Hummus has succumbed to the fusion evolution.  You may now find hundreds of variations that have not a single ingredient common to the original puree of chic peas, tahini, garlic and lemon. 
 
Hummus is the Arabic word for chic pea. So when someone from the Middle East - where the dish originates - says hummus, they always mean “with chic peas”.  (Or garbanzo bean - same thing.) That could mean a dish with the whole legume as an ingredient or it could be the silky puree that has catapulted hummus onto the world stage as some kind of dip.
 
The transition of hummus to mean any pureed dip, where cooks take great liberties with the ingredients, is far from an unusual phenomenon in the culinary world. Look at curry, for example: it started as a sauce and has spawned an impressive worldwide lineage of variations that are far from its original self. 

This is the nature of cuisine and a beautiful thing, if you ask me. Why not allow an accepted idea to morph and evolve through the contribution of innovative ingredients, flavors, techniques?  When we approach food, and life, this way, our possibilities are forever expanding.
 
However, I do believe in maintaining some integrity of the original dish. When I am taking liberties with a traditional recipe, I will always include some key element of the original. So you will never find a hummus recipe from me with neither chic pea nor tahini. The tiny bit of Puritan in me insists.
 
Otherwise, anything is possible.

​Winter squash as well as sweet potatoes make ideal substitutions for chic peas when reinventing hummus. The orange flesh of sweet potatoes, pumpkin or butternut bring a vibrancy that chic peas cannot. I love the sweetness and color they contribute.  The rich, bitter silkiness of tahini shares an earthiness that bring the two into a harmony that just makes sense. I prefer these two together to chic pea hummus any day.
 
I love any recipe that calls for roasted squash or sweet potatoes. There are few easier tasks in the kitchen than throwing one of these onto a baking sheet and into the oven to be forgotten for a bit. (And no peeling required!) Roasting either of these two winter vegetables with the end goal of pureeing means an almost irreverence to the kitchen timer. Let them go awhile (up to an hour) until they’re so soft inside their skins, your job is mostly done for you.  Let them cool to the touch, then scoop out the glossy flesh. Discard the skins.
 
Below is a recipe that simply uses sweet potatoes as a replacement for chic peas. Otherwise the tahini, garlic and lemon juice are standard. A little salt, of course. And a bit of cumin. 

​A further suggestion is given for taking the sweet potato hummus to the next level of exotic: a Persian incarnation. I’ll go this extra step when I am trying to impress someone. Pomegranate seeds are little jewels, anyway; so they alone make a huge impact. And they’re in season now. 

Working with tahini is an act of faith and perseverance. You must be able to hold fast to your conviction that everything will turn out fine. ​

When it's fresh, sesame seed butter is smooth and a bit runny. That can deceive you into believing that making a sauce with it will be a breeze. (Not-so fresh tahini can be dry and clumpy, like the last bit of peanut butter at the bottom of the jar. It will require extra patience.)

​Tahini is bitter on its own; so most recipes are going to call for the addition of water, citrus juice or oil. But when tahini meets liquid, it typically seizes up... appears to break.... becomes something scary, nothing like the lusciousness it was moments before. 

When I make this sauce, it’s usually because I am making some kind of Middle Eastern or Indian rice and vegetable dish.  It’s a dairy free version of an Indian raita or a Greek tzatziki sauce. The two are so similar. There are inevitably leftovers, which means for the next few days, I will put this stuff on everything else I eat: scrambled eggs, roasted vegetables, green salad. It’s so versatile; I should keep a batch made at all times. 

​And when you look at the ingredient list, that’s not such a bad idea. The fermented coconut or almond yogurt has probiotics. There’s vitamin c from the lemon juice. There’s the anti-inflammatory boost from the garlic (you could get crazy and add some fresh ginger too!) and cucumber.  And fresh mint, like most fresh herbs, is full of antioxidants and other phytonutrients. Research here.

​Veganizing a cucumber yogurt sauce has been pretty easy for a while with all the soy yogurt products on the market. But until recently, if you were vegan and soy free, it wasn’t an option.  I love both the So Delicious brand of coconut yogurt and the Kite Hill almond yogurts that are readily available now. Look for plain, unsweetened varieties of any nondairy yogurt you choose for this recipe.
 
