Hummus

A creamy dip or spread made from chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil.  Great with vegetables or pita.

Hummus makes a great snack or accompaniment to just about any meal.  It's smooth, creamy, and so tasty.  I'm disappointed I didn't even know about it until I was in college.  After I tried it for the first time, though, I was hooked.  This stuff is delicious.  It's also simple to make your own and add all kinds of different flavors.  I was making this hummus for a middle eastern type meal so I kept the flavors traditional.

Making hummus is one of the reasons I purchased my food processor.  I tried to make it in a blender once and failed miserably.  It was one of the blenders that tapers toward the bottom and things got stuck.  Maybe some people can make it in a blender but it didn't work for me and took me a while to try again.  This hummus is great with pita, vegetables, or as a main component of my Spiced Lamb and Hummus.  Store bought hummus is easy but once you try homemade there is no comparison.

Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chickpeas (or about 1 can)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt

In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the chopping blade, add the chickpeas and pulse until they are broken up and in small pieces.

Add the garlic, tahini, and lemon juice and pulse some more until well mixed (add salt to taste).

Then leave the processor on while adding up to 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Transfer to a seal-able container and refrigerate or serve right away.  I think it tastes better as it sits and the flavors have a chance to meld but sometimes I just can't wait.

To serve drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle on some smoked paprika, and serve with pita and/or vegetables.

Makes about 6 servings.  Enjoy.

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Spiced Lamb and Hummus

Ground lamb cooked with Mediterranean spices and served atop hummus.

I saw this recipe about a year ago on The View from the Great Island.  Her recipe used cubed lamb and a Mediterranean spice blend and made my mouth water (did I mention that the pictures are awesome).  I love Mediterranean style foods so I pinned the recipe and knew I would eventually try it.

Well, lamb is pretty expensive out here and my usual store has a small selection so this recipe stayed in the back of my mind until my husband found some ground lamb on sale and brought it home.  I initially didn't know what to do with the ground lamb (I was thinking lamb burgers or something) because I was waiting for some kind of lamb roast to cube like the original recipe.  Finally, it just clicked that I could use ground lamb instead. I'm so glad I didn't wait for a lamb roast this was so delicious.  It has amazing flavor and is actually pretty light.  I served the lamb and hummus with pita, broccoli, and a carrot and cucumber salad.  It was great to just scoop some of the lamb and hummus with pitta or my favorite a cucumber slice.  I can't wait until ground lamb is on sale again.

Spiced Lamb and Hummus

Ingredients:
Modified from Hummus with Spiced Lamb | The View from the Great Island

2 Tbsp Mediterranean spice mix:
     2 tsp paprika
     1 tsp allspice
     1 tsp garam masala (optional)
     1 tsp coriander
     1/4 tsp cumin
     1/4 tsp cinnamon
     1/4 tsp turmeric
     1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 pound ground lamb
Juice of 1 lemon
Hummus
Toasted sliced almonds
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a large frying pan cook the ground lamb over medium heat.  Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of the spice mix on the raw meat and add a little salt and pepper.

When meat has browned pour off excess grease and taste for seasoning.  Add more spice mix if necessary and squeeze in lemon juice.

To serve dollop 1-2 Tbsp of hummus on the center of a large plate.  Smooth, with the back of a spoon, into a wider circle that is thinner in the center.  Place 1/4 lamb mixture on top of the hummus and sprinkle with sliced almonds.  Lastly drizzle on some olive oil.

Serve with pitta, vegetable, and/or salad.

Serves 4

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Two Cup Tuesday, Teach Me, Lou Lou Girls, Tasty Tuesday, Brag About it, Whimsy Wednesday, Wednesday Roundup, Full Plate, Eat Create Party, Freedom Friday, Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, Saturday Night Fever, Share it Sunday, See Ya in the Gumbo, Merry Monday




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