Flipping through Stuff White People Like: A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions, one discovers that white people love hummus. They (we) like to keep it in the fridge next to the Brita pitcher. Truth be told, my hummus is usually on the shelf above the Brita pitcher, but it's still there all the same. I don't know how, when, or why white people jumped up on the hummus bandwagon. According to the aforementioned book, we do love adopting other people's cultures.
I don't know when I had hummus for the first time. My mother and I would get gyros from a Greek fast food place in the mall, and maybe I had it there first. Or perhaps at Yum Yum Cafe, where I was first introduced to Chicken Shwarma. You'd never guess that Yum Yum Cafe was a Middle Eastern restaurant, going by the name alone. I can thank my friend Jon for taking me there for the first time. It was a block away from our dorm, and several of us took a little trip. I've been a sucker for Middle Eastern food ever since.
Where was I? Oh, right...telling you about how much white people love hummus. Or maybe just about how much I love hummus. Having it for the first time is a revelation. It's nutty, earthy, a little tangy, and very creamy. I would never have imagined that chickpeas would taste so good (or eggplant, in hummus's cousin baba ghanoush).
The best part about hummus may be how unbelievably easy it is to make. I will say that it's easiest if you have a food processor. I bought my food processor for the sole purpose of making hummus (I do use it for other things occasionally). The most difficult part is tracking down tahini, which is paste made from ground sesame seeds. Most large supermarkets are starting to carry it, and it's often found in either the Kosher section or near the peanut butter. Once you find it, stick it in the refrigerator and it will be there until the end of the world or you run out, whichever comes first. I have a giant jar that I bought over two years ago. I'm still using it. If you're really lazy, hummus can be purchased ready-to-eat in the produce or deli section of most supermarkets. Oddly, my nearest supermarket has it with the cream cheese and non-dairy creamer. Go figure. We've also found hummus nearly ready-to-eat in a can at the Super G Mart. Although it appears that you would just open the can and eat it (like Joe and LA did), the fine print on the side actually says that you need to add garlic and lemon juice. It's still easy.
LA has been making all manner of hummus lately, using beans other than the typical chickpeas, most notably black bean hummus. Google "black bean hummus" and you'll find scores of recipes. Hummus really is a great snack. High in fiber, no cholesterol. I suppose it would be even better for me if I ate it with carrot sticks, but I prefer the more traditional pita bread. Even if it is whole-wheat pita. With it being 100 degrees and humid every day, I'm looking for things to eat that don't require cooking. Hummus is the way to go. If you haven't tried it before, now is definitely the time to do so.
I have been making the following recipe for ages, and I have no idea where it comes from. LA has been substituting lime juice for the lemon juice and prefers it. I haven't tried it yet, but I wanted to throw it out there as an option.*
Hummus
1 14-oz can chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans or ceci beans)
3 tbsp tahini
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
pinch of salt
cayenne pepper, to taste
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid. Put the beans in a food processor with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process until very smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the cayenne pepper and process until blended.
With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil. If it's too thick, add some of the reserved bean liquid to thin.
*When the weather starts to cool, I'll be posting a recipe for one of my favorite soups of all-time. It includes chickpeas and tahini. You can justify buying tahini for two recipes!
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
So, How's It Going?
I've been asked a few times how the Escapades v. 2.0 are going. Honestly, some days are easier than others. I find myself craving familiar foods, although they are different than those that I would normally crave. Last week, I had a mystifying craving for ham. I broke down and bought some NC-produced country ham. And it was delicious. I'm eating less meat, which any dietitian will tell you is a good thing. I'm also eating a lot more fruits and vegetables--another good thing. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with myself.
Yesterday, I made a quiche using Miller Produce eggs and zucchini, with Cackleberry Farms' feta. I also threw in some jarred red peppers that were sitting in the fridge. I haven't had quiche in ages, but it seemed an appropriate use of the many ingredients I had.
