back the temptation of posting one more Indian inspired recipe 🙂 Hope you’ll like it as much as I do! This time we have a salad, the traditional Raita which is basically a curd dish with cucumbers and tomatoes and sometimes a bit of sugar. Not this case :p

Initially I thought about making a simple tahini dressing that would soak the veggies, but then other little add-ons came in mind. And the most important one is the sweet smoked paprika flavor. So eventually I got to a recipe that looks like this:

  • small chopped tomatoes & cucumbers
  • tagliatelle style squash (or zucchini)
  • tahini based dressing with smoked paprika, ground cumin & 3 colors’ pepper
  • lemon juice & salt

optional:

  • dried yeast flakes in the dressing
  • sunflower & hemp seeds

Depending on the amount of water you use for the dressing and the juiciness of the tomatoes, you can have it soupy-ish or thicker, perhaps more suitable for a saturday night salad snack.

dressings, raw, salads

Marinated Mushrooms

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Either way you take it, mushrooms are great. Some of them taste light enough to have them raw – like champignons – while others require cooking as they’re a bit heavy. Have you ever thought of saving their  natural enzymes while having the best taste? *

There’s one easy procedure to do that – it’s called marinating and it refers to the changes of taste and texture undergone by food during long hours spent in a seasoned acidic liquid. I usually use olive oil, lemon juice and soya sauce and then add dry thyme, garlic or even dates – for a sweet twist. You can think of spices such as ground turmeric, nutmeg or cumin, but just be sure you don’t get all exotic; unless you really master tastes & flavors! My new favorite seasoning for the mushroom marinade is sweet smoked paprika – it just builds up so much taste! (most probably reminiscent of bacon aroma :))

Once you start adding the composition to the mushrooms (if there’s not enough liquid, just add water) you’ll see how they turn tender and shrink.  Leave the marinade overnight in cool place or in the fridge and then add it to your favorite salad.

list of ingredients

  • olive oil
  • lemon juice
  • soya sauce
  • optional: dry thyme, crushed garlic, turmeric, nutmeg, cumin, dates

Here are a few ideas for some truly gourmet raw mushroom dishes:

Like any other respectable protein, the mushrooms get along very well with carrots 🙂 Feel free to experiment any dish with these two, along with your favorite greens. Lots of greens.

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And this is how the pretty forest mushrooms in the above picture turned out: a dish with shredded cauliflower & carrot, red peppers, turmeric and salvia leaves.

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A sample of the smoked paprika marinade, mixed with whole grain brown rice and served with green onions.

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And another sample of a different marinade, made out of soya sauce, dates (crushed or paste) and only a bit of lemon. This is how red onions look like after spending some time in this thick liquid.

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* special warning

if your mushrooms are picked up from the forest, be sure to check if they require to be cooked over heat. some of them might be poisonous when raw!