On the Mediterranean Diet Way of Eating plan (WOE) recommended by many doctors, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is the only compliant oil to use. Many of the store-bought Hummus contain soy, canola, avocado oils.
.jpg "Homemade Hummus with Extra Virgin Olive Oil")
I participate in several Facebook Groups that discuss the Mediterranean Diet. They offer tips, recipes, shopping lists for foods that are compliant.
It's up to the individual to determine whether they want to be 100 percent compliant or not, as each person is there for many reasons. My doctor recommended that I follow this diet. It's actually not a "diet" in the sense that it's not for weight loss, but a change in lifestyle and a commitment to healthy eating. One avoids processed food with lists of chemicals and ingredients that one can't pronounce.
The Mediterranean Way of eating focuses on whole foods, fruits, vegetables, minimal meats, no sugar, whole wheat, grains and more. There's a lot of cooking involved. I like to cook, so introducing new foods and spices to my routine came naturally.
As this was my first attempt, the photos aren't that pretty. I will definitely add more garlic next time, as I'm a garlic lover. I'd also add more cumin. I did add Smoked Paprika that I found at Zabar's in New York City, and will jazz it up with some fire-roasted red peppers.
If you haven't been to Zabar's on the Upper West Side in NYC, it's a culinary delight. Put it on your bucket list, as then I went on to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, which was another delightful daytrip with every kind of Italian food you can imagine! But that's another blog post for the future.
All the ingredients for this Hummus came together smoothly using my Cuisinart Food Processor. It really was pretty simple. I served it with Wasa Crackers, or sometimes I use my new favorite Mary's Gone Crackers.
As this was my first attempt, the photos aren't that pretty. I will definitely add more garlic next time, as I'm a garlic lover. I'd also add more cumin. I did add Smoked Paprika that I found at Zabar's in New York City, and will jazz it up with some fire-roasted red peppers.
If you haven't been to Zabar's on the Upper West Side in NYC, it's a culinary delight. Put it on your bucket list, as then I went on to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, which was another delightful daytrip with every kind of Italian food you can imagine! But that's another blog post for the future.
All the ingredients for this Hummus came together smoothly using my Cuisinart Food Processor. It really was pretty simple. I served it with Wasa Crackers, or sometimes I use my new favorite Mary's Gone Crackers.
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Easy clean up in the kitchen with Handmade Cotton Dish Cloths from Moomettes Crochet shop
Try this Hummus recipe that was recommended and you can find additional tips at CookiesandKate.com
The Best Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (if you’re using canned chickpeas)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 ½ to 2 lemons), more to taste
- 1 medium-to-large clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, more as needed
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Any of the following garnishes: drizzle of olive oil or zhoug sauce, sprinkle of ground sumac or paprika, chopped fresh parsley
Steps
- Place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan and add the baking soda. Cover the chickpeas by several inches of water, then bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling, reducing heat if necessary to prevent overflow, for about 20 minutes, or until the chickpeas look bloated, their skins are falling off, and they’re quite soft. In a fine-mesh strainer, drain the chickpeas and run cool water over them for about 30 seconds. Set aside (no need to peel the chickpeas for this recipe!).
- Meanwhile, in a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process until the garlic is very finely chopped, then let the mixture rest so the garlic flavor can mellow, ideally 10 minutes or longer.
- Add the tahini to the food processor and blend until the mixture is thick and creamy, stopping to scrape down any tahini stuck to the sides and bottom of the processor as necessary.
- While running the food processor, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water. Scrape down the food processor, and blend until the mixture is ultra smooth, pale and creamy. (If your tahini was extra-thick to begin with, you might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water.)
- Add the cumin and the drained, over-cooked chickpeas to the food processor. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until the mixture is super smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary, about 2 minutes. Add more ice water by the tablespoon if necessary to achieve a super creamy texture.
- Taste, and adjust as necessary—I almost always add another ¼ teaspoon salt for more overall flavor and another tablespoon of lemon juice for extra zing.
- Scrape the hummus into a serving bowl or platter, and use a spoon to create nice swooshes on top. Top with garnishes of your choice, and serve. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Michael Solomonov, via The New York Times and Bon Appetit, and Yotam Ottolenghi.
- HOW TO COOK DRY CHICKPEAS IN A HURRY FOR THIS RECIPE: In a large saucepan, combine 5 ounces (¾ cup) dried chickpeas and ½ teaspoon baking soda, and fill the pot with water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and skim off the surface foam as needed. Continue boiling over medium-high, adding more water if you start running out, until the chickpeas are very mushy and falling apart, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh colander, rinse under cool running water, and drain well before using. Start the recipe at step 2.
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