Thursday, February 22, 2007

Chipotle Chickpea Dip Wraps

I am really excited about today's lunch because not only is it a healthy and nutritious lunch, perfect for someone trying to lose some extra pounds, but it is also really delicious. In fact, after trying this last night, I believe that I can safely say that this will definitely be one of my favorite foods from this point on. I know that I will be making this a lot in the future because I am already wishing that I had made a double, triple or quadruple size batch. Of course, the recipe came from SusanV's Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. It seems like I have been giving her blog quite a workout here lately, but I guess it makes perfect sense. I mean, if you're looking for vegan recipes that are actually healthy for you, her blog and website are the perfect place to look. I don't think I've made anything from there yet that I didn't like. And this recipe is a DEFINITE keeper.

Chipotle Chickpea Dip is pretty much just like hummus, except there is no Tahini in it, therefore, there is no fat in it. YIPEE! It actually still tastes like hummus to me, I don't miss the Tahini at all, but I can see calling it a dip or spread instead just to be official about it. I have never made anything with Chipotles in it before, and it took me a few minutes to locate them in the grocery store. Little did I know what I have been missing. This stuff is so delicious, and it's difficult to believe that it's actually fat-free. My favorite type of hummus, so far, is Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and I think that a couple of roasted red peppers might be good thrown into this too. Perhaps, I will try that next. But this stuff is yummy just like it is. It has the perfect amount of spiciness to it to give you that nice slow burn while you're eating it.

In order to prepare wraps for lunch, I used the little trick that I figured out way back when of transporting two small flour tortillas in the lid of the lunchbox. These are the smaller flour tortillas and there are two of them up there. If you put your pointer over them on the picture you'll see the pop-up text box identify them. They fit up there perfectly, and after everything is in the lunchbox, all you have to do is put the red lid on the red container and stick some Glad Press-n-Seal on the other containers and then you can close the lunchbox lid, with the tortillas resting on top of everything else, and you are good to go.

I originally wanted to get some low carb or whole wheat tortillas, but they didn't come in the smaller size, so they wouldn't fit into the lunchbox as easily. I don't guess it matters though because the lowest calorie count I could find on any low carb or whole wheat tortilla was 100 calories each, and these regular flour tortillas that I brought are only 80 calories each, due to their smaller size. So it's all good.

It actually doesn't take this much of the dip to make a couple of wraps. In fact, this is about double what you really need. I wanted to bring extra though so some people at work could try it on some crackers. I wanted to see if an omnivore would find it as delicious as I did. Guess what... They did! I think that just about anyone would find this dip to be delicious. It's that good.

In the green container are the perfect companions for making a wrap out of the Chipotle Chickpea Dip. I've got some Baby Spinach Leaves, some sliced Roma Tomato and a few pieces of sliced Red Onion. I tried this on a tortilla with the dip last night and I can confirm that it is indeed very delicious.

The smaller containers hold some Spanish Rice, which is actually just some of the leftover Tofu Jambalaya from yesterday's lunch, minus the tofu of course, and some more of the Red Seedless Grapes that were on sale this week at my local grocery store. They make a really good dessert and are certainly much more figure friendly than a vegan brownie or cookie.

So that does it for Thursday's lunch. This stuff is really good and I highly recommend making it, especially if you already like hummus anyway. It's delicious and healthy, just what I need to help me shape up a little bit before Summer gets here. I got my 30 minute walk in today as well, so everything is cruising right along.

Thanks for coming by today and I'll see everybody tomorrow!
SMALL FLOUR TORTILLASSPINACH, TOMATO & RED ONIONCHIPOTLE CHICKPEA DIPSPANISH RICERED GRAPESFORK & SPOON

5 comments:

NightOwl said...

Ken,

I am so proud of you for taking control of your weight and health. I struggle with my weight, and I can't tell you what it means to me to know that I'm not the only vegan with these issues. Lately, I've seen more and more vegan folks come out and say they struggle with their weight. It's great to know I'm not alone. I feel like I'm scrutinized because I'm vegan. I would just like to say, I know I would be much heavier, and probably diabetic, if I were not vegan. Anyway, best of luck with your weight-loss efforts! I'm going to take inspiration from your delicious, healthy lunches. :)

Susan Voisin said...

Ken, I just want to say thanks for all the traffic you've been sending my blog. You've got quite a following! And I'm thrilled to hear you like the Chipotle Chickpea Dip so much. In fact, I think you've convinced me to make up a batch of it myself.

Anonymous said...

This stuff is awesome. It is very yummy and it is good for you. I make it all the time at home and I love to add lots of fresh garlic to mine. I think that I may have to make some tonight after seeing your lunch!!! JD

kennyboy said...

Thanks nightowl. You are DEFINITELY not alone. I am starting to think that it's even EASIER to gain weight on a vegan diet, because when you're vegan you end up cooking a lot more, which sometimes leads to eating a lot more. Plus it seems easy to overdo the oil & simple carbs. When I was an omni, I probably bought two 5lb bags of flour a year and maybe one big bottle of vegetable oil. After going vegan, I think I bought three or four bags of flour in a couple of months, and three or four bottles of oil. It's definitely easy to make unhealthy vegan food. I guess all we can do is just pay attention to what we're doing and strive to do the best we can. :o)

Hey Susan! I'm glad people are clicking on the links to your recipes because they are AWESOME! Thank YOU for creating them and sharing.

:o)

Sheree' said...

I love Susan's blog. I use it often. I am on weight watchers and am always looking for low point recipes or I adapt others to fit the plan. Good luck on your healthy lifestyle. I have to say since turning vegan I have lost 43lbs, which makes a total of 52lbs. I lost 9 prevegan, but was a veggie. It is all about choices and portion. Way to go Ken. I love getting your ideas.