Welcome to the second installment of the Virtual Vegan Potluck! Thank you for stopping by my blog and I hope you enjoy the recipe I made. I’m sure you enjoyed Barb’s entry before mine. I’ve had the pleasure of eating many of her dishes (the benefits of living only 45 minutes apart!) so I can say with confidence that even though I’ve not tried this particular one, I know it’s good.

While my appetizer may not win a lot of points for creativity, it is tasty and easy, two requisites in my cooking world :) I added green chili to the hummus for a few reasons; one, I have a ton of fresh-roasted green chili Robert and I bought a while back and I need any excuse to use it. Second, why have plain hummus when you can add a little kick to it? That’s part of what makes hummus so great; it is highly customizable. You can also dip just about anything in it but since this is a special occasion I wanted to add a twist. So that’s how the idea for the lime sweet potato chips came to be.  The sweetness of the chips tempers the spice from the hummus and the lime kind of ties it all together.

I tried several ways of making the chips to find the best way to impart the lime flavor. The first was to mix lime zest with salt and season the chips immediately after removing from the pan. The second way I squeezed fresh lime juice straight onto the chips, then seasoned with salt. The last application was the most successful; I soaked the slices in lime juice for about 10 minutes prior to frying and seasoned with just salt when done. The lime flavor was great but use EXTREME caution when adding to the pan to fry; the additional liquid will cause the oil to sizzle quite a bit for the first few seconds. I used a wire mesh strainer (like this) to add the potatoes to the pan, thus keeping me at arm’s length from the splattering oil.

A few other notes:

The hummus recipe I used is from the book Peas and Thank You but feel free to use whatever recipe you prefer. I did add a bit more lemon juice than her recipe calls for, about a teaspoon, just to loosen it up a bit. I also did not remove the skins from the chickpeas, as her recipe calls for. No way do I have the patience for that. She says removing the skins makes the hummus really creamy but honestly I think mine came out just fine. This makes a lot of dip, especially for only two people but a great way to use it up would be in roasted veggie tacos.

If you can’t find fresh roasted green chili, use canned but drain it first before adding. I started with one chili (about 3 tablespoons, diced) then checked the flavor after blending it all. I ended up adding another chili, but add to your discretion. Depending on the heat level, one chili may be enough. Or if you prefer the taste of fire, add moreJ.

The chips should be made and eaten the same day as they do not keep well, so make only what you need. An average sized sweet potato makes enough chips for one person; they shrink a lot during frying. I used a mandolin to slice them, but take it from me and use the slice guard! Just speaking from personal experience; I’ll spare you the gory details. Work in batches when cooking the chips and let the oil reheat between batches. I used a dutch oven and could cook ¼ of the potatoes without crowding the pan.

Green Chili Hummus-Recipe adapted from Peas and Thank You

My attempt at food decoration–not very good :)

Makes 2 cups

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (reserve 3 tablespoons of the liquid)

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1-2 roasted green chilies, skinned, seeded, and diced

Directions: Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend, blend, blend until smooth. Add additional lemon juice if mixture becomes too thick. Taste and add more chili if more heat is desired. Refrigerate leftovers (if any).

Lime Flavored Sweet Potato Chips

Homemade potato chips are way better than store bought.

Makes 2 servings

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, sliced thin

~½ cup lime juice

Canola oil

Cookie sheet lined with paper towels for draining

Salt

Directions: Place sliced potatoes in a shallow dish and pour the lime juice in, making sure all the potatoes are covered. Soak for 10 minutes. Heat about ½ inch of oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. To check if oil is hot enough, add one potato slice to the pan. If it immediately sizzles, then it is hot enough. Using a wire mesh strainer, add ¼ of the potatoes to the oil. Fry for about 1-2 minutes, removing the potatoes when they start to curl up and turn dark brown. They may look burned but are not; just keep an eye on them as they do cook fast. Remove and place on the prepared cookie sheet to drain. Season with salt immediately. Repeat with remaining slices. Once they are cooled you can put them in a container to store if not eating right away but remember they won’t taste as good the next day.

I hope you enjoyed my little addition to this amazing event. I can’t wait to see what everyone else brings. Have fun discovering new recipes and blogs and I hope you come back and visit!  Now continue to whet your appetite and head on over to Queens of the Wild Frontier and their appetizer contribution! Or feel free to jump around to random blogs through the main VVP page.

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