Category Archives: Appetizers
Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip
This is my second favorite spinach artichoke dip! (First favorite here!) I’ve made this for a few gatherings and people love it!! My kids love it too, double bonus!! I serve this with fresh veggies on the side. I love using the leftovers in my collard wraps or on sprouted bread for the kids!
- 2 (14oz) cans artichoke hearts (in water), chopped
- 16 oz frozen spinach
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ~ 1/3 cup water
- juice of 1/2 medium-sized lemon (a little under 2 Tbsp)
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- smoked paprika, to top (optional)
- Add frozen spinach and artichokes to large saucepan over medium heat and cook until thawed, stirring often.
- Place cashews in food processor, process until your cashews become a flour then begin to pour in your water until you get a creamy consistency.
- Once your spinach is completely thawed and it’s all good and warm, drain the excess water from your saucepan and add spinach and artichoke to a large bowl.
- Add your creamy cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and seasons to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Place in pretty dish, sprinkle with smoked paprika and serve!
- You can serve this now or stick it in the oven at 300 for about 10-15 minutes. Both ways are good!

Process cashews into a flour using your food processor, slowly add water until it reaches a creamy consistency. (This was before I added more water to make it smooth)

Add creamy cashew mixture to spinach/artichokes and stir well. Add in lemon juice, nutritional yeast and all the spices and combine well. Serve immediately sprinkled with a little smoked paprika or bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 300 degrees
Original recipe from iknowsquat.com
Coconut “Bacon” Roasted Chickpeas
I’ve been obsessed with roasted chickpea lately! I’m determined to invent a bunch of new flavors since we eat them so often! The coconut it totally optional if you don’t like it, they’re great with or without! These would also go great on a salad or thrown in a wrap!!
Coconut “Bacon” Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients:
1-15oz can chickpeas – drained, rinsed and patted dry OR 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
Marinade:
1 Tbsp. liquid smoke – I buy Colgin brand
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
1 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (I used Grade B from Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut – I used finely shredded for this first batch because it’s all I had. Next time I will use the large unsweetened flaked coconut AND probably use 1/2 cup.
Instructions:
1. Mix marinade together in a small bowl and pour over chickpeas (I used a ziploc bag but you can use a shallow dish if you prefer).
2. Stick it in the fridge and marinate overnight – I let mine sit for about 12 hours.
3. Next day – drain marinade off of chickpeas and save. Preheat oven to 400 and spread chickpeas out on parchment lined baking sheet.
4. Mix shredded coconut in with the leftover marinade and set aside.
5. Bake chickpeas for 15 minutes then toss. Bake another 15 minutes and remove from oven.
6. Add coconut mixture to chickpeas, toss and stick them back in the oven for the last 15 minutes. Check to make sure the coconut isn’t burning.
7. Take them out, let sit for a minute or two then serve!

Strain off marinade and set aside. Preheat oven to 400, spread chickpeas on parchment lined baking sheet.
Other roasted chickpeas your might enjoy!
Our Favorite Hummus & Sweet Potato Hummus (2)
Here are two hummus recipes, the first one is our absolute favorite!
I make this first one at least once per week. I pack it in Ava’s lunch with snap peas or carrot sticks.
Ingredients:
2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas drained and rinsed – OR – 3 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup tahini
6 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
3-4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper – I use a few shakes of Seasonello herbal salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Drain beans and reserve the liquid when you do so OR use cooked beans.
2. Combine beans, along with the other ingredients in your food processor. Use the bean liquid or water to thin it out to your desired consistency. I use about 1/4-1/3 cup water. Adjust seasonings to your liking and enjoy on everything!

Blend ingredients in food processor until it reaches your desired consistency – use bean liquid or water to thin it out.
Sweet Potato Hummus
You may have seen this one on my Facebook page. A few people asked for it so I figured I’d better post it before it gets lost!
1 large cooked sweet potato, cut into chunks
1 can or 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
3-4 Tbsp tahini
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste (I did a pinch)
Black pepper, to taste
Water or bean liquid
Place ingredients in food processor, add water or bean liquid while its running until you get the consistency you like. Scrape sides, run again.
Oil-Free Garlicky Lemon Dipping Sauce (Guest Blogger!)
Here’s a new recipe from featured guest blogger, Karen Hix! You may have seen Karen on my Facebook Page or our new Facebook Group! Please be sure to read all about her at the end of this post, after you make her delicious recipe!
Take it away Karen!!!