Coconut milk yogurt tends to be a little thicker and a brighter shade of white than almond milk yogurt. But those details are negligible. Experiment with both, as well as the other brands on the market, to discover which kind best suits you. Always look for brands without added preservatives like carrageenan. The only ingredients necessary are the nut milk, probiotics and something like guar or xanthum gum or pectin which are natural thickeners.

​You could handle the cucumbers a number of ways for this sauce. You could leave the skins on. I sometimes do if I am fortunate enough to have an organic cucumber in my possession. You could peel and discard the skins.  If the tiny seeds don’t bother you, leave them in. I tend to deseed most things: it’s a texture thing for me.
 
You could shred the cucumbers into the sauce. Or you can dice them.  The size of the dice is also completely subjective.  You can dice the cucumbers large, medium or small. How much of their presence do you want to feel in the sauce? 

​Lately I have been mincing the peeled and deseeded cucumbers with a micro grater so that the flesh melts into the sauce, contributing flavor but little of the normal crunch.

I would love to forage for ramps one day.  I would do it more for the photo opportunity than for the fun of digging around the wet floor of the woods. I imagine the sun coming through the trees and hitting the little patches of graceful ramp leaves and how beautiful that would be. 
 
I wonder how many times I might have walked over a crop playing in the woods as a child. My grandfather, a farmer, never talked about ramps or brought any home from the woods around the farm like he did persimmons and papaws. That leads me to believe ramps didn’t grow in that part of rural Kentucky. I had never heard of the precious wild spring onions until I was already grown.

And truthfully, I didn’t pay much attention when I did hear about them - at first. It’s one of those things in life that might stay on the periphery of your consciousness, then one day come into full focus. That’s when my devotion set in.
 
Ramps have a cult following.  Here’s why:  they grow wild (intrigue), they have a short season (rare) and they are in short supply (coveted).  It’s as much these reasons as their flavor profile that has made them so hot in recent years. Though they are wild onions, I often forget that and call them wild garlic.  The flavor suggests a hybrid of the two. It’s strong.
 
The leaves are what I really love about ramps.  Otherwise, I would stick to my favorite green onion, the leek. Ramp leaves are beautiful. They’re long and triangular and elegant. You could use a small bunch to fan yourself, if temperatures were high in late April, early May. The bulbs are like a regular green onion, small, pungent. But the leaves are hearty in volume, delicate in texture, and can be prepared in countless ways. Their generous length means you can julienne them lengthwise and toss them with string pasta, like the recipe here.
 
It’s been so rainy here lately that I have skipped the farmers market, knowing that I was dangling on the edge of ramp season. This week, I scored a pound from a friend who had hoarded more than his share in his refrigerator. I took it as a sign that I should go ahead and share this recipe, despite being late in the season. I hope fate is as kind to you this weekend. ​

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THE RECIPE
 
Serves 4
 
Ingredients:
1 pound Jovial Gluten Free Tagliatelle or other string pasta of your choice
Butternut squash, about 1 pound
Ramps, 1 pound leaves and bulbs
Simple Mills Grain free Rosemary and sea salt crackers, 1 cup
            Or substitute 1 cup any GF breadcrumbs + 1 tablespoon minced
​             rosemary + 1 teaspoon sea salt + 1 teaspoon olive oil
 
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, finely minced.
Juice and zest of one lemon
¼ gram or generous pinch saffron, softened in half inch of warm water
1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper

Note about the pasta:
I used Jovial’s gluten free brown rice tagliatelle (made with eggs), because I wanted a pasta that would accommodate the long strands of ramp leaves. You can use any string pasta, of course. Jovial’s tagliatelle is as good as the handmade pappardelle I used to buy for this dish.
 
Note about the sauce:
The butternut squash gives this sauce structure and body. But it will thicken quickly, especially if reheated. You can add in extra vegetable stock to thin it out, if you like. Or even a little water.
 
