Garlic Scapes are a refreshing spring time treat, there potent, zingy flavor enlivens any dish. They can be used to replace garlic but more importantly they provide a more intense, greener flavor than the bulb. Previously I posted my radish green and garlic scape pesto on the blog which is an example of how simple and versatile the scape can be.

After making that delicious pesto which I used for 2 weeks straight on sandwiches, with zucchini noodles, and simple ate with a spoon, I still had a few scapes left that needed to be used. With friends on the way over. hummus seemed like the perfect snack and the perfect platform to showcase the rest of those vibrant scapes.

Hummus is one of my favorite snacks. I have spent a lot of time researching and experimenting in order to create the perfect smooth, creamy dip that I desired. Now, after perfecting my recipe it is difficult to go back to the store bought brands as they lack that freshness that I have become accustomed to.

The secret to perfect hummus to cook the chickpeas until they are mushy and then to use the cooking water in your dip when pureeing. I often sprout chickpeas first and then cook them off but canned chickpeas work as well. Combined with liberal amounts of olive oil, cumin, lemon, and in this instance garlic scapes the flavors is delightful.

As a side note, the garlic scapes are a little bit fibrous so the hummus may not be as silky when made with regular garlic.

Garlic Scape Hummus with Raw Sweet Potato Chips

2 15oz cans of Chickpeas or 2 cups of dried Chickpeas, soaked and sprouted

4 Garlic Scapes

1/4 cup Olive OIl

1/4 cup Tahini

1 tbs Cumin

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

1 cup Chickpea cooking water

Juice of 1 lemon

Place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan and cover with 2in of water. Bring to a boil, reducing to a simmer and letting cook until mushy about 30 minutes. Drain chickpeas, reserving cooking water. Remove chickpea films if desired - this will make the color of your hummus brighter.

Add the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and cumin to a food processor.Begin to process, slowly pouring in the cooking water until smooth. You can add more cooking water if you would like to to be a little looser, the hummus will set up as it chills in the refrigerator.

Place the hummus in a serving dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cumin and oregano.

Slice sweet potatoes to a 1/4in thick, dust with salt and enjoy!

I have been doing some experiments with balls lately, I know I know, what a ridiculous and unclassy word. You would think that we could come up with a more sophisticated term for this small, round, bite sized delights!

Essentially my morning started with banana bread protein balls followed by the creation of various versions of a vegan 'meatball'. I am not one of those people who enjoy creating or eating meat substitutes. I do not buy fake bologna, soy sausages, or chik'n but a friend of mine had asked if I had any really great quinoa 'meatball' recipes that could be used as an appetizer and that spurred 2 afternoons of mixing, blending, cooking, pureeing and experimenting.

My first foray produced two very different options; sweet potato, quinoa and sage balls and the kale, quinoa and chickpea balls. Although the sweet potato balls were quite delicious the texture reminded me of potato puffs. They would be a delightful appetizer but were not quite meatballish, thus the kale quinoa and chickpea versions won out.

These balls are hearty, flavorful and dense, they have a slightly Asian flare but could be easily adapted to an Italian version by using oregano and basil as opposed to ginger and garlic. I can definitely say that I will be eating them with zucchini noodles and a fresh tomato sauce later this week. As I was aiming for appetizer worthy balls I had another decision to make, to fry or not to fry. My preference, for health reasons of course is to bake them but frying them did have its pros - yes I did do two batches, one fried and on baked. Good thing that these freeze well!

The fried balls retained more moisture than the baked version although I did like the somewhat drier texture of the baked balls. Either way works well so I will leave it up to you as to what you prefer. The fried version definitely had that appetizer like feel while the baked version seemed like it would pair best with a noodle of some sort although I did enjoy both versions with the sesame soy dipping sauce.

Don't forget that cooking is supposed to be fun, so invite some friends over, give the recipe a try and have them decide if the fried or baked version is better. Enjoy and healthy eating!

Kale, Quinoa and Chickpea 'Meatballs' with Sesame Soy Dipping Sauce

Makes 18-20 balls depending on size

1 15oz can Chickpeas

1/2 small onion

2 large Garlic Cloves

2 in piece of Ginger, peeled

2 cups of loosely packed Kale (about 4 large leaves)

1 Thai Chili Pepper

1 cup Quinoa, cooked

1 Egg

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt to taste

Sesame Soy Dipping Sauce

1 tbs Sesame Tahini

2 tbs Soy Sauce

1 tbs Rice Wine Vinegar

1 tsp dried Ginger

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Cook the Quinoa according to the package directions, usually 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa. Set aside to cool. In a food processor add the chickpeas, pulse to break down into a crumbly texture, do not puree. Add to a large bowl.

In the food processor add the kale, onion, garlic, chili pepper and ginger, pulse a few times to break down and combine. Add to the chickpeas along with the quinoa and stir to combine all of the ingredients, add salt to taste. Add the egg and thoroughly mix until your 'meatball' dough is formed.

With damp hands, roll the mixture into balls, I made two sizes, 1 in. for the fried version and 2 in. for the baked version. If you are going to bake them, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 for 30 minutes, flipping after 15 to brown all sides. If you are going to fry them, heat olive oil or coconut oil in a large pan until shimmering. Add a few of the balls, turning frequently to brown all side. Remove and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl add the tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and cayenne stirring to combine.

To serve, use toothpicks or lemongrass skewers and arrange with your dipping sauce. Enjoy!