Elements » hummus

Raw Red Lentil Hummus

Sheila — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 04:35:38 +0000

I can eat hummus every day and not get tired of it, but it was such a treat to try hummus made with lentils instead of chickpeas. While I prefer hummus with chickpeas, I really did enjoy the lentil hummus I made the other day.

It was really easy to do. I soaked the lentils in water for 24 hours. Then I drained the water off them, added some tahini, lemon juice, and seasonings, blended it all together, and that was it!

I made mine with a lot of dried chili peppers, and the hot and spicy tortilla chips I had with the hummus added an extra element and layer of heat that increased my enjoyment of every single bite.

It was also wonderful spread on some semolina sandwich bread,

as well as with some olives and Peppadew peppers.

I got the recipe from Jenne at Sweet Potato Soul, and she adapted her recipe from The Artful Vegan by Eric Tucker @ The Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco.

I highly recommend this raw red lentil hummus; it’s totally delish!!

P.S. I used soy sauce in mine instead of miso sauce. I also skipped the jalepeno and used lemon juice and dried chili peppers.

Spinach Fruit Salad with Hummus, Chicken, and Cheese

Sheila — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:19:00 +0000

This salad came about as a result of me needing use to use up some leftovers in the fridge. I had some leftover baked chicken breast, as well as some fresh spinach, fruit, feta cheese, and olives that also needed to be used.

Hummus makes a wonderful and nutritious salad dressing that’s low in fat and high in protein. You can make it yourself or buy it already prepared…whichever you prefer. If you’ve never tried it on your salads instead of dressing, give it a try at least once. It’s totally awesome!!

Don’t worry about measuring anything when you’re making this salad. There’s no need to. Just quickly throw it together and enjoy eating it. I know I did!!!

Spinach Fruit Salad with Hummus, Chicken, and Cheese

Ingredients:

fresh baby spinach leaves
red grapes
strawberries
sunflower seeds
jalepeno hummus (or you can substitute it with any other kind of hummus)
baked chicken
feta cheese
olives

Instructions:

Wash the spinach and fruit.
Place spinach leaves on a plate.
Add fruit and then sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
Then add some leftover roasted (or fried) chicken.
Top with hummus (homemade or store-bought) and a few olives.
Enjoy every yummy bite!!!

Tuna Spinach Salad with Hummus, Mango, and Kiwi

Sheila — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:10:14 +0000

It’s a snap to make, and it’s oh-so light on your stomach, making a perfect afternoon meal. We make our tuna salad different ways…depending on what we’re in the mood for and what we have on hand in our refrigerator. Sometimes we make it with mayo and sometimes with jalepeno ranch dressing. Sometimes we add feta cheese and olives to the mix, while other times we prefer just plain tuna and the dressing of our choice.

Then there are times, like this afternoon, that we like to jazz up our tuna with hummus, spinach, and fruit. It’s not only healthy for you and perfect on a hot summer day, but it also tastes marvelous!

If you’re someone who doesn’t care for the taste of spinach much because it’s a little bitter, then try this salad. I love spinach, but I find it tastes a little less bitter when served with fruit.

Tuna Spinach Salad with Hummus, Mango, and Kiwi

Ingredients:

1 can tuna, drained
2 tbsp. roasted red pepper hummus (or any other flavor you prefer)
1 tbsp. chilpotle mayonnaise
1 kiwi
1/2 fresh mango
fresh baby spinach leaves
poppy seeds for garnishing

Instructions:

Make your hummus.(Just don’t add the jalapenos.) If you’re short on time, you can always purchase it already made in the store.
Wash the spinach.
Peel and slice the mango. Take some of the sliced mangoes and dice it into small pieces.
Peel and slice the kiwi. Dice some of it.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the can of drained tuna, hummus, mayonnaise, diced mango, and diced kiwi.
Place a handful (as much or as little as you like) of spinach leaves on a small serving plate.
Place some of the tuna salad you just mixed up on top of the spinach.
Sprinkle with poppy seeds.
Place the sliced kiwi and mangoes around the tuna salad.
Enjoy!

Jalepeno and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Sheila — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:23:06 +0000

Hummus is my favorite way to eat chickpeas; it’s also Kemal’s favorite chickpea dish as well. While you can serve it as an appetizer, we enjoy it as a meal. We like to spread it on bread, sometimes with some goat cheese. It makes for a light lunch…one that will give you a lot of energy yet not make you drowsy or tired later.

We also enjoy hummus on our salads. I think it tastes a lot better than adding cold chickpeas to my salad, and it’s a much healthier alternative to using salad dressing. Or if you really like your salad dressing, use only about 1/3 the amount you normally would, substituting hummus instead of using so much dressing. Ranch and roasted pepper hummus make for an interesting mix on your veggie salads.

Jalepeno and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

dried chickpeas, approximately 2 cups (you can substitute with canned chickpeas)
water
2 jalepenos
1 large red pepper
2 lemons
7 garlic cloves
5 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
sea salt to taste
parsley to garnish

Instructions:

I used dried chickpeas to make my hummus, and to cook them, I just put them in a Crockpot, covered them with water, and cooked on high for about 7 hours. I never cook on high heat with my Crockpot unless I’m at home and awake. Caution: When you cook on high heat, the water level will evaporate much faster, and you need to watch your beans to see if you need to add more water. If you’re cooking them while you’re sleeping or away from the house, always cook on low heat.
Meanwhile, grease a baking dish with about 1 tsp. olive oil.
Wash the outside of the peppers.
Peel the garlic.
Put the whole peppers and the garlic cloves in a bowl, tossing them in about 2 tsp. olive oil.
Bake them on 350 degrees (uncovered) until they’re soft.
Remove from the oven and let them cool.
Juice both of your lemons, setting aside the freshly squeezed juice in the refrigerator for later use.
After your chickpeas are soft (just poke them with a fork to tell if they’re done), transfer them while they’re still warm to your blender. I added the liquid that was left in the Crockpot, but there wasn’t a lot of it. If you’re using canned chickpeas to make your hummus, just add the water from the can.
Add the peppers, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, 4 tbsp olive oil, and salt to the blender with the chickpeas.
Puree the for several minutes until you have a smooth and creamy hummus.
Transfer the hummus to a bowl.
Taste it to see if you have enough salt. If not, add a little more.
Refrigerate uncovered to let it chill.
Serve cold. You can add a teaspoon or so of olive oil to the top of the hummus and then garnish with fresh parsley if you like. Adding the olive oil to the top is optional though.
You can serve it with olives if you like, and how you eat it up to you. It’s great spread on bread, and it also makes a great chip or cracker dip.