LA bought a smoothie recipe book (I don't know if that would be considered a "cook"book, since nothing is cooked), so we've both been making smoothies left and right. He's sticking with the more traditional fruit-and-yogurt smoothies, while I'm branching out. I bought peaches and blackberries, then threw them in with some (organic) vanilla yogurt. That was a satisfying, albeit crunchy smoothie. Lesson learned: strain the blackberries after pureeing to get rid of all the seeds. I made another one, utilizing the lesson that I had learned, and the results were even better. I made another with cucumber, avocado, and kale. I didn't realize at the time that my yogurt was vanilla, instead of plain, so it made for an odd smoothie. Not bad, but not at all what I'd expected. After buying some plain yogurt, I decided to give it another shot. This time I added a small can of V-8 that I had sitting around. The resulting smoothie was a most unsettling color. While it tasted okay, I think the vanilla version had been tastier. I should probably stick with the fruits, since those turn out the best.
Lunch today was the result of needing to use up the rest of the kale that I'd picked up on Saturday. I was planning to cook it with garlic, then toss with spaghetti. That would've involved at least two pans, and I'm lazy. I bought some new potatoes from Miller Produce last night, thinking I'd make more Spanish potato salad, but soup sounded like a better idea. I'm a huge fan of the Toscana soup at Olive Garden (even if it does come out of a microwavable bag), and I had the majority of the items to make something similar. The Toscana soup has spicy Italian sausage in it, and I was going for a vegetarian version. A diced onion, quartered potatoes, shredded kale, some water and a little milk all made for a delightful soup. I got a little heavy-handed with the salt, but it all worked out in the end. As usual, I measured nothing. When I make potato soup, I think about the soup that my Grandma B. used to make, and I try to imitate the flavor of hers. Her soup never included kale or potato skins, but she may have still recognized it.
I've done pretty well in other ways, too. I'm drinking a lot more water, as well as herbal tea. The teas I've gotten from "the tea lady", as we call Linda, owner of Indigo Tea Market. She has a plethora of different teas, my favorite being the Long Island Strawberry, which is a green tea. The Moroccan mint is also wonderful. LA mixes the peach tisane with normal orange pekoe to make a flavored sweet tea. I actually bought a kettle for all the tea I've been drinking. Yesterday I fell off the wagon and had a Diet A&W root beer. No sugar and no caffeine, but plenty of other questionable ingredients that caused me to feel guilt for the rest of the evening. It was, however, the first soda that I'd had in a week and a half! I've also (mostly) stopped eating sweets. I've never had much of a sweet tooth, but what little I had is in decline. I ate one of my beloved Cheerwine truffles, and it was so sweet! No sweeter than it had been the last time I'd had one, but I'm apparently getting more sensitive to the sweets. I have to give LA props, too, since he's been eating a lot fewer sweets, and that's really an accomplishment for him (we won't mention the toaster pastries that he bought at the dollar store).
All in all, this has been easier than I thought, although still a struggle at times. I'm still getting enough to eat, I'm eating foods I enjoy, plus I'm having to broaden my horizons and try new items and recipes. I've got garlic scapes waiting for me, as well as an eggplant and a horribly ugly tomato. Guess I know what's on the menu for dinner!
Yesterday, I made a quiche using Miller Produce eggs and zucchini, with Cackleberry Farms' feta. I also threw in some jarred red peppers that were sitting in the fridge. I haven't had quiche in ages, but it seemed an appropriate use of the many ingredients I had.
LA bought a smoothie recipe book (I don't know if that would be considered a "cook"book, since nothing is cooked), so we've both been making smoothies left and right. He's sticking with the more traditional fruit-and-yogurt smoothies, while I'm branching out. I bought peaches and blackberries, then threw them in with some (organic) vanilla yogurt. That was a satisfying, albeit crunchy smoothie. Lesson learned: strain the blackberries after pureeing to get rid of all the seeds. I made another one, utilizing the lesson that I had learned, and the results were even better. I made another with cucumber, avocado, and kale. I didn't realize at the time that my yogurt was vanilla, instead of plain, so it made for an odd smoothie. Not bad, but not at all what I'd expected. After buying some plain yogurt, I decided to give it another shot. This time I added a small can of V-8 that I had sitting around. The resulting smoothie was a most unsettling color. While it tasted okay, I think the vanilla version had been tastier. I should probably stick with the fruits, since those turn out the best.
