2-on-Tuesday: HummNooch!

The Saffron Jasmine Rice was from my #FoodiePenPal

When I decided to make better choices by eating plant-based nutrition, I stuck with the usuals that meat-eaters tend to easily think of;  beans, salads, beans, fruit. Not fun and gets boring fast. I'm glad to live in the age of technology where researching new and fun plant-based menus for myself and the family is easy!

One such recipe involved something called "HummNooch." I noticed many vegans and vegetarians referred to this new-to-me ingredient. I just figured it must be an exotic spice that really didn't sound appetizing. Boy, was I wrong! By far, my fave of the online versions is from Heather of For the Love of Kale. But, I can't leave it alone, I just have to play with my food!

HummNooch or Hum-Nooch is really two different ingredients combined to make a sauce. "Hum" is short for hummus and "nooch" is the clever first syllable sound of Nutritional Yeast. Hummus + Nutritional Yeast = HummNooch. I understand this really isn't a great definition because it's leading to another question: What is Nutritional Yeast? Yep, I asked the same question and found the best answer and how to cook using it with Susan of Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

Don't be skeered! If you are looking to add some spice and jazz up your nutritional palate, try my take on -  

Humm-Nooch...with roasted stuff

Roasted Stuff: 
(Your choices, I haven't found rules in plant-based cooking)

Potato (Sweet, Red Skin or Blue) diced bigger (I prefer the Sweet)
Parsnips (they are akin to a sweet, white carrot)
Extra-Firm Tofu, 1 block - drained & diced bigger
Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

Total of any combination of above diced items: 3 cups-ish

Humm-Nooch Sauce:

6 tablespoons     Hummus (purchased or make your own)
3-4 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast (I use Bragg)
1 tablespoon       Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
1/2 cup                 Soy Milk (I prefer Light Vanilla, it works for me!)
1 tablespoon       Masala (a spicy, dry Indian spice blend. "Garam Masala")

• Heat oven 400 degrees while prepping food.
• First, drain your block of tofu by wrapping the block in paper towels or napkins; sandwiching the wrapped block between two plates or pie pans; weighting down the top plate with a heavy item, pot or brick (I use my tea kettle filled with water). The idea is to squeeze out the moisture in the tofu. This usually takes 20-30 minutes.
• Cut your choice of veggie(s) to be roasted into larger diced pieces.
• Toss all items to be roasted (veggies & tofu) with a little oil (I prefer coconut oil to a spray oil in this recipe) and spread out on a large cookie sheet. 
• Bake or Roast for up to an hour until root veggies are fork-tender.

While the above items are roasting, heat all of the HummNooch Sauce ingredients together. This step doesn't take long. When roasted stuff is ready, combine everything and serve over a bed of rice!

For additional nutrition: Stir and cook down a fistful of kale into the HummNooch Sauce -OR- add shredded/flaked coconut.

TIP: If you have a meat-eater who absolutely refuses to try tofu, substitute cooked & diced chicken breast for their serving.

Any questions? It sounds involving, but I whip this dish up in a hurry!