One of the summer veggies I always love to eat is an artichoke. Problem is, since I’ve gone plant based with no oils, I can’t eat them the way I used to … melted butter, or mayonnaise with lemon. So I came up with this Lemon Garlic Sauce (two of my favorite ingredients!) which I’ve found to be totally versatile! I now have a healthy dipping sauce for my artichokes and it makes a yummy dip or topping for steamed veggies as well … But my second favorite way to eat this is over a veggie version of no-eggs benedict … toasted muffin, topped with a grilled portobello mushroom, sliced tomatoes & avocados and drenched in this sauce. Yummy! I love lemon and garlic, so bringing these together is pure paradise. Hope you enjoy!
Hmmm a little about me … well, I’m a manicurist by day, and a major foodie who loves to cook. I’ve always taken a huge interest in health … and always thought I ate healthy … until one day when I watched the movie “Forks Over Knives”. That movie, along with the book “The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell opened my eyes to a new lifestyle of healthy eating. I actually have a birthdate for going plant-based of 3/30/12 and have never looked back. I lost 10 lbs within my first 2 weeks … all because I realized my problem … was with olive oil. Now the olive oil is gone from my cooking days … and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be!
With my newfound dietary changes, I became addicted to researching recipes on the internet, and found April on her “Kid Tested Firefighter Approved” website … which is by far my favorite source for plant-based recipes! I have loved every recipe of hers that I’ve tried (and I’ve tried almost every one she’s posted!) and tell all my friends about her delicious and easy recipes. Now they’re addicted to her recipes too
I have ventured out in trying out a few recipes on my own, mostly trying to recreate some loves from my pre-plant based lifestyle. That’s how this recipe evolved. I told April about it, and she’s graciously asked me to share it with her fans. This sauce kinda reminds me of a garlicky hollandaise sauce … I hope you enjoy
Easy Plant-Based Sushi
This is one of our favorite dinners. The rolling takes a little practice but it’s worth it!
You’ll need:
* bamboo sushi rolling mat – Here’s 2 for $6.31 on Amazon
* cling wrap
* Nori seaweed sheets
* Organic Pea Shoots (Trader Joe’s)
* Organic Brown Rice – I use the frozen organic brown rice from Trader Joe’s, it’s quick! (NOTE: I also mix leftover cooked quinoa in with the brown rice – half and half)
* Seasoned Rice Vinegar
* Organic Baked Tofu – Trader Joe’s makes one or make your own
* Cooked yams
* Organic Persian Cucumbers (Trader Joe’s), red or orange pepper, cilantro, spinach (Our favorite is rainbow chard), avocado, super thin lemon slices… jalapeno is good too.
* Sriracha Sauce: I think it’s like 1/2 cup of Vegenaise to 1-2 Tbsp Sriacha
Directions:
* Stir a few teaspoons of rice vinegar into hot rice, stir and let cool to room temp
* Assemble your roll and enjoy! (See pics below)
Buffalo Ranch Roasted Chickpeas
Howdy!
Sorry (again) for my absence lately… as you know, things are a little crazy around here! Our 1-year old is now walking and our 3-year old has more energy than ever. My hubby had sinus surgery last week and is slowly recovering. I haven’t had a ton of time to cook anything new lately so I’ve been rotating old favorites. I’ve been making a lot of Italian’ish Lentil Tomato Soup because it’s easy and the kids enjoy it. I’ve also been experimenting with bean/lentil/rice burgers since they’re really easy to reheat in a hurry.
I’ve been so busy that I keep forgetting to eat and I find myself starving at night after the kids go to bed. Since that’s my only time to get things done I look for things I can eat in a hurry. I had a craving for something buffalo’ish (minus the chicken wing part) so I made up these roasted chickpea snacks the other night. They turned out REALLY GOOD!!! Our toddler enjoyed them too even though they do have a little kick to them!
Buffalo Ranch Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients:
* 2 cups of cooked chickpeas (OR you could use 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed – maybe dry them off a bit first)
* 2-3 Tbsp Frank’s Hot Sauce (more if you prefer – I sort of eyed this amount so you could use less or more depending on how coated you want them to be)
* 1/4 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
* 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
* 1/2 tsp garlic powder
* 1/2 tsp onion powder
* 1/4 tsp black pepper
* 1/4 – 1/2 tsp dried dill (optional but tasty!)
* 1-2 Tbsp dried parsley (I like a lot of parsley but see what you prefer)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Combine chickpeas with hot sauce and vinegar/lemon juice and coat evenly. Add in the nutritional yeast and spice, combine well.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out the chickpeas evenly, patting them down.
