Fresh Sun Dried Tomato Hummus: A Cheap Vegan Thanksgiving Recipe

Fresh Sun Dried Tomato Hummus: A Cheap Vegan Thanksgiving Recipe - Yield 6-8 Serving - Mama's whole life seemed to revolve around her children, her church, and her kitchen. One Saturday afternoon, I peaked out of the third floor window of my bedroom to see her assembling a large square plastic screen in the middle of the backyard directly under the midday sun. On top of this, she carefully laid out dozens of homegrown plum tomatoes which she had cut in half and scraped free of their pulp. She then laid a thin layer of cheese cloth on top and I would later discover that this was done in order to keep the bugs away, as she prepared sun dried tomatoes right from her garden. When I got downstairs Aunt Kay was there standing in the kitchen beside her. She told Mama that she had a surprise for her and she then took a small bowl wrapped in plastic out of a large brown shopping bag. Aunt Kay unwrapped what looked like a mound of peanut butter, and she scooped about a teaspoon on to a Ritz cracker and put it up to Mama's mouth for her to taste. You should have seen the joy that instantly came across her face. This was my Aunt Kay's favorite vegetarian dish hummus, and it would instantly become a staple part of our diet for years to come.

1 ½ Lbs Fresh Dried Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas)

32 Ounces Vegetable Stock or Water

2T Sun Dried Tomatoes*, minced

1/3 Cup Tahiti (Sesame Seed Paste)

2 Ounces Fresh Lemon Juice

1 T Roasted Garlic*, puree

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 t Sea Salt

*Soak the Sun Dried Tomatoes in warm water for one hour until tender. Remove, pat dry and mince or puree in a food processor. Put aside. *To Make Roasted Garlic: Peel 6 to 8 cloves. Brush or rub with olive oil. Roast in oven at 400 degrees until golden brown. Puree into paste with a little olive oil and put aside one tablespoon. Note: It is always best to roast garlic in bulk either several heads (or bulbs) at a time, or several cloves with or without the skin on. (Store puree with olive oil in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in refrigerator for future use).

Pour Garbanzo Beans out on to a plate and pick out any stones, or discolored Beans, or debris. Place Beans in a bowl with enough water to cover and allow them to soak in refrigerator overnight.1 Cook Beans in Vegetable Stock or Salted Water with just enough liquid to cover 1 ½ to 2 inches. Maintain a slow simmer 1 to 1.5 hours or until beans are just tender. Stain reserving ½ cup of liquid and puree Beans in a food processor using liquid to make a paste the consistency of Peanut Butter. Scrape into bowl and mix remaining ingredients thoroughly into paste. Serve at room temperature with toasted pita triangles, crackers, or crudités (raw vegetables).

1 Pre-soaking legumes (beans) reduces their cooking time and makes them easier to digest. It also helps to reduce the raffinose-type oligosaccharides (sugars) that are responsible for: Well --- you know! That thing that beans are famous for causing! This is the origin of the idea: "Soak the hell out of them, and then cook the hell out of them, an you'll have no problems!"