Lunch today was the result of needing to use up the rest of the kale that I'd picked up on Saturday. I was planning to cook it with garlic, then toss with spaghetti. That would've involved at least two pans, and I'm lazy. I bought some new potatoes from Miller Produce last night, thinking I'd make more Spanish potato salad, but soup sounded like a better idea. I'm a huge fan of the Toscana soup at Olive Garden (even if it does come out of a microwavable bag), and I had the majority of the items to make something similar. The Toscana soup has spicy Italian sausage in it, and I was going for a vegetarian version. A diced onion, quartered potatoes, shredded kale, some water and a little milk all made for a delightful soup. I got a little heavy-handed with the salt, but it all worked out in the end. As usual, I measured nothing. When I make potato soup, I think about the soup that my Grandma B. used to make, and I try to imitate the flavor of hers. Her soup never included kale or potato skins, but she may have still recognized it.
I've done pretty well in other ways, too. I'm drinking a lot more water, as well as herbal tea. The teas I've gotten from "the tea lady", as we call Linda, owner of Indigo Tea Market. She has a plethora of different teas, my favorite being the Long Island Strawberry, which is a green tea. The Moroccan mint is also wonderful. LA mixes the peach tisane with normal orange pekoe to make a flavored sweet tea. I actually bought a kettle for all the tea I've been drinking. Yesterday I fell off the wagon and had a Diet A&W root beer. No sugar and no caffeine, but plenty of other questionable ingredients that caused me to feel guilt for the rest of the evening. It was, however, the first soda that I'd had in a week and a half! I've also (mostly) stopped eating sweets. I've never had much of a sweet tooth, but what little I had is in decline. I ate one of my beloved Cheerwine truffles, and it was so sweet! No sweeter than it had been the last time I'd had one, but I'm apparently getting more sensitive to the sweets. I have to give LA props, too, since he's been eating a lot fewer sweets, and that's really an accomplishment for him (we won't mention the toaster pastries that he bought at the dollar store).
All in all, this has been easier than I thought, although still a struggle at times. I'm still getting enough to eat, I'm eating foods I enjoy, plus I'm having to broaden my horizons and try new items and recipes. I've got garlic scapes waiting for me, as well as an eggplant and a horribly ugly tomato. Guess I know what's on the menu for dinner!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Hurray for Soup!
I was joylessly contemplating another meal made from the prepackaged contents of my pantry. Ugh—macaroni and cheese or Rice-a-Roni? I couldn’t bear another meal of dehydrated cheese with a side of sodium. But what were my other options? Then lightning struck! Crushed tomatoes. Canned corn. Elbow macaroni. With some ingenuity and a few other ingredients, I could have minestrone! I excitedly collected everything that I thought might make an acceptable soup.
I wouldn’t call my minestrone “traditional”. I prefer to think of it as Kitchen Sink Minestrone. Everything but the aforementioned kitchen sink went into it. My ultimate goal was to make something that would pass as edible, while being healthier than the majority of my recent meals. Healthier than Tuna Helper? Unbelievable, I know.
My final ingredient list was:
1 ½ tbsp of minced garlic
About 1 cup of frozen Southern-style hash browns
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
5 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 quarts of water
14 oz can of corn
14 oz can of chickpeas
2 oz elbow macaroni
8 oz of frozen peas
5 cubes of frozen chopped basil (5 tsp)
I heated 3 tbsp of oil in my 7 quart Dutch oven, since I figured I would end up making a very large amount of soup. I quickly cooked the garlic, and then added the hash browns. Right from the freezer. Why thaw? Then I dumped in the tomatoes, chickpeas, corn and the water. I crumbled the bouillon cubes right into the soup. I know they say to dissolve them in the water, but that’s really just an extra step. I brought this to a boil, then reduced it to a simmer and covered it.
After about 30 minutes of cooking, I added the macaroni, which proceeded to stick to the bottom of the pan. Rather than stir the soup, I had to scrape it. Eh, it won’t affect the flavor, and I’m probably the only one who’ll be eating it. I covered the pot again and let it cook for an additional 15 minutes, stirring/scraping occasionally. I then added the peas and the basil. Again, right from the freezer. I let it cook another 5-10 minutes, adjusted the seasoning with salt and pepper, and decided that enough had gone into it.
One final note. I rarely use spell check, but decided to give it a go today. Spell check was not pleased with my use of "oooh" and recommended that I change it to "pooh". Thanks, spell check!
“Cold soup is a very tricky thing and it is the rare hostess who can carry it off. More often than not the dinner guest is left with the impression that had he only come a little earlier he could’ve gotten it while it was still hot."
--Fran Lebowitz
Metropolitan Life
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