Broccoli with Hummus
When you think of hummus, I bet you think of it as a dip. It is a great dip, paired with some pita bread or fresh veggies. But hummus can be more than a dip. I love to toss hot veggies with hummus. I especially like to do this with broccoli. I started doing this years ago for a friend who was vegan. The hummus was a nice substitute for butter or a cheese sauce.
Hummus is made from chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and a few seasonings. Of course, you can make all sorts of variations. You just combine the ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Doesn’t get much simpler. I prefer to make my own, so I can flavor it the way I want.
We made hummus is cooking camp yesterday. The kids ate it with pita bread they also made.
One of my favorite combinations is hummus with broccoli. The flavors work great together. You just toss hummus with hot, freshly cooked broccoli. So yummy.
Since I had some cauliflower, I added some of it to the dish as well.
So the next time you have some hummus around, try tossing it with hot, cooked veggies for a fun side dish or an easy vegetarian main dish.
Steamed Broccoli with Hummus
1 lb. fresh broccoli, you can also use cauliflower or a combination
1/2 c. hummus, homemade or store bought, recipe follows
Cut broccoli into long spears, peeling and trimming tough stems. Steam until just tender. Warm hummus over low heat or in a microwave and spoon over the cooked broccoli. Toss to coat evenly. Serves 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main course.
Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans, drained- or about 2 cups cooked chick peas
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 cloves garlic
salt and hot pepper sauce to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Adjust seasonings. Chill. Serve with pita bread, crackers or fresh vegetables. Also nice spread in a pita bread with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. Freezes well.
Pasta Sauces and Hummus- Cooking Camp- Day 2
The kids did a great job today. They had to make pasta sauces. We ended up making four different ones. Two I had suggested and two they requested. They made my recipe for carrot sauce and creamy spinach sauce. They also made Alfredo pasta, because one of the girls said she loves Alfredo. The last one they used marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese to create what they called pizza pasta.
The Alfredo pasta dish came out so wonderful. The girls stirred carefully to get a nice, creamy sauce.
The carrot pasta sauce was very popular. Several said they liked it because it didn’t taste like carrots. That made me laugh. They decided since it looked like mac and cheese, they were taking some home to fool their families. Looking forward to comments tomorrow.
They liked the spinach pasta more than I thought. Of course with all that butter and cream cheese, what’s not to love?
The pizza pasta was also a nice combo. The mozzarella cheese, folded in at the end, made it special.
Today’s lesson was also about tasting your food as you go! They used tasting spoons to try their dishes, adding more ingredients as needed. I was so impressed.
We also made hummus. One girl said she never liked hummus before, but liked ours.
Fun day for all.