4. Roast 40-50 minutes or until slightly browned. Shake pan or stir every 15 minutes throughout the baking process!
5. Enjoy!

Combine chickpeas, buffalo sauce and lemon/vinegar first. Then add in spices and nutritional yeast, stir to combine well.
Related articles
- Dill Pickle Roasted Chickpeas (Oil-Free) (kidtestedfirefighterapproved.com)
Unprocessed Creamy Artichoke Spinach Dip
Yah, I know it’s a terrible pic but who cares because WOW this was DELISH!!! We had a pre-Father’s Day party today so I decided to serve this dip I’ve had my eye on for a while now. It was SO GOOD! Everyone enjoyed it! I made a double batch and the bowl was licked clean! It’s so nice to find a good plant-based spinach artichoke dip, especially one without some type of fake mayo or processed vegan product. Our toddler LOVED this and devoured it along with carrot and zucchini sticks.
I would’ve taken better pictures if I wasn’t slapping hands out of it first! Small price to pay for a good recipe!
The original recipe is from Deena Burton’s Plant-Powered Kitchen Another AWESOME blog you need to check out ASAP!
Creamy Artichoke Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
3/4 cup raw cashews (unsoaked)
3/4 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 medium-large cloves garlic (I used 2)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dry (ground) mustard
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups frozen artichoke hearts, partially thawed (helps for pulsing in blender) – I used canned, turned out GREAT!
2 cups (loosely packed) spinach leaves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. In a blender, first add cashews, milk, lemon juice, garlic, salt, dry mustard, and pepper. Blend until very smooth.
Add artichokes and spinach and just PULSE through. Do not fully blend, keep some chunky texture! Transfer to an oven-proof baking dish, and bake for 17-20 minutes.
** NOTE: I found that transferring the mixture to the food processor BEFORE adding the artichokes and spinach worked better than trying to pulse them in the blender since I can’t really pulse anything in my Vitamix.
Dill Pickle Roasted Chickpeas (Oil-Free)
I try to keep some type of crunchy snack in the house at all times… let me rephrase that… HEALTHY crunchy snack. I’m a crunchy snacker, I can destroy a bag of chips in no time flat if given the opportunity so I’ve learned not to set myself up for failure. Roasted chickpeas are such a great snack, nice and filling with a satisfying crunch! I’m always searching for new roasted chickpea recipes (I’m currently experimenting with a roasted buffalo “wing” chickpea recipe because I LOVE buffalo wing sauce!) so when I came across this one, I had to try it! Our toddler loved these too which kinda surprised me considering the vinegar taste.

More please Mommy!! (Forehead boo-boo. She fell running through the sprinklers at a friend’s house today, poor kid!)
Original recipe from Bitter Sweet blog, need to check out more of her recipes!
Dill Pickle Chickpea Crunchies
Basic Brine:
1/2 Cup Cold Water
1/2 Cup White Vinegar
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 – 3 Teaspoons Light Agave Nectar
3 Cups Cooked Chickpeas OR 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (SAVE THE LIQUID!)
Seasonings:
2 Tbsp leftover bean cooking liquid OR canned chickpea liquid
1/4 Cup Roughly Chopped Fresh Dill
3 Cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
12 – 1 tsp Coarse Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Mustard Powder
1/4 tsp Ground Coriander
1/4 tsp Celery Seed
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
Place all of the ingredients for the brine in a medium-sized jar, including the chickpeas, shake it up, and place it in the fridge. Allow the brine mixture to infuse into the beans for 12 – 24 hours. As one might presume, the longer the chickpeas soak, the more strongly they’ll be flavored with vinegar. It’s up to you whether that’s a good or bad thing. Bear in mind that the bite will mellow significantly after a trip to the oven, so don’t be afraid of having very vinegary beans at this stage. I let mine sit for a little over 24 hours and they turned out GREAT!
Once the chickpeas have been “quick pickled,” drain them thoroughly but do not rinse. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees while you measure out and prep the seasonings. Toss the chickpeas into a bowl along with the bean liquid and all of the aromatics, stirring so that every last bean is thoroughly coated. Transfer to a jellyroll pan or large baking dish (anything with sides- These edible marbles will want to roll right out otherwise) and spread them evenly in one layer.
Bake for 45 – 60 minutes, stirring every 15 or so, until the chickpeas have shrunken in size and are golden brown, with darker spots in some areas. It can be hard to tell when they’re done since the chickpeas will continue to crisp up as they cool, but listen closely and they should rattle when you shake the pan. Remove from heat and let cool completely before snacking and/or storing in an airtight container.