Note about the breadcrumbs:
These are here purely for a textural punch and can be left out if you want. I’ve recently started keeping Simple Mills almond flour crackers (the rosemary is my current favorite) in the house at all times and discovered one night they make great breadcrumbs, with an easy whirl in the food processor. You can use any brand of gluten free breadcrumb and toast them with some chopped rosemary, lemon zest, sea salt and olive oil.

I remember the first time I heard about fish tacos. I was in college. Where I grew up in rural Kentucky, there was only one kind of taco: hard shell with ground beef and seasoning from a little packet.
 
I couldn’t comprehend the idea of fish + taco.
 
But things change. We grow and evolve. And as we do, so does our idea of a perfect taco.
 
These days, I’ve seriously honed in on what’s necessary for me personally in a taco. Soft shell….mayo….fresh avocado…..crunchy cabbage + cilantro garnish. The filling is negotiable, as long as it’s healthy.  Fish or vegetables, please.
 
Going out for tacos these days usually means a compromise of my mostly grain free diet.  A corn tortilla here and there is a sacrifice I am able to make for the cause.

Life is short. Tacos are important.
 
But at home, there is no need for compromise of any kind.  A beautiful little family food business in Austin Texas has taken care of that. Siete Family Foods Almond Flour Tortillas are as close to regular flour tortillas as is possible. They perform beautifully warmed up until they’re just pliable or beyond, if you like, to crispy in a cast iron skillet (or any kind really.)
 
They are also grain free + gluten free + dairy free + soy free.  

These tortillas have truly been a savior for me; so you will no doubt see them here again. I use them for breakfast with scrambled eggs and lunch for a sandwich wrap. So many possibilities!  I wish there were more compassionate food companies like Siete around. Check out their family story and other products here. 

Cooking in Parchment
If you don't eat shrimp, you can make this same dish with any kind of fish, chicken or cubed vegetables. Whatever filling you choose for your tacos, you can follow the same directions for cooking in parchment paper. Cooking in parchment is brilliant and has become my default method for cooking protein. It's a forgiving technique, saving you from any tendency to overcook. The food steams in its juices and whatever citrus is enclosed. (Some kind of citrus should always be included.) And clean up is easy. 

Avocado Cumin Aioli
The art of pampering an avocado to peak ripeness is deserving of a dedicated blog post. ​(Click here.) And here, this is where you will want one that is ripe with bright neon green flesh, with no internal brown spots. Without the cumin and lime zest, this recipe is really a foundational mayonnaise substitute that can be transformed into all kinds of flavored sauces. If you love heat, consider adding a few drops of Sriracha or cayenne powder. Or pulse some cilantro leaves in for a cilantro aioli sauce. The possibilities are endless.

Be sure to cover the avocado aioli at the surface with plastic wrap. This will preserve the color of avocado a bit longer than without; although admittedly this is not a very wide window of time either way. You will want to eat it within 24 hours and it will deepen in color, but should still taste fresh. 

Brussels sprouts + leeks
Cabbage is my favorite garnish for tacos.  Brussels sprouts are tiny cabbages. You can substitute thinly shredded cabbage instead. It's not hard to find pre-prepped cabbage mix for coleslaw these days. I buy them often. 

Leeks are always paired with cabbage in my kitchen. I love their similar texture and color. Any leftovers Brussels + leeks can be stir-fried for a quick side dish.

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​
The Recipe
Shrimp Tacos + Avocado Cumin Aioli + Brussels sprout slaw + Almond Flour Tortillas
Serves 2 to 4 people

Taco Ingredients
1 pound medium size wild caught shrimp, uncooked and thawed
4 Siete Almond Flour Tortillas or tortilla of your choice
Olive oil pan spray
2 Limes
½ teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper

½ pound Brussels Sprouts or half head of cabbage or pre-sliced coleslaw mix
½ large leek
Handful cilantro leaves
Parchment paper
Avocado Cumin Aioli (recipe below)

Shrimp Baked in Parchment
1. Preheat the oven to 425. 
2. Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Spray with olive oil.
3. Lay the thawed shrimp in the middle of the parchment paper.
4. Slice one lime thinly and layer on top of the shrimp.
5. Season with sea salt and pepper.
6. Fold the long side of the parchment towards the middle and then tuck the ends under so the shrimp and limes are snug inside the parchment.
7. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, make the Avocado Cumin Mayo.

