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.   

Chickpea, Tomato, & Barley Soup

Did You Know? Grains found in pits and pyramids in Egypt indicate that barley was cultivated there more than 5000 years ago. The most ancient glyph or pictograph found for barley is dated about 3000 B.C. In fact, Historians report that up until the 16th century, barley was the most important grain on the European continent. It was also used as currency and as a measuring standard.

Trying to keep my promise of cooking more from the magazines I subscribe to, this next recipe is from a past issue of Body and Soul, a division of Martha Stewart. If you're not familiar with the magazine, I definitely recommend checking it out. It's full of useful health and wellness information, workouts, recipes, and sustainable living advice, but with that Martha Stewart flair we all love. The pictures are beautiful, and the companies and products featured somehow seem to make their way onto my grocery list each and every week.

This particular soup recipe has become a family staple ever since I first made it many months ago. I don't know why I never shared it here, but I'm guessing it's because I never got around to photographing it before the pot was empty. I'm always looking for thick and hearty soups to prepare. Something that will fill me up on its own, and not as a side to some other dish. With 19 grams of protein, and 12 grams of fiber, this soup is nutritious and satisfying.

The original recipe calls for spelt, but I substituted that with barley since its what I had on hand. We all like the flavor so much, I have yet to make the spelt version. That, and I've never seen spelt offered at any of my local grocery stores. I also top it off with cilantro instead of parsley. Mainly because of my recent obsession with this wonderful herb. Other than that, I followed the recipe pretty much to the T. Starting any soup with a mirepoix is almost a guarantee that you'll end up with a flavorful bowl. And the creamy chickpeas work wonderfully with the nutty barley and the spicy tomato broth. It also makes for great leftovers. Just make sure you have some extra broth on hand, because it thickens up substantially in the fridge. Served with a nice salad and fresh loaf of bread, lunch could not have been better.

Chickpea, Tomato, & Barley Soup
Adapted from Body and Soul Magazine

1 cup barley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch lengths
2 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups vegetable broth
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish

Rinse barley clean under running water. Place in a medium bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak for 1 hour; drain.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add bay leaves, paprika, cumin, barley, broth, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes or until barley is tender.

Add tomatoes and chickpeas and cook for 20 minutes or until flavors have blended. Discard bay leaves. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro before serving.

Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus

Did You Know? Last year, over 1,000 tons of hummus was eaten during Israeli Independance Day (Yom Haatzmaut). Of that thousand, 881 pounds was consumed out of a single, Guiness-Record sized plate.

It's hard to believe that this is my first hummus post on Buff Chickpea. I practically live off of it. Whether I'm dipping veggies, crackers, chips, a spoon, or my finger in it, I have to have hummus everyday, no joke. Whenever I am home from school, and for some strange reason there is no hummus left in the fridge (I call and ask Mom), I hit the grocery store before ending at my house.

I love how adaptible hummus (and most bean dips for that matter) is. If you master the basic puree, which isn't hard to master, you can add in flavors to suit your tastes. Be it roasted red peppers, tomato and basil, zesty lemon, roasted garlic, you name it, there is a hummus to show for it.

I've only very recently become smitten with cilantro. And now that my taste buds have warmed up, I've been adding it to everything. I bought an awesome three-layer hummus at Trader Joe's the other day, and one of the layers was cilantro-based. Hoping to recreate this new found fave, I pulled out my food processor, and gave it a go. The results were incredible! I don't know why I don't make homemade hummus more often, because this is definitely the way to eat it. Creamy, fresh, and spicy, and still warm, I was in hummus-heaven, if such a place exists. If your looking for a go-to hummus recipe, look no further, this is your one...

Cilantro-Jalapeno HummusI prefer the taste of cashew butter to tahini, but feel free to substitute
1 (15-oz) can of chickpeas
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup cashew butter
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed
1-2 tablespoons cooking water*

Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Gently rub the skins off of the chickpeas with your hands (I like to remove all of them for a smoother consistency). Transfer the skinned chickpeas to a small saucepan, and cover them with water by an inch or so. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until the chickpeas are very soft. Drain, making sure to reserve a little of the cooking water.*

Add the cashew butter, lemon juice, salt and garlic to a food processor, and pulse for a couple of seconds to combine. Add the chickpeas, cilantro, and jalapeno, and process until smooth. If the hummus is on the dry side, add a tablespoon or two of cooking water (or more), until you reach your desired consistency (I like a real creamy hummus, but it only took me about 1 tablespoon of water). Scrape down the sides in between each tablespoon, and season with additional salt if needed.

Transfer to a bowl, and serve with veggies or pita chips. Or if your like me, eat directly from the food processor. It was so good nice and warm from the freshly simmered chickpeas.