You can refrigerate the salsa overnight to reduce some of the jalapeno’s heat, if you like, or reduce the amount.

This spread is equally good served warm or cold. Accompany with whole wheat crackers, toasted baguette slices, or raw vegetables, such as cauliflower.

Fresh rosemary and lemon brighten mild, nutty chickpeas. Dip with pita wedges or endive leaves. For a quick lunch, try this in pita bread with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Or thin with a little vegetable broth to make an easy soup.

NOTES : The spice measurements given make a mild spread. For a spicier flavor, increase the chili powder, ground red chipotle, and cayenne to taste. This spread can also be used as a dip for vegetables and tortilla chips, if desired.

Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip or spread. There are lots of recipes for it, each with a different proportion of ingredients. Over the years I’ve worked on mine to make it much lower in fat than the original version. If you want to make it truly fat-free, omit the tahini and increase the seasonings. You may also add one of the optional ingredients noted at the end of the recipe.

I make miso soup all the time but usually not the same every time.

Easy Tomato Soup Recipe by: serene I tried a commercial, low-fat almond milk this week and didn’t really like it, so I was wanting to use it up. Tonight, I opened a can of Campbell’s tomato soup (I told you it was trashy — but the soup is vegan and fat free), added a can […]

Here is another option for Miso Soup–adapted from the American Vegetarian Cookbook

The recipe I use for my soup is JUST AS easy as the one you made but doesn’t use any commercial soup and uses less packaging and is thus cheaper and better for the environment 🙂 Try it and tell me if you like it, I adapted it from The Tightwad Gazette.

This delicious soup is a nutritional powerhouse! And, it’s so tasty that I have no trouble getting my 8-year-old to eat her vegetables when they’re prepared this way.

Harrisa (also spelled harissa) is a Tunisian hot pepper sauce. I buy the Ziyad brand in a local Middle Eastern grocery store. If you can’t find harrisa, feel free to use any other spicy pepper sauce you have on hand. I started with a teaspoon of sauce and kept adding until it reached the spiciness we like, probably about 2 teaspoons.

Sumac grows in abundance throughout the Mediterranean, and its dried, ground berries are a fruity and astringent spice widely used in Middle Eastern cooking. If you can’t find sumac, substitute 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind. You may need to add up to a tablespoon of water if the mixture is too thick to process smoothly. Serve with pita wedges or sliced veggies.