Portobello Mushroom Pizzas
Life has been so crazy lately, I feel like I can’t catch up on the things I need to do! It’s been a great summer so far… our 10-month old is kinda almost walking and our 2 1/2-year old is hilarious with her ever growing vocabulary. Sorry I’ve lagged on posting recipes lately but things have been nuts! Hope all is well with you and your family!
Ok so pizza, who doesn’t enjoy pizza?! Pizza on portobello mushrooms? What’s better than that! No bloated processed pizza crust feeling, no processed food headache… you can have pizza ALL THE TIME this way!
My hubby loved this so much he asked me to make it again this week. His last favorite, Ancho Lentil Bowls with Low-fat Vegan Cheese is fading out of heavy rotation here so we needed something new. Our toddler LOVED this pizza too, she ate a whole one and asked for more. We felt bad since we had already eaten the rest so I’ll have to make more next time.
Portobello Mushroom Pizzas
* 6-8 Portobello mushrooms (allow for at least two per person… three if you’re really hungry)
* 2 cups pizza sauce – I LOVE the Muir Glen Pizza Sauce when I don’t have time to make homemade. Use your favorite.
* Cashew Basil Cheese (see recipe below)
* Chopped roasted red & yellow peppers – I used half a jar of Trader Joe’s fire roasted red & yellow peppers in water
* 1 green pepper, chopped
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 1 can black olives, chopped
* fresh basil, chopped (add on top OR use dried italian seasoning)
* 1/2 – 1 tsp red pepper flake
Directions:
* Preheat oven by setting the broiler on low or just broil if that’s the only setting you have.
* Take a baking sheet and cover with a silicone non-stick baking mat or parchment paper for easy clean up.
* Make your Cashew Basil cheese (see below). Set aside.
* Remove stems of Portabellas and gently rub Portabellos with a wet cloth to clean. Place Portabellas ‘belly’ side up on the baking sheet.
* Spoon about 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce into each mushroom. Now spoon about 2 – 4 teaspoons of Cashew Basil Cheese on top of the pizza sauce (see recipe below).
* Top the portobellos with remaining ingredients, sprinkle with fresh basil and/or italian seasoning and a sprinkle of dried red pepper flake.
* Broil in the oven on the lowest temperature setting on the middle rack for about 10-12 minutes, watching closely as broiler temperatures vary. Serve immediately and enjoy!
The cashew nut cheese is an excellent addition to these pizzas! You could also use the Pizza Cheese recipe from a few weeks ago, that would be GOOD! I changed the original recipe to suit our tastes and nutritional needs. I plan on making the Goaty Cashew Cheeze (Thank you Melomeals!) next time and experimenting with different toppings. The possibilities are endless!
Cashew Basil Cheese
Pizza Hummus
I’ve been trying to make a new hummus flavor each week since we eat so much of it, the plain version gets a little old after awhile. I wanted to try a pizza flavored hummus since we loved the Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil “Cheese” so much. This turned out pretty good! I may use sun-dried tomatoes next time, just to see how that turns out.
Pizza Hummus
* 2 cups garbanzo beans – I used cooked beans but I think you could use about 2 cans worth, drained and rinsed
* 1/2 cup tomato sauce
* 2-3 cloves garlic
* 2 T bean liquid – I use this instead of using oil. Try water instead if you don’t have bean liquid leftover from cooking or canned
* 4-6 Tbsp nutritional yeast
* 1 1/2 – 2 tsp dried oregano
* 1 tsp dried basil
* 1/8 – 1/4 cup fresh basil – I used a little under 1/4 but just add to your liking
* pinch of salt
- Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth, taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
Related articles
- Delicious Oil-Free Hummus (kidtestedfirefighterapproved.com)
Juice Pulp Crackers
I’ve always been curious about the raw food world and I recently discovered an awesome recipe website called Choosing Raw. She has a recipe for “crackers” using leftover juicing pulp… GENIUS!!! I made another batch before this one with just pulp, chia seeds and water… turned out pretty good but this recipe is much better. I’ve made them both in my dehydrator and the oven and the results were very close in texture and dryness. I spread a thin layer of Sun Dried Tomato Basil Pizza Cheese on these and WOW was that good!! Our toddler loves these “crackers” too!!
If you find that you have too much leftover pulp, freeze it and make these at a later date! These are great with salads, as flatbreads with hummus or any other favorite topping or just as a simple snack!
