
Merilyn Ruth Liddell
...writer of speculative fiction, poetry, essays and the occasional short story...

Easy Marinated Vegetables
Ingredients:
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Selection of your favorite raw veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sugar snap peas, peppers, asparagus, cherry or grape tomatoes, celery, zucchini, cucumbers, etc.)*
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pitted Kalamata olives (as many as you’d like)
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jalapeno stuffed olives (optional)
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1 or 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
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Newman’s Own oil & vinegar dressing (or your own favorite)
Directions:
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Wash vegetables. (Rinse them, soak them for about 5 minutes in a bath of vinegar and water, then rinse again.)
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Cut into sizes appropriate for finger food.
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Arrange in a marinating dish or layer in a large glass jar.
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Drain olives and arrange on top of the vegetables.
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Chop garlic and sprinkle on top.
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Drizzle vegetables with salad dressing (about 1/3 to 1/2 of an average sized bottle) and, if you like, some of the juice from the olives.
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Place in refrigerator and allow to marinate for 3 to 24 hours, turning the container at least 3 times (more is better) over that period to allow the dressing to coat all the vegetables.
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Serve alone or with your favorite dip.
* Add celery, cucumbers and zucchini during the last hour of marinating so they don’t get mushy.
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Chickpea Hummus
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Ingredients:
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1 can (14 oz/398ml) chickpeas, drained
(or an equal amount of cooked chickpeas)
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2 T olive oil
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1-2 T water
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2 T lemon juice
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2 – 3 cloves garlic (or more!)
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3 – 4 T tahini
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½ tsp salt
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Directions:
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Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Purée.
Black Bean Hummus
Ingredients:
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1 ½ c. cooked black beans
(or 14 oz/398 ml can of beans, drained)
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2 T water
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2 T lemon juice
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2 T salt-free herbal seasoning
(e.g. Mrs. Dash Lemon Herb)
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2 T tahini
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2 T low-sodium soy sauce
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½ tsp cumin
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1 - 2 cloves garlic
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dash cayenne pepper (or more!)
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Directions:
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Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Purée.
Adjust seasoning to taste.
Adjust water amount to achieve desired consistency.
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Serve hummus with veggies (marinated or plain), chips, pita triangles….
…or use in place of mayonnaise in sandwiches.
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