We’re thrilled to have award-winning chef Mark Reinfeld supply our Meatless Mondays recipe today! Chef Reinfeld specializes in vegan and raw food cuisine. Recently he won Vegan.com’s 2011 Recipe of the Year award. For his full biography, see below.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus 

Courtesy Vegan Fusion World Cuisine
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 red bell peppers (1 cup roasted)
3 cups cooked and drained well garbanzo beans
3/4 cup tahini, roasted (creamy)
1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed
3 Tbl wheat-free tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbl olive oil
2 tsp cumin powder, toasted
1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
3/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
3/4 tsp black pepper, ground to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Roast the bell pepper.

2. Place pepper in food processor with lemon juice, soy sauce, tamari and olive oil and process until well blended.

3. Add garbanzo beans and remaining ingredients and process until smooth.

Variations:

Replace red pepper with one of the following:

• Garlic Lover’s — 1 1/2 cups roasted garlic, 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic.
• Sun-dried Tomato Basil — 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked & drained, 2 Tbl basil, minced.
• Kalamata Rosemary — 1 1/2 Tbl fresh rosemary, minced, 3/4 cup Calamata olives, chopped.
• Caramelized onions — add 1 cup caramelized onions before pureeing.

 Mark Reinfeld is an award-winning chef, entrepreneur, and co-author of The 30-Minute Vegan, The 30-Minute Vegan’s Taste of the East, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Raw, and Vegan Fusion World Cuisine.

Mark is the winner of Vegan.com’s 2011 Recipe of the Year Award and has more than 20 years of experience preparing creative vegan and raw food cuisine. He specializes in vegan and raw food recipe development and offers vegan cuisine workshops, trainings and retreats internationally. Mark is described by VegCooking.com as being “poised on the leading edge of contemporary vegan cooking.” He is the co-author of four books and the founding chef of the celebrated Blossoming Lotus Restaurant, winner of a prestigious I’lima Award for “Best Restaurant on Kaua’i.” Mark holds a Masters Degree in Holistic Nutrition and is the recipient of a Platinum Carrot award given to America’s top “innovative and trailblazing healthy chefs.”

Mark received his initial culinary training from his grandfather, Benjamin Bimstein, a renowned chef and ice carver in New York City. He developed his love for world culture and cuisine during journeys through Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South and Central America. His first cookbook, Vegan Fusion World Cuisine, coauthored with Bo Rinaldi and featuring a foreword by Dr. Jane Goodall, has won several national awards, including a Gourmand Award for “Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the USA.” For more information, please visit www.veganfusion.com.