What a crazy year it has been. If you had asked me a year ago whether we would be experiencing a pandemic a year later, I would have answered, “No way!” I have parents who are in the high-risk group, so since March of this year, I have predominantly worked from home-office and have tried to keep direct social interactions at a minimum. I don’t know about you, but I have rarely taken any vacation days this year, given the current circumstances. On top of that, the weather in my hometown has been lackluster, even in the summertime.
Deliciously Ella first introduced me to the plant-based diet. For many years, I thought that the plant-based diet was practically void of any essential nutrients, especially unsaturated fatty acids. Back then, I was ignorant on the subject and couldn’t imagine a life without eating salmon. Gosh, was I wrong!
The first recipe that I made from Ella Woodward’s blog was the roasted red pepper and paprika hummus. Her recipe is great, but I like to tweak it a bit to give it my own flavor. I actually made it for a party that I recently catered and it was a total success. I hope that you will like it as much as the party guests did. Enjoy!
Instructions
Ingredients
1/2 red bell pepper
400g canned chickpeas
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1-1 1/2 tablespoon tahini
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 lemon
red chili flakes, to taste
sea salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Remove ribs and seeds from pepper and cut into squares.
Heat vegetable oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat.
Add pepper and toss frequently.
Cook for roughly 6-8 minutes until veggies are crisp and tender.
Remove from stove and let veggies cool off.
Squeeze the lemon and then add its juice and all other ingredients, except the veggies to your food processor.
Blend until smooth and creamy.
Once the veggies have cooled off, add them to the food processor with the hummus and blend until desired consistency is reached.
Add salt, black pepper and red chili flakes for extra seasoning.
Since adopting a plant-based diet, I have become not only more creative in the kitchen, but also much more willing to try food that in the past did not appeal to me like, for instance, avocados. For 20+ years, I had such a strong dislike of the thick, creamy texture of avocados that I would only eat them when they were incognito, meaning mixed with other ingredients to the extent that I did not notice that I was eating avocados. Gosh, did I miss out! So many avocado-free years! Ahh!
How could you not love these heart-healthy super fruits? Since joining the avocado fan club, my numero-uno avocado dish is avocado on whole-grain toast. This whenever-dish requires only a few simple ingredients; is prepared in minutes; and tastes incredible. The red chili flakes give not only each bite an extra oomph, but also boost your metabolism: win-win!
Instructions
Ingredients
1/2 avocado
1/2 lime
salt, to taste
grounded black pepper, to taste
red chili flakes, to taste
Instructions
Toast two slices of whole-grain bread.
Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh of one half.
Put flesh in a small bowl and drizzle it with the juice of half a lime.
Add a dash of salt, pepper and chili flakes.
Mash ingredients with a fork.
Taste and if necessary, add more lime juice, salt etc.
Spread the creamy deliciousness on both slices of toast. For an extra kick, add another sprinkle of red chili flakes.
Deliciously Ella 
belle + wild 