Recipe: Hummus

It's the first day of Summer and a scorcher here in the city. High 90°s with heat indexes of 100°+!
Luckily I bought pita chips on sale at Costco a few days before and always have cans of chickpeas, garlic, a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, and salt in the pantry. Tahini (sesame paste) and lemon juice in the refrigerator allows me to whip up some hummus for those days when it's just too hot to cook something and you feel like you are in the deserts of Egypt. I find it is cheaper to make this rather than buying it at the supermarket and it is REALLY easy to make. Plus, you don't have all those extra additives and preservatives in it.

Now what is hummus you may ask? It's a Middle Eastern appetizer dip made with said ingredients and according to Wikipedia:

Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the chickpeas. Depending on the recipe, hummus carries varying amounts of monounsaturated fat. Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets; like other combinations of grains and pulses, it serves as a complete protein when eaten with bread.

Hummus with pita chip

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)
• 1/4 cup of the liquid from the can of chickpeas
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (I find bottled is fine here)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

  Directions

1. Drain the chickpeas and set aside 1/4 cup of the liquid.
2. Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, crushed garlic, salt, and olive oil into a food processor and process until mixed and creamy. 
3. Add the chickpea liquid and blend for 3-5 minutes or until thoroughly mixed and smooth. 

You can serve this immediately at room temperature or chilled.

Note: When served chilled, the hummus will be a thicker consistency.

I make mine in a food processor but I suppose you can do it in a blender if you don't own one. You may have to stop occasionally and use a spoon to push the unblended ingredients down.

Recipe: Asparagus and Zucchini Salad

Asparagus is on sale at one of my local supermarkets (Pathmark) for $2.49 per pound as well as green and yellow squash at $1.49 per pound.

I once made this raw salad with these ingredients that Giada calls a "Crudi" and decided to buy these vegetables to make this again. Besides, vegetables are good for you and the crunchy, fresh flavors of this salad are perfect for a hot Summer's day (tomorrow the first day of Summer is coming in here with a blast of 97° heat!).
I look for slender pencil like spears of asparagus for this salad as they are more tender. You can also blanch and cool them before cutting if you are not fond of raw asparagus and if the asparagus you buy happen to be thicker. I cut the thin pencil asparagus into 1/2" pieces but if you use thicker asparagus, cut them 1/4" or thinner.
When you see the the term trimmed, it means that you trim off the hard woody bottom of the asparagus. When you bend the asparagus, it will snap at the point where the asparagus starts to get tough and woody. Trim off the bottom tough ends. With the zucchini, it's the end tips.

I used yellow squash for more color and omitted the cheese to reduce the fat in the dish.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentis



Ingredients

• 2 zucchini, trimmed
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ounce shaved Pecorino Romano, for garnish

Directions

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zucchini into long thin strips. 
2. Thinly slice the asparagus on a diagonal. 
3. Toss the slices together and place the salad in a serving bowl.
4. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and drizzle over the vegetables. Toss to coat. 
5. Garnish with the Pecorino shavings. 
6. Serve.