Avocado Cumin Aioli
1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon raw organic agave or honey
Juice of 1 small or ½ large lemon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon mustard powder
Zest of one lime (reserve the limes)
¼ teaspoon cumin

Process all ingredients together in a food processor into a smooth paste.
Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Brussels + Leeks Slaw
Cut the stems off the Brussels sprouts and thinly slice horizontally.
Thinly slice the leeks to match the size of the Brussels sprouts (or cabbage).
Toss them together.

​Assembly
Heat up a heavy duty saute pan and spray lightly with olive oil. One at a time, toast the tortillas as soft or crispy as you like.

​Assemble the tacos with the shrimp, Avocado Cumin Aioli, Brussels sprouts + leeks slaw and avocado slices. Garnish with cilantro leaves and fresh lime juice.

​Click below for a printable version of the recipe:

There is no way the crazy obsessive cook in me is going to sit still during a two month “elimination” diet and be content eating plain food.  I will instead finagle and manipulate ingredients until I get somewhere close to the flavor and textures of the foods I have committed to avoid. 

​I watched in envy at a restaurant the other day as a friend ate a bowl of rice noodles with peanut satay sauce. I love the way noodles absorb the creaminess of the traditional Indonesian sauce of peanut butter, ginger, lime and soy sauce. The dish is an exotic cousin to one of my other old favorites: fettucini alfredo. 

Fortunately, it’s not that hard to mimic a creamy satay sauce with allergen free ingredients using any of the other nut or seed butters on the market. I used a peanut free mixed nut butter from Trader Joe’s that I have grown to love. (Only $5.99 for a 12 ounce jar). You could substitute tahini, almond butter and so on. I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. 

​I feel pretty good about the anti inflammatory cast of this sauce: fresh ginger, garlic and lime or lemon  juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar. And cilantro as a garnish. These days, I treat cilantro like a leafy green instead of an herb finely minced to death. Just pile on a handful of the whole leaves. 

When I am completely avoiding grains, I will enjoy this sauce with some stir-fried cabbage and leeks. The long julienned strands, caramelized until sweet, twirl on the fork like string pasta, and when necessary, bring satisfaction. 

But today, thanks to the generosity of Dr. Mark Hyman’s elimination diet, which allows the occasional GF whole grain, I tossed the cabbage and sauce in with this new product: Lotus Foods Forbidden Rice Ramen noodles.

Ancient black rice is the new brown rice: supposedly higher in phytonutrients.
​
These noodles cook in 4 minutes and are delicate but not so much that they can’t stand up to the heavy sauce and cabbage.  In fact, the pasta absorbed the sauce in exactly the way I had hoped and the dish turned out to prove my point: there is no need to sacrifice flavor and texture for good health. 

THE RECIPE
Start with the cabbage and leeks
1 head of green cabbage, finely julienned in long strips (Or save time with a package of pre-cut cole slaw mix)
1 leek, finely julienned lengthwise
1 Tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil

In a saute pan on medium high heat, melt the coconut oil and add the leeks. Leave them to begin to soften for about 5 minutes before adding the cabbage. Stir the two together and cover. Maintain the heat at medium so the cabbage doesn’t scorch, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook until the cabbage has caramelized, about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta and start the sauce.

The Sauce
Process in a blender until smooth:
1 cup nut or seed butter of your choice
Juice 2 limes or 1 lemon
3 inches fresh ginger
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water 
1/4 teaspoon salt
Taste and add more water if the sauce is too thick to pour. The amount of water will vary depending on the type of nut or seed butter you are using.
Also add more coconut aminos or salt to your liking.
When the cabbage and sauce are ready, drop one of the Forbidden Rice Ramen blocks into the water (one for each person) and set the timer for 4 minutes. Remove from the water and strain well.
Toss the noodles with a couple of tablespoons of the satay sauce and top with generous amounts of stir fried cabbage and cilantro. Finely sliced cucumbers and raw cashews are other favorite garnishes. 

Here is a description of the Forbidden Rice noodles