Thursday, February 02, 2006

Hummus Hubbub (and other madness)!

I cannot keep up with the hummus consumption in our house! I use it on sandwiches, our older girl loves it with tortilla chips, and the baby, well she eats it straight off a spoon, about 1/2 cup a sitting! She even loves a black olive hummus we buy.

I often buy some from a local market which are tasty, but a tad pricey for the ingredients. I picked one up the other day, but it was already gone off despite the date. I can get a refund, but still that's inconvenient - and frustrating. Given this hummus was bad, I picked up more hummus from a specialty store on the way home from preschool. This one was WAY too heavy on the garlic for the girls (and me!) to eat.

I threw my hands up and got out the food processor. I made a double batch of my Creamy Hummus from Vive, pictured drizzled with a little extra-virgin olive oil. I love this hummus because it is mild, creamy and just slightly different with the touch of toasted sesame oil in the recipe. So, our fridge was full of hummus - well for a couple of days anyhow!

With all this hummus frenzy and getting the contest details posted, I realized I wore my pants backward when dropping my daughter off at preschool yesterday! Lovely mommy brain! At least they were yoga pants so I didn't feel too ridiculous. I just HOPE that I would have noticed if they were zippered pants! :) Oh dear!

27 comments:

Emily said...

I lurve hummus, and now that my husband discovered Tribe's 40 spices hummus so does he! I started making it recently and it was oh so good. But, that leads me to a question. What size food processor do you have? I posted about this the other day, I have a gift certificate that would cover a 7cup model, but several of my foodie friends insist an 11cup model is the way to go. I'm thinking that if I haven't needed one yet maybe I can get away with a 7cup model? Any ideas? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

If you can belive it--I've never made hummus myself! I'm actually going to try the Cannellini Yam Hummus with the big pot-o-beans I'm making next week. I'm very excited. As far as store bought hummus goes... Trader Joes brand is pretty good. The worst I've tasted is the stuff they have at Costco~yuck!

-Julie
bcJewelle@hotmail.com

P.S. The pants thing sounds like something I would do, but I have no kids (I'm just spacey!)--so, don't feel bad.

sarchan said...

I made the Creamy Hummus about a week ago, and was going to finish off the rest of it today, but it had gone bad! Sad sad story. As much as I love hummus, I think for just myself I will halve the recipe from now on. It is really good though. I also really want to try the cannellini bean yam version.

Anonymous said...

YUM!


(lol I wore my pants inside out to school once... didn't notice till late morning! shame! good thing I was only 8 at the time! haha..)

Michelle said...

the favourite at our house is Roasted Garlic Hummus. we just can not get enough garlic here! the hummus that was too garlicky for you guys would probably be just perfect for us LOL

we haven't tried your creamy hummus recipe yet, but i'm sure we will soon!

Harmonia said...

YOU know how I LOVE hummus! Now I love the Avocado one even more than I first did! I will have to try others! I'm so into learning more "humi" tricks.

Humi - I think I just made up a new word. LOL

Dreena said...

Hi Emily... I guess it depends on HOW much you think you'd use your processor. You seem to cook quite a lot, so I think it would be worth it to you to get the 11-cup. I'm pretty sure my processor is a 7-cup, but it's quite an older model. I've had it for over 10 years now, and it is my most used kitchen appliance other than my stove and handblender. I do find sometimes if I have a large batch of something in there that I could use a bigger bowl, but that's rare. If I were going for a new one, though, with how much I cook, I'd pay the extra for the 11-cup because you'll have this appliance for a long time!

Yes Julie & Sarchan, make the Cannellini Bean Yam Hummus!!! Be sure to include the chipotle hot sauce and toasted pine nuts, they really bring the flavors together. I always bring it to social events/potlucks and people just love it!

Aims... I'm a little more embarrassed now - just a little over 8 now :) ...should have the getting dressed thing figured out! :)

Yay for hummus... thanks for your feedback everyone!

Harmonia said...

Actually the only hummus (store bought) I don't care for is the 40 spices...the others are GREAT! But that is just me.

I had never mae my own Hummus until about 2 months (maybe 3) ago. It's so easy and you can ad even more flavor to it if you wish...the part I like the most since I adore garlic, tahini, and lemon juice...

Carrie™ said...

