Beet Hummus and Beet Dip

     Replace garbanzos with beets to make hummus? This sounds like the desperate ploy of a hummus fan with a newly diagnosed allergy to garbanzos but is actually a surprisingly tasty dip. Beets work well with lemon juice and garlic, after all, and the tahini and olive oil help turn them into a rich, creamy dip that you don't need food allergies to appreciate. 

     If you're allergic to (sesame) tahini, you can substitute sunflower seed butter; you may need to add a little extra water to get the hummus to blend properly, as sunflower seed butter is a bit thicker than tahini. As always, read the ingredient label: Some sunflower seed butter has added guar gum or other ingredients; some is sweetened, which you may find disagreeable in a savory dip.

     Even if you're not allergic to both sesame and sunflower seeds, try the beet dip; it too is surprisingly smooth and delicious.

Beet Hummus

Beet hummus made with sunflower seed butter

     6 oz. roasted beets 
     1/2 c. water
     2 cloves of garlic
     juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1/2 c. olive oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     1/2 c. tahini (See Tahini in the Glossary)
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     Put the beets, water, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a good blender and blend until thoroughly smooth and creamy. Add a small amount of extra water if necessary to get the mixture to blend properly. Add the tahini and blend until thoroughly mixed. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate.

Beet Dip

Beet dip

 

     6 oz. roasted beets 
    1/2 c. water

     1 clove of garlic

     juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon (See Juice in the Glossary)

     1/2 c. olive oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     Put all ingredients except salt into a good blender and blend until thoroughly smooth and creamy. Add salt to taste.

Carrot Hummus and Carrot Dip

Carrot Hummus

     Conventional hummus contains two major allergens, garbanzo beans and sesame tahini. Carrot hummus has only one, the (sesame) tahini, and is a colorful, tasty dip. Sunflower butter is an excellent, tasty substitute for tahini; if you use it you may need to add a little extra water to get the hummus to blend properly as sunflower butter is a bit thicker than tahini. As always, read the ingredient label. Some sunflower seed butter has added guar gum or other ingredients; some is sweetened, which may be disagreeable in a savory dip.

     For the record, yes, I do know that "hummus" is Arabic for "garbanzos,"  not "dip containing tahini." I don't care, since I also know that words often change their meaning as they migrate into other languages.

     6 oz. roasted carrots 
     1/2 c. water
     2 cloves of garlic
     juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1/2 c. olive oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     1/2 c. tahini
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     Put the carrots, water, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a good blender and blend until thoroughly smooth and creamy. Add a small amount of extra water if necessary to get the mixture to blend properly. Add the tahini and blend until thoroughly mixed. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate.

Carrot Dip

     If you need to avoid both sesame and sunflower seeds, you can still make a smooth, delicious dip out of roasted carrots. 

     6 oz. roasted carrots 

     1/2 c. water
     1 clove of garlic
     juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1/2 c. olive oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     Put the carrots, water, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a good blender and blend until thoroughly smooth and creamy. Add a small amount of extra water if necessary to get the mixture to blend properly.  Add salt to taste. Refrigerate.

Mushroom Spread (Duxelles) and Eggplant Spread

Mushroom Spread

Minimalist canapes of mushroom spread and cress on rice crackers

     Here is a classic, simple recipe that delivers an intense, savory flavor. This spread contains no common allergens; if you're not allergic to mushrooms or onions you should be able to enjoy it. It is good spread on bread, on canapes, on pasta, or in omelettes.

     1/2 lb. finely minced fresh mushrooms
     2 Tb. finely minced shallots
     2 Tb. oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     black pepper (See Spices in the Glossary)

     In 2 or 3 batches, place minced mushrooms in a cloth, then twist and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.  Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the mushrooms and shallots in the oil on medium heat for 6-8 minutes, until the mushroom bits have separated and browned slightly. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

Eggplant Spread

     A similarly intense, savory spread can be made using eggplant.  It turns out somewhat more crumbly than duxelles. 

     I think this is a particularly good condiment for dressing up a baked potato with or without sour cream.

     1 lb. peeled, finely minced eggplant
     1/4 c. finely minced shallots
     1/4 c. oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     black pepper (See Spices in the Glossary)

     Place minced eggplant in a cloth, a handful at a time, then twist and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.  Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the eggplant and shallots in the oil on medium heat for 10 minutes or so, until the eggplant bits are nicely browned and have lost that "raw eggplant" taste. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

Refried Non-Beans: Favas

     Refried beans are easy to make, and if you are allergic to beans, favas are an easy substitution. I highly recommend dry favas that have already been presoaked and peeled. 

