Appetizer Recipe: Simple Smooth Hummus

I'll admit it: I'm a bit of a hummus addict. I could eat it every single day and never tire of it. There are just so many different ways to enjoy it-- on crackers, carrots, pita, as a substitute for mayo on a sandwhich. And so many different flavors! Roasted red pepper, garlic, Tuscan white bean, sundried tomato...

Yep, I'm a little bit obsessed. But better than buying the pre-made variety, I like to whip it up myself in the food processor. It takes all of ten minutes, and the result is creamier and healthier than the store-bought stuff. 

This particular recipe is as basic they come. It calls for canned chickpeas, which cuts down your prep time in comparison to using dried. The other key ingredient is tahini, which makes the texture extra-smooth and adds some zesty flavor. 

Simple Smooth Hummus

(make 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

• One 15-ounce can (425 grams) chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup (59 ml) fresh lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
• 1/4 cup (59 ml) tahini (we used Krinos)
• Half of a large garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, depending on taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water
• Dash of ground paprika for serving

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine tahini and lemon juice. Process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl then turn on and process for 30 seconds. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making smooth and creamy hummus possible.

2. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin and the salt to whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape sides and bottom of bowl then process another 30 seconds. 

3. Open can of chickpeas, drain liquid then rinse well with water. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor then process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl, add remaining chickpeas and process for 1 to 2 minutes or until thick and quite smooth.
4. Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until the consistency is perfect.

5. To serve: Scrape the hummus into a bowl then drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top and sprinkle with paprika.

Vegetarian Recipe: Perfect Falafel

One middle-eastern cuisine many of us have probably encountered along the line is falafel. They're deep-fried patties of ground chickpeas or fava beans, and they make a perfect little appetizer, or even a main ingredient in a homemade gyro. The mood struck recently, and we couldn't help making our own.

For our recipe, we used a mixture of chickpeas and fava beans to get the perfect texture and base flavor. We then seasoned them with coriander, cumin, cayenne, and a few additional herbs. We didn't want to use up too much oil in deep-frying, so instead we relied on pan-frying our fritters to get the perfect crunch without them becoming too greasy. Keep reading below for our favorite recipe...

Falafel

(makes 12 pitas)

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 3/4 cup dried split fava beans
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small red onion, quartered
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or more to taste
• grapeseed oil for frying

Directions

1. Put the beans in a large bowl and cover with water by 4". Soak for 24 hours, checking occasionally to make sure you don't need to add more water to keep the beans covered.
2. Drain the beans and transfer to a food processor with all of the remaining ingredients except the oil. Pulse until minced but not pureed. Add water tablespoon by tablespoon if necessary to make sure the machine is able to work. You want to mixture is as dry as possible, though. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning to taste. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
3. Form the mixture into balls a little smaller than golf balls and flatten just a little. In a nonstick pan, heat 1/4" grapeseed oil on medium high heat until it sizzles when  a small piece of falafel is added. Turn the heat to medium.
4. Add just one falafel to begin with and fry until all sides are a deep golden-brown (about 6 to 7 minutes). If it browns too quickly, turn the heat down a little.  If the falafel sticks to the pan, dredge the falafel in a little flour. From there, cook the remaining falafel in the oil. Serve with pita bread and tahini sauce.
5. Enjoy!

Hearty Poached Egg & Peppers Recipe: Shakshuka

We thought we'd tried every egg recipe in the book, but it turns out we were wrong. A stray look at an old cookbook turned up a particularly interesting Middle Eastern dish called shakshuka. Some call this dish "eggs in purgatory." What exactly is it? Shakshuka consists of eggs poached in a tomato sauce often with peppers, onions, and cumin. It's a dish that can be served with pita, or a good, hearty bread. It's commonly served at breakfast time; a complete meal that gets you powered up for the day ahead. 

When serving shakshuka, the trick is to get the poaching time just right. The yolks should just be runny enough that they can be mixed in with the tomato sauce. If you'd prefer the eggs to be a little more runny than that, let the sauce reduce for a few minutes longer before cracking the eggs on top. Keep reading below for this fantastic dish...

Shakshuka

(makes 5-6 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 chile pepper, stemmed, de-seeded, and minced
• 1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• a pinch of cayenne pepper
• a pinch of sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5-6 eggs
• 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Directions

1. In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the chiles and onion, and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown (about 6 minutes). Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and sugar, stirring frequently until the garlic is soft (about 2 more minutes).
2. Put the tomatoes and their liquid in a medium bowl, and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes, and their liquid to the skillet along with 1/2 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium and summer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly (about 15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Crack the eggs over the sauce, evenly distributing the eggs across the sauce's surface. Cover the skillet and cook until the yolks are just set (about 5 minutes). Use a spoon to baste the whites of the eggs with the tomato sauce, being careful to not disturb the yolk. Sprinkle with feta and parsley. Serve with pita.
4. Enjoy!