Another hummus lover here! We like ours with a little garlic, but not over the top. I especially love roasted red pepper hummus. Most store brands I've tried are passable, but nothing beats home-made. I work with a lady from Iran and she brought hummus to a work pot luck. Talk about good!! She said she uses a secret ingredient, but not matter how much I pester her, she won't give it up.
As for the pants thing, I took the dog out for a walk once, forgetting that I still had on my pajama bottoms. They were covered with Toronto Maple Leafs. I was two blocks from hom before I realized. How dozey is that? It seems that you have lots of good company in that little boo-boo Dreena.
I also agree with you on the food processor. I'd be lost without mine. I have an old one too and I don't think it would hold 11 cups. We only have two adults in our household, so a 7 cup size is fine because I don't generally make large batches of anything. I'd say get a smaller better quality one if it's the same cost as a big, not so good one.

julie hasson said...

Hi Dreena!

Thanks for your great plug for Vegfest! It's too bad you won't be there this year, but I know what it's like to travel when your kids are young. Maybe next year :)

Julie

Anonymous said...

yummy yummy,
I just made some hummus the other day too,(inspired by vive la vegan),coulda' used a little more garlic though...
Mine is never as creamy as the hummus from the falaffel place though...and not quite as good...I wonder why??
Angel

Anonymous said...

oh,ps...I had a boyfriend who used to leave for work with his t-shirt on inside out and backward...with the tag sticking out under his chin...now that's 'distracted' for you...
Angel

Danielle D. said...

I love hummus too, but I rarely make it because I never have tahini at home. I bought tahini once (it was really expensive here) and it ended up going bad because I didn't use it enough.

I've heard that you can often find cheap tahini at ethnic stores or markets, but I have yet to look.

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

Thanks for reminding me about the lonely can of chickpeas in my cabinet! Hummus it could be.

Dreena said...

Ok Carrie, your pj story definitely helped! Not feeling quite so absent-minded now!!

Yours too, Angel... although it sounds like he just rolled out of bed and got dressed in a sleepy fog! :) By the way, I have found with hummus that a little olive oil goes a long way to make it creamy. I don't like hummus too heavy on tahini - or garlic. I love garlic sauteed, etc, but not so much raw - I don't like to taste it all day! Anyhow, I have found that bit of olive oil helps. Also, very soft chickpeas - esp if cooked yourself from dry.

Danielle - I haven't found tahini to be all that pricey. About $7-8 a jar, but it goes a long way. Do your main grocery stores carry it? Might be cheaper there than a specialty store...?

Hey Mal, good to see you back! I love the chickpea ratatouille as well, one of my favorites! :)

Thanks for your great comments, everybody!!!

VeganHeartDoc said...

That hummus looks delicious! I prefer mine with sesame oil instead of olive oil too.

Anonymous said...

You have inspired me to make Hummus today! I have never made my own but have enjoyed other homemade recipes. It looks like a recipe that is easy to adjust to your particular tastes- more lemony, garlicky etc..

Anonymous said...

Oh, I meant to tell you that I taught an hour and a half workshop to elementary school children with my dress on inside out. One of the helping parents was kind enough to tell me at the END of the class!! It happens to all of us!

Melissa said...

I haven't made hummus in a while! I was looking at the recipe for the hummus pizzas in Vive. Two summers ago I think that was all I ate was hummus! Mmm hummus and soy cheese sandwiches!

Anonymous said...

I just discovered your site. We've been eating LOTS of hummus around here lately. Love it for a quick lunch with veggies and bread.

Danielle said...

I looove hummus. I've been to only a few vegan potlucks where hummus wasn't served, and it always surprises me when it's not there, even those there's other wonderful food available.

Anonymous said...

I've never tried hummus, but I'm sure I will sometime. I keep reading so much about it on vegan blogs and message boards. :-)

veggielover

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

That's it, I'm making white bean hummus soon! My boyfriend loves the California Pizza Kitchen tuscan hummus, of all things, so I make that recipe.

Danielle D. said...

Dreena,

Tahini is similarly priced here (it may even be a little cheaper) and I find that expensive. It may go a long way, but I don't use it all that often, so a big jar will just go to waste.

I do have good news though. I saw a smaller jar of tahini (350 ml or so) at the grocery store today, so I will probably pick that up the next time I am there. What kind should I get: Raw or Roasted?

SDGvegan said...

We love hummus here too. It's crazy. I am constantly making it since my poor food processor is kaput and all I have is a little chopper.

Dreena said...

Hi Jess - what is California Pizza Kitchen hummus - a brand name, or hummus from a restaurant...? That's new to me!

Yay Danielle! The roasted tahini will have more flavor than the raw, so unless you are working towards eating more raw foods, I would opt for the roasted for flavor.

Hi sdvgegan - honestly, I don't know how you are doing it making hummus in a little chopper, now that's pure love for hummus! :)

Danielle D. said...

Thanks. I'll get the roasted.