Recipe: Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Hummus

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

After a month long hiatus, which was spent being ridiculously stressed out over school and three part-time jobs, I have finally found the time to cook something that didn't include sugar and flour as ingredients.

I had some friends over last night for a movie night and decided that I wanted to serve something different than popcorn. I had already made mint chocolate cookies, so I wanted something more on the savory side.

That something turned out to be hummus.

picture to come soon-I promise!

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil

Directions:
in a blender, combine garlic, salt, tahini, and lemon juice
add chickpeas and olive oil and blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the blender occasionally.
add sundried tomatoes and basil, blend until fully mixed
refrigerate for at least an hour before serving

Recipe: Black Bean Hummus

I decided I needed something different for today's bagel sandwich. The change needed to come from what I was spreading on it, so I made this to put on it instead of neufchatel cheese. This recipe is fantastic because it's easy and I had all of the ingredients on hand already.

ingredients:
1 garlic clove
1 15 oz can black beans
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

directions:
1. drain liquid from can of black beans into a bowl and set aside.
2. mince garlic in a blender or food processor.
3. add beans, 2 tbsp of reserved liquid, lemon juice, tahini, salt, cumin, and chili powder to blender. Blend until smooth. Add liquid and seasoning as needed.

Warning: This will be spicy if you follow my measurements.

Recipe: Hummus Sandwich

I feel like hummus is one of those foods that you can always appreciate, no matter how much of a carnivore you may claim to be. I once made a red pepper hummus from scratch for a heart healthy luncheon at my school, and it disappeared faster than anyone could imagine! I made up this sandwich based on a recipe I found on the internet for a cucumber sandwich, then modified it so I could cure my cravings for hummus.

Hummus Sandwich

ingredients:

• 2 slices whole wheat bread (my brand of choice is healthy life)
• 2 tbsp hummus, divided (I prefer red pepper hummus with athenos as my brand of choice, but any kind will do...it's up to your personal taste)
• 4 cucumber slices
• 2 tbsp alfalfa sprouts
• 2 tomato slices
• 1 lettuce leaf (either green or red lettuce)

directions:

• spread 1 tbsp of hummus on each slice of bread
• place cucumber slices on bottom slice of bread, then layer alfalfa sprouts on top
• place tomato slices on top of alfalfa sprouts, followed by lettuce leaf.
• place remaining slice of bread with the hummus facing the lettuce.

that's all there is to it! it tastes great and is easy to make.

also, good news: I found the receipt from sunday's food shopping trip! I'll post the total later this afternoon.