Posts Tagged ‘broccoli’

Ode to Hummus

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Oh hummus how I love you so/

So many foods with which you go/

So many ways to make you mine/

At this moment I see nine.

Clockwise from top: Carrot, black sesame seed, broccoli, black garbanzo bean, pumpkin, spinach, black bean, plain, tomato.

Basic Hummus Recipe

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained, with 1/4 cup liquid reserved

2 T tahini (sesame paste)

Juice of 2 lemons

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Place garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add liquid from garbanzo beans as necessary to achieve smooth and creamy consistency. Season as desired with salt and pepper; using canned beans it should not take much salt.

Note: To use dried beans, begin with 2 cups dried garbanzo beans. Soak for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse, then cover with 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour, or until beans are tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the liquid. In a food processor or blender, blend the beans with the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. Add liquid as necessary until the hummus reaches a smooth, creamy consistency. Add 1 tsp. salt, or more to taste.

Hummus Variations:

Carrot: Steam 1 medium-sized carrot until it is tender; add to blender with other ingredients.

Black Sesame Seed: Add 1 heaping tablespoonful of black sesame seeds to completed hummus, stir to combine.

Broccoli: Steam 1 cup broccoli until very tender; add to blender with other ingredients.

Black Garbanzo Bean: Follow the directions for basic hummus, using the instructions for dried beans, with dried black garbanzo beans.

Pumpkin: Add 1/2 cup cooked and pureed pumpkin to the blender with other ingredients.

Spinach: Add 1 cup cooked fresh spinach to the blender with other ingredients.

Black Bean: Follow the directions for basic hummus using either the canned or dried bean variations.

Tomato: Core and chop 1 medium red tomato; add to blender with other ingredients. Note: You will need much less liquid because the tomato tends to be watery, so hold off on adding any additional liquid until you test the consistency.

Like these? We’ve got a million of ‘em. But you should know that for every tried and true variation, we’ve had a few flops. Red grape hummus = kind of gross. Red wine hummus (“drunken” hummus) = not as good as you’d think, plus the color was very strange. But there’s no harm in trying – and for what it’s worth, just about every vegetable we’ve tried to add has made for some mighty delicious hummus. What’s your favorite?

Posted Under: Just For Fun, Nutrition | Tags: , , , , , ,
This post was written by jollytomato on February 14th, 2012

Grill Crazy

Sunday, July 24th, 2011

Who wants to turn on the oven in the summertime? Summer days are meant for grilling, and summer vegetables are the perfect for the grill. If it’s too hot to even contemplate being outside during the day, you can grill these vegetables in the morning or in the cooler night temperatures. Plus the vegetables taste great hot, cold, or even at room temperature, so you have tons of wiggle room about when you cook it versus when you finally serve it.

To make this platter we prepared the following vegetables:

Carrots, baby broccoli, and asparagus: Peel or trim ends as necessary, steam for 3 to 4 minutes or until barely tender, lightly coat with extra-virgin olive oil, and grill over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Zucchini, onions, and mushrooms: Peel or trim ends as necessary, cut into slices 1/2 inch thick (no need to slice the mushrooms), toss in a bowl with 2 T. olive oil and 1 T. balsamic vinegar, toss to coat, then grill over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Eggplant: Cut into 1/2-inch thick slices, place into colander, coat generously with kosher salt, and then place something heavy (a plate or bowl) on top of the slices. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours (this should drain out any bitter juices). Rinse, pat dry, then coat with olive oil and balsamic vinegar as above, then grill over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Bell peppers: Place whole pepper directly on the grill, then grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until the skin is black and charred. Remove the peppers, place them in a bowl and cover with plastic, and let them sit for 15 minutes. Then core, remove the seeds, peel off the blackened skin, and slice.

When the vegetables are finished, arrange them on the platter, drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil on top, and garnish with black kalamata olives.

Happy grilling!

Posted Under: Just For Fun | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
This post was written by jollytomato on July 24th, 2011

Friday Food News Wrap: March 10

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

We celebrated International Pancake Day this week, followed by Mardi Gras, followed by the beginning of Lent, and many of us have sugar consumption (or lack of it) on our minds. Did you know, for instance, that even though soft drinks are banned in the L.A. schools, kids can still choose a breakfast that contains more sugar than soda? That would be Frosted Flakes, chocolate milk, coffee cake, and orange juice (53 grams of sugar) compared with a 12-oz. can of Coke (39 grams of sugar), according to the L.A. Times, which calls on the LAUSD to regulate overall sugar intake. We’re getting the shakes just thinking about it.

French School Lunch: Meanwhile, what are kids eating for lunch at schools in France? Feast your eyes on this menu of fillet of salmon with lemon sauce, thinly sliced organic endives, and lentil salad with hard-boiled egg. The four-course meals begin with salad or soup, include a cheese course, and end with a fruit selection on most days. We’ll have what they’re having.

Kool-Aid Tongue: In other sugar news, Fooducate reports on a new Kool-Aid “Bring Back the Fun” ad campaign that features kids with brightly colored tongues. Uh…First of all, Kool-Aid has 5 grams of sugar per cup, and the artificial coloring makes it even worse. Our advice? Stick with water or milk and let your kids have “fun” in other ways.

Cap’n Crunch Lives: Did you hear the rumor that Quaker Oats is killing off Cap’n Crunch cereal? Not true, says the company. The sugary cereal icon is here to stay. So it’s still our job (parents) to decide whether or not it gets a place at the breakfast table.

School Lunch Recipe: Michelle Obama’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition has narrowed down 340 healthy school lunch recipes to just 15 finalists, according to USA Today. You can vote for your favorite recipe at http://recipesforkidschallenge.com .

Cartoon Characters: Another study finds that when kids see familiar and favorite characters from cartoons or movies on food packaging, they tend to like that food more, as reported by Time magazine. But the “good” news is that if you stick Elmo on broccoli, kids are more likely to choose it. In our house we probably need some Lego cauliflower.

Happy Birthday, Jolly Tomato: Hey, did you know we just celebrated our first birthday? Thanks for all of your support this year. In case you haven’t had enough sugar yet today, check out our mom’s recipe for Massive Chocolate Cake (serves 40 to 50).

Happy Friday to all!

Posted Under: Childhood Obesity, Nutrition | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
This post was written by jollytomato on March 10th, 2011
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