The Color Purple - Recipes & The Jacaranda Tree

 Emblematic of L.A. is its grand boulevards lined with palm trees. This month, a purple upstart enters the scene -- the blossoming Jacaranda Tree. Stand under its branches at full bloom, and the perfume is overwhelming.

May is the month that launches millions of blossoms carpeting large swaths of sidewalk; drive along 6th Street near LACMA and it's blue for blocks. 

Purple is a mix of the colors blue and red. I have a few recipes using Purple Onion, also called Red Onion. It leans to the red side of purple.

I first had Yuca & Mojo Sauce with Purple Onion at a local Cuban Restaurant. Yuca or Cassava is similar to a potato. My version of Mojo Sauce is a sweet and sour accompaniment.

When I make a Bagel, Cream Cheese, Onion, with Tomato, the raw onion of choice is, of course, purple. Purple Onion is peppery in flavor with a sweet aftertaste. 

When I make Mexican-style fresh fruit Salsas, I splurge with Purple Onion, as it is usually more expensive than yellow or white onion. Anytime I arrive at a potluck, they are always a hit and disappear in no time. Click on any of the recipe names to be directed to my recipes of Mango Salsa, Peach Salsa, Pineapple Salsa, and Kiwi Salsa. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Mango Salsa.

I first purchased Purple Cauliflower only a few years ago from the late, great 99c Only Store.

It tastes the same as typical white Cauliflower. I made a simple Vegan Cauliflower Soup with Almond Milk. Check out the video below.

An Eggplant is the deepest, darkest purple. I added some to a Hummus recipe. I used to find roasted eggplant in oil at my local 99c only Store.

But you can roast or sauté a fresh eggplant, too. Just click here to see how I do it. Leave on the purple skin to add color.

My Sister, Denise, visited this cheap$kate brother and showed me her purplish Eggplant Veggie Burger Recipe.

Of course, we started with an ingredient shopping spree at my local 99c only Store. Click here to check out her recipe details.

For a soothing and creamy vegan dip, go with my version of Baba Ganoush. Of course, it's made with purple Eggplant. Get out the gluten-free, organic, multi-grain, low-sodium crackers for this one.

Eggplant Parmesan is a cheesy mess of deliciousness. I coat slices of eggplant in breadcrumbs and bake it with tomato sauce and cheese. My cheap$kate riff on an Italian Classic dish is here.

My Stuffed Eggplant recipe will float your boat. It's a purple shell loaded with ground meat, sautéed veggies, and, of course, cheese.  More yummy photos and tasty text are here.

My Purple Hummus recipe is made with easy-to-get ingredients, including canned garbanzo beans, lemon juice, olive oil, and ground cumin. 

I use sesame seeds instead of hard-to-find tahini, which is similar to peanut butter, just blander. If you can't find sesame seeds or tahini, it's okay to use a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter.

It all comes together easily in a blender or food processor; just blend until creamy.

I like to serve Eggplant Hummus with triangles of pita bread. You can use a favorite cracker or fresh chopped veggies like celery, broccoli, or carrots.

So watch my meditative recipe video below. To get things started, I give you a tour of some favorite jacaranda trees and blossom sightings in Los Angeles, then the recipe follows.

Eggplant Hummus & Jacaranda Blossoms - Video

Play it here. The video runs 2 minutes, 24 seconds.

To view or embed video from YouTube click here.

Ingredients

• 1 small jar marinated grilled eggplant - Okay to use fresh-baked or sautéed eggplant.
• 1 can garbanzo beans - 16 ounces, drained.
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds - or 2 tablespoons of tahini. Okay to substitute with 1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter.
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic - fresh or from the jar.
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice - fresh or concentrated from a 99-cent plastic lemon.
• Pita bread slices - or your favorite sliced raw veggies.

Directions
Drain a can of garbanzo beans.

Add all ingredients (including oil from marinated eggplant) to a blender or food processor and blend for 20 to 30 seconds until hummus is creamy.

Serve with sliced pita bread triangles and/or fresh chopped veggies (carrots, celery, red/yellow bell pepper, etc.), 99c only Stores also sell roasted red bell pepper in a jar, so try that sometime instead of eggplant.

If your local 99-cent or dollar store is out of bottled roasted veggies, make a plain one with the above-mentioned ingredients and the addition of a 1/4 cup of the 99-cent olive oil blend.

Hindsight
I use sesame seeds in this Hummus recipe. Usually, a paste called tahini is used; if you can find it, then use it - about a tablespoon or two. Tahini tastes like bland peanut butter, so if you can't find sesame seeds or tahini, then add a teaspoon of peanut butter.

I also have a recipe for Baba Ganoush that uses roasted eggplant. Just click here if you want to use fresh roasted eggplant, or if you can't find cheap marinated eggplant in oil. One eggplant should be plenty for this recipe. Eggplants are sometimes sold large-sized, but they shrink a lot when baked or sautéed. Below are Japanese Eggplants, which are smaller than a regular Eggplant.