Chia Juice Pulp Crackers (raw, vegan, GF)
2 cups juice pulp, tightly packed
1/2 cup ground chia seed – I ground mine in the Magic Bullet
2-3 tbsp tamari
2 tsps ground coriander
black pepper to taste
1/3-1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chia seeds, whole
1) Place pulp, ground chia, tamari, coriander, and black pepper in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Pulse to combine well.
2) Add the water and let the motor run, till mixture is right consistency (start by adding 1/4 of a cup and move up: how much you need will depend on how much liquid was in the pulp already). You want your mixture to be thick and sticky, but spreadable.
3) Add whole chia seeds and pulse to combine.
4) Spread on a Teflex lined dehydrator sheet, score into cracker shapes and dehydrate at 115 for about 5-6 hours. Flip the sheet over (you may want to put another sheet on top and then flip them both), and then dehydrate till very dry, about 4-5 more hours.
5) OVEN DIRECTIONS:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the “dough” onto it evenly. I made mine pretty thin, about 1/2 inch or so. Bake at 350 degrees until crispy. My oven batch took about an hour and I flipped them after about 40 minutes.
Related articles
- Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil “Cheese” (kidtestedfirefighterapproved.com)
California Quinoa Salad (Whole Foods Copycat!)
You have no idea how happy I am that I can make this at home now. I’ve been dreaming about this oil-free quinoa salad from Whole Foods ever since I brought a tiny little container of it home and devoured it in two seconds. I searched the internet for a copycat recipe but no luck… I saved the label from the container and decided to figure it out on my own!
This recipe makes plenty of leftovers to last you for a few (or more) days. Perfect for busy people who enjoy quick and easy leftovers. All of these measurements were estimations, just throw in the ingredients to suit your tastes. I really don’t think you could mess this up!
I’ve been eating this so fast, I haven’t had a chance to put it in a bowl and take a proper picture so please forgive me! Just trust me, you don’t need a fancy picture of this one… I PROMISE you will love it!!!
California Quinoa Salad
1 cups mixed quinoa from Trader Joe’s – regular quinoa or red quinoa would work well here too
2 cups water (for cooking quinoa – I cooked mine in my rice cooker on the white rice setting)
1/2 package frozen mango from Trader Joe’s, thawed OR 2-3 diced fresh mangos
1/4 large red onion, diced
1/2 medium to large red pepper, diced
1/2 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup unsalted, dry-toasted slivered almonds
3/4 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups frozen edamame, thawed
Juice of 2-3 limes
2-3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar.
Instructions:
1. Rinse quinoa well, cook as directed.
2. Fluff quinoa well when done, spread out and let cool.
3. Add all other ingredients and toss.
4. Enjoy cold!!
Related articles
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Spicy Lentil Wraps with Tahini Sauce(s)
Have you tried the vegan Spicy Lentil Wrap from Trader Joe’s? OMG it’s so good! I’m not that stoked on the white lavash wrap or the high’ish sodium content but in a rare pinch it works perfectly! I decided to try and find a copy recipe for that wrap, maybe make it a wee bit healthier in the process so I can have it more often. I found this recipe on theKitchn website after a few searches and decided to make it immediately.
I made the red pepper paste first. It didn’t come out the way I expected it to, it was a little runny in the end but it still tasted good! I cooked it much longer than the directions said, hoping that it would thicken up but it didn’t. It was still delicious and I plan on making it again!
I bought lavash bread/wraps from Trader Joe’s but as my luck would have it, they were out of the whole wheat ones that day so I decided to do a few on collard wraps to make it a bit healthier. The collard wraps were pretty good but not as good as the lavash bread… figures, right?!
I wasn’t super crazy about the tahini sauce recipe that came with the wrap recipe from theKitchn so I did a little hunting… maybe it was the lack of salt? Hmmm…. I found a Yogurt Tahini Sauce on one of my absolute favorite vegan food blogs Fat Free Vegan Kitchen and made that as well. Now THAT is a good tahini sauce! Her secret ingredient is ketchup, who would’ve guessed to use that! Genius!!!
Spicy Lentil Wraps with Tahini Sauce
Makes 6 wraps
1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
2 cups water
3/4 cups bulgur
2 tablespoons olive oil (I omitted this and water sautéed instead, as usual!)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 scallion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I omitted)
6 (approximately 9×12-inch) sheets lavash, white or whole wheat OR use collard wraps!
