Hummus

Hummus is one of my favorite go-to recipes. Whether I need it as an appetizer for unexpected guests or for a snack to have on-hand for our family, it's just one of those things that's good with everything. We shmear it on Melba toasts, dip carrot & celery sticks in it, use it as a mayonnaise or protein substitute for roasted or grilled veggie sandwiches, or as a dip for other cut up raw veggies. There's a ton of recipes out there for hummus, but I'm a purist with this one. I've tried them all and I stick to my never-changing 7 ingredients. The picture above is my husband eating hummus at our favorite pizza place, Mellow Mushroom.

I know I haven't been posting as frequently and I apologize to you all. Summer has kept us busier than I expected and trying to eat less than 1500 calories hasn't left me very inspired. Check out this link for my Un-fried Chicken & Eggplant Parmesan that I made a couple of weeks ago. It was really yummy and we didn't miss the fried breading at all. I'm pretty sure the cheese on top had something to do with that.

Next week I'll be posting a recipe for pancakes that will knock your socks off. I'll include stories from my birthday dinner at Restaurant Iris that everyone humorously titled, "Pancakes & Porn: Breakfast in Bed." I promise I will explain that...and no, it doesn't involve all of us watching porn! Everyone decided that we needed a t-shirt to commemorate the evening and a recipe for the blog to bring it all together. It was a superb evening that involved a ton of the most delicious food Memphis has to offer, rib-cramping laughter, and amazing friends to share it all with.

Hummus

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

1 can chick peas/garbonzo beans, drained

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup excellent olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 garlic cloves, medium-sized

Puree all the ingredients together until smooth. Serve with chips, veggies, crackers, or pita. It's best after being refrigerated for 2 hours or more.