Meatless Monday: Hummus

  
     Meatless monday is becoming a regular feature on my blog and that being said I wanted to include another offering this week.  However it has been a very busy weekend.  We have had a lot of company and things going on, including attending a family luncheon for my cousin who recently got engaged to a lovely girl.  With all the hub-bub and excitement of that, I couldn't do a meal recipe so I have included a recipe for a lovely snack.  I hope you and yours are well and that you have not had too much excitement this past week.  If so sit back, relax with a cup of joe or tea if that is a preference, and read on.
     The humble chick pea: I had never really appreciated these legumes when I was younger.  I actually hated them. My mom always put them in salads and I would pick around them.  Years later I came to slowly love the humble pea.  They are creamy, full of fiber, packed with antioxidants and I realized very good for me.  Recently I made a wonderful chick pea soup and also discovered these little oddly shaped legumes are delectable roasted with rosemary, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. That being said I still have not got to the point of eating them right out of the can as I had seen my mother doing when I was a girl.  Today my favorite way to enjoy them is served up as the main ingredient in hummus.  Lately I have been craving it and this time I made it extra lemony by using the preserved lemons I made over a month ago.  I said they would come in handy later!  I also use plain old water as an ingredient here to cut back on some of the fat.



Lemony Hummus

  • 2 cans garbanzo beans
  • 1/2 cup tahini paste
  • 2 wedges preserved lemons
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup H20
  • 1/4 cup of preserved lemon juice
  • oil olive
  • salt
  • white pepper

Directions:

     Drain and rinse 2 cans of garbanzo beans, add to food processor.  Add tahini paste, lemons, garlic, and lemon juice. Pulse. Add H20 1/4 cup at a time and pulse to blend, adding just enough water until it begins to get a little creamy but still thick. (This cuts back on some of the fat but you still want to be able to add olive oil for the lovely taste.) Add olive oil with blade running until hummus reaches the desired consistency, and is also smooth and creamy. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Serve with baked pitas, tortilla chips, carrots sticks, or any other favorite dipper!


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