3/4 cup red pepper paste (recipe below, or use store-bought)
2 cups shredded cabbage
Tahini sauce to serve (recipe below)
Combine lentils and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 20 minutes.
Turn off heat and stir in bulgur. Let stand until water is absorbed and bulgur is soft, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil (or water for water sautee) in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent. Stir in cumin and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute.
Add onions, scallions, parsley, and salt to lentil-bulgur mixture and stir until well combined. Let cool before using to make wraps. (If you want a smoother texture closer to the Trader Joe’s version, you can run the filling through a food processor, but I like it just as it is.) You can freeze the filling in an airtight container if not using all at once.
To assemble, lay out a lavash sheet with the shorter end closest to you. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of red pepper paste across the lower 1/3 of the sheet. Top with the lentil-bulgur mixture, and then the cabbage. Roll from the bottom up, and spread an additional 1/2 tablespoon of red pepper paste across the top end to help seal the wrap. Repeat for remaining wraps.
To serve, cut each wrap in half and serve with tahini sauce on the side.
Red Pepper Paste
Makes about 3/4 cup
6 red bell peppers, cored and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I omitted this)
Olive oil to cover (if refrigerating) – I did not use this and mine kept in the fridge just fine
Combine bell peppers, cayenne pepper, and salt in a food processor and puree.
Pour the puree into a skillet over low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a paste. This can take up to 2 hours.
Let cool before using. To store, pack the paste into a jar, pour enough olive oil on top to cover, and refrigerate.

Cook up to two hours or until thickened - mine never really thickened, I cooked it for 2 1/2 hours total
Tahini Sauce
Makes about 3/4 cup
1/4 cup tahini
2/3 cup or more warm water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a fork until well combined.
Gradually stir in small amounts of additional warm water until the desired consistency is achieved.
** Fat Free Vegan’s AMAZING Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy yogurt
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch red pepper
- 4 teaspoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons water
Related articles
- Red Lentil Curry (kidtestedfirefighterapproved.com)
- Spicy Tofu & Tempeh Buffalo Bites (kidtestedfirefighterapproved.com)
Delicious Oil-Free Hummus
Who doesn’t love a good hummus recipe!? It’s just so easy to make and such a satisfying alternative to junk food dips out there. We love it on Kale Lemon Sandwiches, dolloped on top of salads, nestled inside of collard wraps or next to a plate of cold, raw veggies. Our toddler eats hummus for her morning snack with carrots, jicama, sugar snap peas, celery, daikon radishes (raw, yep she loves them!), raw broccoli and well… most of the time she uses her hands to scoop it into her mouth when the skinny carrot sticks and pulled-apart veggies take too long.
Then again, who doesn’t love a good OIL-FREE hummus recipes!?! I know I do, I’m always on the lookout for good oil-free alternatives to foods that are usually full of it, and still taste good too! This is a good plain hummus recipe but we also love Oil-Free Buffalo Wing’ish Hummus too!
I really like this recipe because it uses sesame seeds instead of tahini… I don’t know what it is about me and tahini but I always taste something funky when I use it. Some recipes, I don’t notice it but in hummus recipes, I do.
I found this recipe on The Veggie NP: Plant-Based Health Care ’s Facebook page. I tweaked it a bit to suit our taste, it’s a really great recipe! I doubled it and send a big container to work with my hubby.
Delicious Oil-Free Hummus
** Combine in a strong blender:
- 1/2 c ground sesame seeds (or tahini if that’s all you have) – Put the sesame seeds in the dry blender first, and grind, then add the rest of the ingredients.
- 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, reserve liquid OR 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
- 1-3 clove garlic
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-2 Tbsp parsley flakes
- Juice of one + lemons (or 3-4 Tbsp lemon juice) – I like lots of lemon in mine so I added extra, start with one and test to see if you want more
- Dash of cayenne pepper (optional but really adds a nice taste!)
- Blend until smooth, and serve!
- Note: Use enough liquid from canned Garbanzos to get the consistency you want: thick for sandwich spread, thinner for a vegetable dip, etc. If you’re using cooked garbanzo beans, use the cooking liquid or water if that’s all you have.
Related articles
- Buffalo Wing’ish Hummus (Oil-Free) (kidtestedfirefighterapproved.com)
































































































