Hummus-Tomato Vegetable Sauce

This is sorta like "gravy" and I'd thought about it when I saw the MoFo "Iron Chef" contest with the secret ingredient..... CHICKPEAS! But I didn't see the contest until too late to post enter. Watch for next week's though, I'll be ready!

Anyway, I'm still posting, because this is a fave sauce/gravy type recipe and one that's a little unique too! This is how I use up that last bit of hummus when I have "extra" (haha). Doesn't happen often, as hummus goes faster than ice-cream in this house.

This sauce is mostly vegetables, held together with a bit of really tasty sauce, but it goes great over rice, orzo pasta or polenta.

(A note on hummus, if you've never made your own, PLEASE DO!!! Here's my hummus recipe. It is only 999 BILLION times better than store bought. And super easy. And cheap. Especially if you cook your own garbanzos. Which makes it sound difficult, and it's really not. I digress.)

Easy Vegetable-Tomato-Hummus Sauce

• olive oil
• 1 eggplant (about 12 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 10 med mushrooms, sliced
• 1 smallish zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 bunch broccoli rabe—stems cut into small pieces, leaves coarsely chopped
• Salt
• 3/4 cup vegetarian "beef" flavored broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 -3/4 cup hummus (use store bought if you must, or make your own and save the rest for snacking and such!)
  
  
• In a large (I use cast iron) skillet, heat a little olive oil over high heat. Add the eggplant and cook for 1 minute.
  
  It'll absorb all the oil, so add a little more (sorry!) and add the mushrooms, onion, zucchini and broccoli rabe stems and cook for about 5 - 7 minutes or until vegetables are getting soft.

Stir in the broccoli rabe leaves, cover and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Put the veggies in a bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and set aside.

In the same pan, turn heat to med-high and whisk together the vegetable "beef"-flavored broth and tomato paste and cook until the liquid is reduced about in half, about 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the hummus. It will thicken a bit and form a sauce.

Stir in the reserved vegetables, season with salt and pepper if you think it needs it (sometimes I add other herbs, but it's fine as is) and serve over rice or orzo pasta or a tofu scramble.

SO YUM!!