     Favas are a vetch, not a true bean. Allergies to beans do not necessarily mean an allergy to favas. My grandson, who used to get sick from the amount of soy lecithin in a chocolate bar or the bit of soybean oil in a handful of candy corn, was unable to eat any kind of peas, lentils or beans. Favas, though, he could gobble with impunity. 

    Note that there is a rare genetic enzyme deficiency (not a true allergy) that gives some people, especially of Middle Eastern or African descent, gastrointestinal distress when they eat favas. 

     2 cups dry presoaked favas
     3 Tb. oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     1 onion, chopped
     3 cloves garlic, minced
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     (optional) chili powder (See Spices in the Glossary)

     Boil the favas, with enough water to keep them covered, until they are soft. Drain into a bowl (i.e. retain the cooking liquid).

    Meanwhile, fry the onion in the oil on medium heat until it just starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, until the garlic is translucent. Add the onions to the favas and mash, adding cooking liquid in small amounts as needed, until you obtain the desired consistency. Add salt to taste and stir in a sprinkle of chili powder if you like.

Hypoallergenic Mediterranean Veggie Filling/Spread

     You don't have to be allergic to cheese to think this filling/spread is delicious inside an omelet; you also don't have to be allergic to eggs to discover it is delicious on bread, or with chips or rice crackers. It contains none of the eight major allergens, no yeast and, if you peel the peppers and tomatoes as described, no corn.

     1 onion, chopped
     safflower oil (See Oil in the Glossary) 
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary) 
     leaves from 1/2 batch of parsley, roughly chopped (See Produce in the 

          Glossary) 
     (optional) 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
     6-8 vine-ripened tomatoes (See Produce in the Glossary) 
     1/4 tsp. black pepper (See Spices in the Glossary) 
     1 tsp. paprika (See Spices in the Glossary) 
     peppers (2 pasilla peppers is about the right amount, and pasillas are easy 

          to peel, but use whatever peppers you like.) See Produce in the 

          Glossary 

     1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes   

     Heat a tablespoon or two of oil on low heat in a skillet or medium saucepan. Add the onion and 1/2 tsp. salt. Gently saute the onion until it is translucent and thoroughly soft. Do not brown it. Add the parsley and garlic and continue cooking for another minute or so, until they are softened but not browned.

     Meanwhile peel the tomatoes. (First dip them in boiling water for 10-15 seconds to loosen the peel and then in cold water to stop them from cooking.)  Chop the tomatoes. Once the onions are ready, add the tomatoes, black pepper and paprika; bring to a simmer and let the mixture cook down until it is not overly wet, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

     While waiting for the tomatoes to cook down, cook the peppers on a grill or about 6 inches under a broiler, turning as needed to cook them thoroughly on all sides. The peppers should be softened up, and their peels should be brown and bubbling up. Cover with a lid and allow to cool for a few minutes. (Steam from inside the peppers will help loosen the peels.) Peel and seed the peppers, and set aside.

     Put enough oil to cover the eggplant in a fryer or deep pot. Add one piece of eggplant to it. Eggplants are moist enough to foam up surprisingly high in hot oil, and you need to allow plenty of room for this.Turn on medium high heat. When the first piece of eggplant is golden brown and thoroughly soft, dredge it out.  Add the rest of the eggplant to the hot oil and cook until  it too it is golden brown and soft. Scoop the eggplant out of the oil with a slotted spoon, and spread it out on top of a plate covered with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Set aside.

     When the tomatoes are ready, stir in the peppers and eggplant and simmer for a couple more minutes to allow the flavors to blend together and to bring the filling up to temperature. Adjust salt to taste.


   

These are about the right proportions for the major ingredients. 

Fava (Not Bean) Dip: Bakla Ezmesi

     The Middle East has a large variety of wonderfully smooth, creamy dips made from legumes. Unfortunately, the only one that's made it to the US at all is humus (garbanzo dip), and most humus made here is gritty, nasty stuff. Fava dip (bakla ezmesi), in addition to being a classic Turkish dip that is smooth and creamy and has a bright, delicate flavor, contains no (sesame) tahini or actual beans. Favas are a vetch rather than an actual bean.
     Allergies to beans, peas or lentils do not necessarily mean an allergy to favas. My grandson, who was violently allergic to every kind of bean, pea and lentil, ate them with impunity.  Note that there is a rare genetic enzyme deficiency (not a true allergy) that gives some people, especially of Middle Eastern or African descent, gastrointestinal distress when they eat favas. 

     dry favas
     1 small chopped onion
     1/4 c. olive oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     1 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     1 tsp. sugar (See Sugar in the Glossary)
     fresh squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon (See Juice in the Glossary)
     2 T. firmly packed fresh baby dill leaves stripped off their stems
     1/2 c. water
     (optional) 1 or 2 cloves of garlic

