Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Greatest Mini Food Chopper, I love Hummus

The Cuisinart Mini-Prep changed my world. It's 4 cup size is perfect for saving space and doing a full recipe. Two speeds get a great blend without needing to open the top to mix the contents around. In the first week I did a standard Hummus and my own sun dried tomato pesto. Both with less oil that store bought varieties. The machine is a little noisy, but I don't need to run it for too long.


With the Mini-prep the only limit is the imagination.

I love Hummus. I dream of Hummus. My Hummus consumption has help me loose 70 pounds. For a vegetarian,it's a great source of protein and makes raw broccoli deliciously palatable. But beware, store bought hummus often has excess oil and fat. When I make my own I control the amount of oil and creates combinations Sabre has never dreamed.

How it Began- A coworker, a graduate of a prestigious cooking school, brought in hummus for me during one of our parties.(they are notoriously meat heavy and she wanted me to have something). She gave me the recipe. At first I borrowed my dad's mini-mini-chop, about one cup. My results were ok, but it was difficult, I could only do half a recipe.

Then I got the Mini-Prep. Have I told you how much I love my mini-prep.

The Hummus recipe:

1 can of chick peas. You can use dried and rehydrate but I found more oil was needed.
1 tablespoon of Tahini, you alter this amount to your personal taste.
Juice of one lemon
1/4 of an onion--Vidalia Sweets give excellent flavor.
Garlic to taste--I use three cloves, that may be too much for some.
1 cup Olive Oil-I use about 1/2 cup.
Blend the first 5 ingredients then add the oil, keep blending to the desired consistency. I use the chop speed then the grind.

Variations because I never follow the beaten path.
Any beans will work. One of my best was 1/2 can of kidney beans and 1/2 chick peas. I'm going to do black beans next.
I often add sun dried tomatoes, basil, rosemary, chile pepper, mushrooms, almonds, pistachios, etc. Give it a whirl.

No comments: