Let's Talk...I brought hummus.

Some things never change. It's been almost four (!) years, and I still can't relax before a good meal until I snap a blog-worthy photo first. These days it's more like insta-worthy, but then again who's not a professional photographer when you have X-Pro II at your disposal? But for real, I can't believe something I looked forward to doing each day has sat idle for so many years, just waiting for me to love it once again. The truth is, I never lost my love for blogging, and I had sincere intentions of picking it back up time and time again, but that same time I speak of got the best of me. Life still happens, days become months, then years, and a younger Buff Chickpea's break from college had come to an end. I was moving back on campus, and that meant no more fully stocked kitchen, but more importantly, no more countless hours during the day to photograph my gourmet meals before all the natural light disappeared into the dark. So while I packed all my clothes to take with me to school, I packed up Buff Chickpea, and tucked her under my bed for safe keeping. I've changed a lot over the past four years (I hope for the better), but one thing has not changed, I'm still eating, and I hope you are too! So I come with a peace offering, carrot hummus to be exact. What better way to dust off Buff Chickpea, than with chickpeas (and carrots)? Because I know it's hard to put on real pants when you could cancel your plans and flop all night. But you should really go catch up with your friends, it's good for you, and they'll probably have dip. Real friends chip and dip.

Carrot Hummus

Za'atar spice would also be great in this, but it's so hard to find. When I get my hands 

on some, this is the first thing I'm making with it. 

1 (15-oz) can of chickpeas, drained + rinsed

1 lb carrots, steamed until soft*

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1-2 tablespoons fresh oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

Sea salt, to taste

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

*I use a 1 pound bag of baby carrots set over a double boiler for 5-10 minutes. 

I know it seems tedious, but when I'm making hummus, I always take the little skins off the outside of the chickpeas, before boiling the skinned chickpeas for about 10 minutes. This will soften things up, and make the hummus warm and creamy. You can use some of this boiling water to thin out your hummus for a lower fat alternative, or just stick with olive oil like I do here. 

Once your chickpeas are skinned and boiled, drain the water, and add the chickpeas to a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients, then hit puree. I'd say start with 1/4 cup of olive oil, then drizzle in more until you reach your desired consistency. Grab your preferred method of dipping (pita chips, rice crackers, veggies, etc.) and get snacking. Or do like I do, and slather hummus on every single piece of food you eat. Toasted cinnamon raisin english muffin, carrot hummus, poached egg, melted cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes...all day, errday.