Sunday, April 26, 2020

Ina Garten's Classic Hummus with Veggies {Perfect Quarantine Snack}!


As a bean lover, I almost always have lots of canned and dried beans on hand, especially chickpeas! Hummus is one of my favorite things on earth and I do not discriminate. Sure, I love a luscious and velvety hummus made from scratch like Yotam Ottolenghi makes, but I also love a quick puree made with canned chickpeas, like this Ina Garten recipe.

Luckily, this week I received lots of fun colorful veggies in my Misfits Market box. This meant I was able to throw together a classic hummus with lots of veggies for dipping.

If I were to offer any tips regarding the sourcing of ingredients, it would be this: This is the perfect time to take advantage of companies like Misfits Market (who deliver fresh organic produce direct to your doorstep) and it would also be the perfect time to sign up for a CSA or your local farmer's market!

I have been receiving my Misfits Market box every single week during quarantine and it has saved me. I am able to put together lots of different meals with the staples in my pantry, such as beans, pasta, grains, and eggs. In addition to Misfits, I have also signed up to order weekly from a local farmer's market.

I recommend that everyone try to source a local farmer's market that is practicing good social distancing.This is a direct source, and a sure way, to keep getting quality ingredients on your table!

Each week my farmer's market publishes a list of goods online. I've seen a wide range of goodies on there each week, pretty much everything one would NEED to live. Seriously, it is fabulous! I place my order online and when I arrive everything is NO CONTACT! I simply pop my trunk and someone (who is wearing a mask and gloves) places everything in my trunk and I drive away with all my fresh goodies. It's as simple as can be!

Then I am able to make fresh dishes like this hummus with veggies and feel good about my choices!

This is a classic everyday hummus and one I can see myself making over and over again, due to the ease. The recipe does call for hot sauce, which I thought a little odd, but I went ahead with it. I have to admit that I like my hummus pretty classic so I would skip the hot sauce next time around. If you like the heat then you would probably enjoy it.  I just prefer pure unadulterated hummus.

I am quite fond of serving hummus with pita, but right now I'm really trying to be healthy and pack in some vitamin C. Lucky for me, I received some baby bell peppers and just three of them have a whopping 260% of your vitamin C for the day. I also enjoyed this with thinly sliced mini cucumbers and the other classic veggies, such as carrots and celery. This made for a wonderfully delicious and healthy snack to keep in the refrigerator!


Classic Hummus
Adapted from Food Network
by Ina Garten
Makes around 2 cups

4 garlic cloves
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved (this is equal to one can)*
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup tahini
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons water or liquid from can of chickpeas
8 dashes of hot sauce, if you like*
Veggies, pita, etc. for serving

 Notes: This recipe calls for one 14.5 oz. can of chickpeas. I love hot sauce, but I did not care for it in this recipe, so if you like a more classic hummus than feel free to omit it. I would definitely omit it the next time around. I love to garnish hummus with many different things: drizzle of olive oil, reserved beans, sumac, za'atar, herbs, feta cheese, and especially buttered and toasted pine nuts (my all-time favorite). I also love to serve hummus with pita, baby peppers, carrots, celery, cucumber, etc. Jazz it up and make it color because then it is very hard to resist!

Turn on the food processor or high speed blender and drop the garlic down into it and process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor (or blender) and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed (this is your personal preference - I processed until it was very smooth). Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature.


Cooking what we can during Quarantine @ IHCC

2 comments:

  1. We were getting a box like that from the Imperfect Produce, which is similar to Misfits, but now TWICE they have just not delivered my box. I may look into misfits, but I suspect it will be a long wait to join here in NYC. I do love a good simple meal of hummus and veggies though!

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  2. Hummus is a big favorite of my kids , hope everything is ok at your end of the world :)

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