     Cooking dry favas is like cooking beans.  You have to presoak them and, if you're trying to make a puree that is not lumpy, you need to cook them thoroughly. The efficient way to do this is to cook a potful of favas, portion them out by cupfuls and keep them in the freezer: you can then quickly thaw them out and use them in recipes whenever needed. 
     You can presoak overnight in enough cold water that the favas will still be covered after they swell up to twice their size or so; alternatively, you can bring them to a boil in the water, remove from heat, cover tightly, allow to soak for one hour and drain. This method, besides being quicker, is good for removing any "gas."
     Add water to cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until thoroughly soft, probably an hour and a half or so, and drain. Next, slide the skins off the favas. The skins are bitter, and they can make lumps in your dip. (If you use Bob's Red Mill favas, you do not need to either presoak or remove the skins from the favas: they are ready to cook.) Now you are ready to make fava dip.
     On low heat, gently saute the onion with the olive oil and salt until it is thoroughly translucent and soft. Put into a good blender with 2 cups of the cooked favas and all other ingredients. Puree thoroughly; you can add a bit more water if you need to, to get the dip to blend properly. Spread on a plate and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon slices and/or chopped fresh baby dill if you like.
   
   

Thai Rice "Crackers": a crunchy, nonallergenic way to hold up dips and spreads

     Sometimes making the perfect

guacamole, tapenade or jelly isn't good enough. If you're allergic to corn, soy, wheat, yeast, etc., what do you hold it up with? Most tortillas, chips and breads contain at least one of those allergens. In principle rice crackers are all right, though plain ones are sometimes hard to find: most are flavored with cheese, sesame or another allergen. 

     I happened to discover one solution by ordering a dip with "rice crackers" in a Thai restaurant. Instead of crackers, I got delightful, crispy rounds made up of whole grains of rice. These are not to be confused with commercial "rice cakes," which are bland and boring. 

     These "rice crackers" are easy enough to make, although they do require advance planning. 

     Thai sticky rice (also known as "sweet rice") (See Rice in the Glossary)
     oil for frying (See Oil in the Glossary)
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     First soak the rice in cold water for at least two hours and drain it. The next step is to cook the rice. This kind of rice needs to be steamed, not boiled, for 20-25 min. This can be done by spreading the soaked rice out on a splatter guard for frying, placing the splatter guard over a wide skilletful of boiling water and covering with an inverted mixing bowl. (For commentary on this method, go to this page.) Now spread the cooked rice out on a lightly greased surface to a thickness of 1/4" or so and cut it into rounds using a glass. (I recommend greasing the rim of the glass.) The remaining bits of rice can be lumped together and spread out again until it is all used up. Now you need to dry the rice out thoroughly.  This can be done by placing the rounds on a lightly greased cooky sheet and baking them at 200 F for a couple of hours, turning them over once. At this point you can store the rounds in the fridge until you are ready to fry them. 

     Preheat a layer of oil to medium high in a skillet, add the rounds to the oil and cook until they turn golden brown on the bottom.  Turn them all over and cook until they are golden on the other side also. Allow them to drain and cool for a couple of minutes.

Hypoallergenic Cucumber-Avocado Dip

Cucumber-avocado dip with rice tortilla strips toasted on a griddle

     Cucumbers and avocados complement each other well, and this is a beautiful, smooth dip. It is also hypoallergenic if you're not allergic to avocados, citrus or garlic.

     1 cucumber, peeled and cut into a few pieces (See Produce in the 

          Glossary)

     2 ripe medium avocados, peeled and seeds removed (See Produce in

          the Glossary)

     1/3 c. freshly squeezed lime juice (See Juice in the Glossary)

     3 cloves of garlic

     3/4 tsp. dill (See Spices in the Glossary)

     sprinkle of mint (See Spices in the Glossary)

     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     Place all ingredients except salt in a food-processor; puree thoroughly. Salt to taste.

Hypoallergenic Guacamole

     Commercial guacamole can contain soybean oil or other allergenic additives.  Always check the ingredients list if you buy it ready-made.  The other option is to make it yourself, which is extremely easy to do. 

     1 large ripe avocado (See Avocado in the Glossary)

     juice of ~½ small lime (See Fruit in the Glossary)

     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     1 clove garlic, crushed

     Peel the avocado and remove  the seed.  In a medium bowl, sprinkle the avocado with a squeeze of lime juice, a pinch of salt and the garlic. The point here is to get lime juice onto the avocado immediately to prevent it from browning. Mash thoroughly with a fork, and adjust the lime juice and salt to taste.  You can dress guacamole up a bit by adding a dash of cumin and/or cayenne or stirring in a few chopped cilantro leaves or something, but this really isn’t necessary.

