Raw Sprouted Hummus

Sometimes my mental image of myself just doesn't match up to reality.  In my head I picture myself as a complete badass.  You'd probably find my imaginary-self decked out in a pleather jacket on a motorcycle riding off into the night.  The truth of the matter is that I that I drive a hand-me-down mini van and I spent most of last night talking to my cats in a high-pitched voice before going to bed at 8:30 pm.  This is not badass behavior.

In my defense, however, I did learn how to sprout chickpeas this week and turn them into an incredible raw hummus.  If you ask me, it's pretty badass.

Now, before we begin, I have to be honest with you.  If you don't like sprouts, then this is not the recipe for you.  I actually think this raw version tastes better than traditional hummus that uses cooked chickpeas, but it definitely has the flavor of sprouts so I don't want that to be a surprise.  But, if you love sprouts like I do, badass or not, you'll love this recipe.


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Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus

I think this world would be a much brighter place if we could spend all our time doing what we love most. And if you are anything like me, that means you would spend your evening dancing around your kitchen to Colbie Caillat with your cats while eating your own weight in sweet potato hummus. Not a bad life.

It might also mean that you *accidentally* ate all of the pita chips that were intended for this photo.  Whoops.  I guess you'll just have to live with a picture of carrot sticks instead. 

This week, besides eating way too much sweet potato hummus, I decided it was time to get my Big Girl pants on and spend some time doing things that I have been putting off for far too long.  Like deep cleaning my fridge, filing my taxes, updating my finances, opening an IRA, and switching to an online bank (with a much better interest rate).  Sigh.  Sometimes we can't spend all our time doing what we love.  But we can still eat pita chips. 
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Spicy Sweet Potato Fries with Tahini Ketchup

Nothing says Thursday like standing over the stove and devouring roasted vegetables.  Especially when those roasted vegetables are sweet potato fries covered with cumin, paprika, chile powder, and sea salt.  Then dipped in... wait for it... tahini ketchup.  Yep, I went there.

I spent this last week on a sweet potato fry marathon.  I baked over two pounds of sweet potatoes and dipped them in almost every sauce I could think of.  Hummus?  Tried it.  Miso ginger dressing?  Tried it.  Balsamic vinegar and olive oil?  Tried it.  Tahini?  Tried it.  Ketchup?  Of course I tried it.  Then somewhere in there my fry found its way into both tahini and ketchup and a miracle was instantly created.

I learned some important things about sweet potatoes on my journey.  I learned that I don't like mushy fries.  I learned that I like my fries thinly sliced.  I learned that I don't like the way they taste when tossed in corn starch before baking (even though this is supposed to help prevent mushy fries).  I learned that giving them lots of room on the sheet pan is the best way to get them to crisp up.  And I learned that sweet potato fries taste best when dipped in tahini ketchup.  What a way to start the year.

Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 4

2 sweet potatoes, thinly sliced into fries
1 Tablespoon coconut oil (or another oil suitable for high heat)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
pinch chile pepper
sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss sweet potato fries with oil and lay flat on sheet pan.  Sprinkle with cumin, paprika, chile pepper, and sea salt.  Bake for 20 minutes, turning twice.  Serve hot.

Tahini Ketchup
Yields: 1/2 cup

1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup ketchup

Combine tahini and ketchup and serve.