You’re looking at a sprouted grain tortilla spread with oil-free hummus (my own concoction), then packed with brown rice (cooked in veggie broth instead of water), baked falafel (recipe from Isa Chandra’s Appetite for Reduction) and tahini sauce (recipe from the Casa de Luz Community Cookbook). This made a delicious, filling dinner on a cold night. The only change I might make next time would be to add some steamed veggies (carrots and broccoli perhaps?) to the wrap.

Want to make your own? Here’s an oil-free hummus recipe to get you started. Why oil-free? Because I like to eat so much, I don’t have room in my diet for all those empty calories!

Oil-Free (and Totally Awesome) Hummus

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic 3 tablespoons tahini 1/4 cup garbanzo bean liquid (or more, as needed) Several grinds fresh black pepper 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Combine everything in a food processor with the S-blade and process until smooth. Add more garbanzo bean liquid if it’s too thick to process.

If you don’t want to make your own falafel (it’s a little labor intensive), maybe you could save some leftovers from Chadra Mezza or King Tut?

We can’t run a Fort Worth vegan blog without talking about Spiral Diner at some point. It’s a little hard, though – what can we say that hasn’t been said already? Spiral Diner, Fort Worth’s 100% vegan restaurant on Magnolia Avenue in the Near Southside, is the promised land for Fort Worth vegans. It’s a landmark, one that’s beloved by vegans and non-vegans alike. It has a wide-ranging menu full of variety and flavor, a cool staff, a fantastic location in a hip indie neighborhood, and tons of character. We realize most long-time FW vegans know about Spiral, but since we’re hoping this blog also encourages new vegans in Fort Worth, we need to post about Spiral.

Virtually everything we’ve tried at Spiral has been delicious. It’s some of the most flavorful vegan food you’ll find anywhere, let alone in Texas. There are incredible sandwiches, like the legendary Jamaican Jerk BBQ…

Or the Chopped BBQ…

Awesome salads like the Taco Salad…

Or the BBQ Salad…

Tasty Mexican dishes like the nachos…

And the quesadillas…

There’s the chili…

The smoothies…

And the frighteningly tasty desserts.

Even the appetizers are engaging, like the flavorful nacho cheese sauce (seen here with corn tortillas).

On Sundays, there’s even Biscuits & Gravy and an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast!

Seriously – just go and take a look at the menu. Whatever your taste, it’s likely that Spiral will have ten things that satisfy you.

What’s more, they even do custom cakes:

(That’s actually the cake from our own wedding party – we had a 100% vegan wedding party catered by Spiral – check the spread in the pic below.)

One could go on and on about Spiral, but you get the idea. It’s ridiculously tasty 100% vegan food – in Fort Worth! The presence of Spiral serves to dispel the “Cowtown” stereotypes of this city, and has blazed a path for ever-increasing vegan dining options in Fort Worth. We salute you, Spiral Diner – you’ve made being a vegan in Fort Worth downright pleasant.

Spiral Diner 1314 W. Magnolia 817-3-EatVeg spiraldiner.com

I made this pumpkin hummus for a party this past weekend, and it seemed to be a hit. I’m pretty fond of it myself. Not only is it easy, it’s full of healthy, wholesome ingredients—chickpeas, pumpkin, almond butter, garlic—and on top of all that it’s tasty! I like to dip baby carrots and Mary’s Gone Crackers in it. Serve up a bowlful at your next Halloween party or even for Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Hummus

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons raw almond butter 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 clove garlic, minced

Place everything in a food processor with the S-blade and blend until smooth. If the hummus isn’t turning over easily, add water 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to blend until smooth. You shouldn’t need to add more than 1-2 tablespoons of water.