Hypoallergenic Spicy Garlic Dip

Spicy garlic dip with rice crackers.  This dip is also good on bread
or with tortilla chips 

     Commercial dips are generally off limits to folks with a lot of food allergies: they tend to consist mostly of soybean oil flavored with dairy and corn products, vinegar (corn, yeast), and chemicals of unspecified origin. Fortunately, it is easy to make excellent dips containing none of these allergens. This one is inspired by muhammara, a classic Middle Eastern walnut-garlic dip. 


     Note that some people who are allergic to nuts and/or peanuts are also allergic to sunflower seeds.  Ask your allergist if you're not sure.

     1 small onion

     10 cloves garlic

     ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (See Juice in the Glossary)

     ½ cup water

     1 tsp. red pepper (See Spices in the Glossary)

     1 tsp. paprika (See Spices in the Glossary)

     1 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     2 Tb. oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

     1-1/4 c. raw sunflower seeds

     Put all the ingredients except the oil and sunflower seeds into a blender, in the order given. Heat the oil and sunflower seeds in a small pan on medium high, stirring constantly, until the seeds start to brown.  Scoop them directly into the blender (do not allow them to sit in the heated pan until they scorch!) Blend thoroughly; add a bit more water if you need to, to get the mixture to blend properly. 

 Variation: Replace the sunflower seeds with the same amount of pumpkin seeds. Note that some people who are allergic to nuts and/or peanuts are also allergic to pumpkin seeds.  Ask your allergist if you're not sure.

Spicy garlic dip made with pumpkin seeds

Allergen-Free Tortilla Chips

Left: chips made from corn tortillas
Right: chips made from brown rice tortillas

     Strangely, chips, the archetypal “junk food,” often contain surprisingly few ingredients. To avoid allergens you mostly need to check on what kind of oil they were fried in. Freshly cooked chips taste a lot better than chips that have been sitting in bags on grocery store shelves for a while and are very easy to make. If you are allergic to wheat, use corn or rice tortillas; if you are allergic to corn, use wheat  or rice tortillas.  Food for Life brown rice tortillas contain xanthan gum (from corn?) but no wheat, corn or yeast and make good, crisp chips. Note that some wheat tortillas contain yeast; if you are allergic to yeast, look for a brand that doesn’t have it or use rice tortillas. Remember that traces of corn or wheat can lurk in fry oil and be picked up by a following batch of tortilla chips: if you need to make more than one kind of tortilla chip, pay attention to the order in which you cook them or use two separate batches of oil.  

     tortillas

     oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

     popcorn salt (See Salt, popcorn in the Glossary)

     Cut some tortillas into strips or whatever shape you like. Prepare a plate covered with paper towels.  Tortilla chips cook rather quickly, so you need to have everything ready (and other people out of the kitchen) before you start. Put one tortilla strip into a pot containing enough oil that you can immerse chips in it and have plenty of room for hot oil to bubble up without escaping from the pot. Turn it on to medium high heat. When that chip is cooked, dredge it out: your oil is now hot enough.  Put enough chips in to fill the pot with one layer of chips. When they start to turn golden, quickly turn them over and allow them to cook briefly on the other side.  Using a slotted spoon, take the chips out of the oil and spread them out on the plate covered with paper towels to drain.  Go on to the next batch. Salt with popcorn salt.

Note: Depending on what you're allergic to, you can also make excellent, crisp chips from Siete brand almond tortillas (Ingredients: almond flour, tapioca flour, water, salt, xanthan gum, apple cider vinegar, fermented extract [oregano, flaxseed, plum]).

Chips made from Siete
almond flour tortillas

Sesame-Free Baba Gannozh

     This is the classic Middle Eastern eggplant dip. The standard recipe, of course, calls for tahini (crushed sesame), but I substitute sunflower butter. It gives it a somewhat different flavor, but I think I like it just as well as the original. The classic way to serve baba gannozh is with pita bread, but it also works perfectly with rice tortilla chips, rice crackers or cut-up veggies.

    Note that some people who are allergic to nuts and/or peanuts are also allergic to sunflower seeds.  Ask your allergist if you're not sure.

     1 large eggplant

     6 Tb. sunflower butter

     6 Tb. olive oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

     juice of 1 lemon (See Juice in the Glossary)

     2 cloves garlic

     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

Broil or grill the eggplant on all sides until it is quite charred on the outside and soft all the way through.  Cover it with a lid, and allow it to cool for a few minutes. (Steam from inside the eggplant will help loosen the peel.) Peel the eggplant and put it into a blender. Add all the other ingredients except salt and blend thoroughly. Salt to taste.