Hummus & Veggie Pita Sammies

Today, I'm really writing about two recipes: Israeli Hummus and Hummus & Veggie Pita Sammies. To make the latter, we must first make the former. Unless you want to go out and buy hummus. But fresh is definitely better, and you'll see why.

To make the hummus, I am proud to host a sort of "guest blogger:" my dad. I don't know if he counts as a guest blogger because he's not actually writing, seeing as his typing skills are woefully inadequate, but he is the man behind the recipe.

And my mother is the woman behind the man.

 

Let's talk about hummus. Although there is zero Mediterranean or Arab heritage in my family, my father and I both share a penchant for the cuisine. We love it all: falafel, tabbouleh, kebab, you name it. I can honestly say, however, that I have not always been a lover of hummus. In fact, I didn't even start eating the stuff with any regularity until recently--that is, until my dad started making it. He found an Israeli recipe for it online and started making it pretty much every weekend. 

Warning: once you make this, you will never want to eat pre-packaged, store-bought hummus ever again. This stuff is way better fresh. Plus, it's a pretty simple recipe. As long as you have a food processor or a sturdy blender, you're ready to make the best hummus you've ever tasted.

Israeli Hummus

(or as my dad calls it, "The Holy Hummus")

Ingredients:

1/2 pound dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans

6-7 cloves of garlic (more if you like it really garlicky)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

Juice of 1 1/2 lemons

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Wash and soak the half-pound of chickpeas in a pot overnight. It's better to use dry instead of canned, pre-cooked chickpeas because they retain more nutrients and have a better flavor.

2. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas, then refill the pot with enough water to cover the chickpeas by a couple of inches. 

3. Bring the chickpeas to a boil then reduce to a simmer for an hour, uncovered. If the water level gets too low, add more water.

4. In the meantime, take the tahini out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. It's impossible to work with otherwise.

5. Once the hour has passed and the chickpeas are tender, they are ready to party! Before you drain the pot, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

6. Prepare the garlic cloves by peeling off most of the peel but not all, then chopping until fine. You also want to use fresh garlic for the same reason as the chickpeas: more nutrition and better flavor. 

7. Add the chopped garlic to the 1/2 cup olive oil. Don't know why, this is just the way the old man does it.

Don't question it.

8. In the food processor, combine the chickpeas, their cooking water, garlic and olive oil. Puree until smooth. 

Action shot!

9. Now add the tahini, lemon juice and spices. Puree again. Be sure to smell the garlic while you do so. It enhances the experience.

10. Taste it to make sure it's good. Don't worry, it will be.

11. Serve by spreading on a sandwich, as I will below, or as a dip for pita, crackers, carrots, cucumber, etc. For a really authentic experience, sprinkle sumac over the top. 

...and that's how you make fresh hummus. Trust me, the fresher the better when it comes to this stuff.

Now that we have our hummus, it's time to make healthy pita sammies to take to work. I originally got the idea for this sandwich from Deli Seven 20, one of our office's favorite lunch spots. It's a simple concept, though: a healthy veggie sandwich with hummus instead of mayo and pita instead of bread. I used a combination of my favorite raw veggies, but feel free to use whichever veggies you like! The name of the game is how many veggies you can crowd onto one pita sandwich. 

Hummus & Veggie Pita Sammies

Makes 1 sandwich

Calories: 222

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Israeli Hummus

6 slices cucumber

1 slice of a large tomato

1/4 of a red pepper

1/4 c. spinach

1/4 c. shredded carrots

1 whole wheat pita 

So many veggies!

Directions:

1. Slice the cucumber, tomato and red pepper however you like. Since my tomato was so humongous, I used one slice of it cut into strips. 

2. Cut the pita bread in half and open up the pockets. What I soon learned is that there are only so many veggies one can stuff into a pita pocket before it ceases to become a pocket. I addressed this issue by slicing open the pockets to make more room, giving me 4 pita slices.

3. Spread the hummus onto all 4 pita slices, then top 2 slices with as many veggies as you see fit. Finish by topping with the remaining pita slices.

4. Serve by itself or with some fruit. 

There you have it! Protein, whole grains and veggies for a filling, nutritious lunch. Plus a ton of fresh hummus to eat a myriad of ways. If your house is anything like mine, you better eat that hummus before someone else does!