Food Friday - Watch Out for Dips in the Road!

from Tracey G.

I absolutely love this stuff. I can eat it on just about anything, and as I told Kris - if I liked fish, I'd probably eat it on that too, lol. Chicken, beef, tacos, burritos - the possibilities are endless. I eat it on all kinds stuff, I think my favorite way is with chips, straight up. LOL ;-) And for me, this is one of those things I prefer the next day - tastes way better to me, all the flavors have had a chance to get nicely mingled and the parsley has quieted down. See, I don't like cilantro. I've tried and tried to like it, and there's just something about it I don't care for, so, I substitute parsley in all my fresh recipes involving cilantro, and it works really well. If you love it, of course use it - it's up to what your tastes are once again ;-) And really this stuff couldn't be simpler, I really don't even have exact amounts, just approximates because this is one of those recipe beauties that you can make to suit your tastes. I love things like that! lol And it's all veggies - a super healthy addition to whatever you may choose to eat it on, lol. ;-) I think the hardest part of making this for this week's post was to make sure there was enough left to actually take a "finished" photo of, lol. 

Basically, it's a mix and match recipe involving a few basic players: tomatoes, sweet onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, lime and cilantro - but for my taste I used parsley and that's what's pictured here. ;-) The amounts can vary depending on what you like - I may add more garlic one time than another, and you can certainly vary the amount of jalapeno, cilantro/parsley etc. The other player, not pictured here, is salt, which is another season-to-taste ingredient. 

I like to seed my tomatoes for this - for a couple reasons. One, I don't like tomato seeds, lol, and two, for me it adds too much liquid. Feel free to just chop away and not take the time to seed them! 

This is pretty much what everyone looks like before they are combined ;-) I cut up about 6 tomatoes, 1 medium sized sweet onion, grated about 2 small-to-medium sized cloves of garlic, about a tablespoon of finely minced parsley and one jalapeno - seeded and finely diced. I used one lime and since it was a kind of "dry" lime, I ended up also adding a half of a lemon I had laying about in the fridge ;-)

I ran across a really good tip regarding keeping lemons (I'm sure would work for limes, but usually have lemons around more than their green cousins, lol): keep them in your fridge, in a zip-top bag. I have had them last MUCH longer that way, than on my counter. Even though it looks lovely to have them out - I'd rather protect my investment if I can't get to them right away!

After you've got everyone chopped and  prepped, combine them in your container of choice. You now can refrigerate overnight, which is my preference, or let it sit at least 30 minutes before you serve it.

Not that it's really necessary to have a "recipe" here's your basic ingredient (with amounts that I used for this batch, approximately) list and method! :-)

Pico de Gallo

6 small - medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

1 medium sized jalapeno, seeded and finely diced or minced

2-3 cloves of garlic, grated or put through a press - I used my fine Microplane grater for mine.

1 large lime, juiced

1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)

1 tbsp cilantro or parsley, as I used; finely minced

Combine all ingredients, mix to combine. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to overnight. 


from Kris B.

So what’s wrong with this picture?  No, not the above photo…well, you can critique it if that is what makes you happy, but that is not what I’m referring to.  So this week, my Greek friend in Michigan is making pico de gallo, and I, the one who lives in Texas, am making hummus.  There is something so backwards about this whole scenario. But hey, it is what it is.  And just for the record, I too love pico de gallo and will put it on almost anything…but I have to agree with Tracey, even pico de gallo does not improve the flavor of fish!

I am also a big fan of hummus.  It makes a great snack or lunch and hummus is a good excuse to eat pita bread, of which I am also a fan.  In the absence of any pita bread, fresh vegetables also make a good delivery system for the hummus.

If you want to be picky, my recipe for hummus is not authentic because I use great northern beans rather than the traditional garbanzo beans.  I made this substitution for the first time many years ago when I wanted hummus but had no garbanzo beans in the pantry.  I decided that I liked this version even better.  To me, the great northern beans have a slightly more creamy texture than do the garbanzos.  If you are a purist, you can certainly use garbanzo beans in this recipe.  This is what happens when it is the Texan making the hummus.  At least I didn't use pinto beans!  And for the record, I have also made tabbouleh with quinoa.  In a pinch it works.  Maybe using quinoa means that it is not technically tabbouleh, but the concoction, whatever you want to call it, tasted great!

Hummus is all about the mingling of flavors - liquids and spices..  

Over time, the proportions listed here are the ones that I have settled on, but you may want to adjust them to your liking, particularly the cayenne pepper.  

First there is garlic.... LOTS of garlic!

Lemon juice adds another level of freshness.

After thirty two years of living in Texas, I can tolerate fairly hot food.  My daughter tasted this batch of hummus and said, “Wow.  This really has a kick.”  Like Tracey said about the pico de gallo, hummus tastes better on day two, but it also tends to get “warmer” with each day.  If you do not like spicy hot food, consider reducing the amount of cayenne pepper that is called for.

Hummus is quite easy to make.  Simply put all of the ingredients in a food processor and “process” until the mixture is smooth and creamy.  If it seems too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.

Serve with pita bread, crackers, fresh raw vegetables; or, us the hummus as a substitute for condiments on sandwiches and burgers.

INGREDIENTS

2 15 oz. cans Great Northern Beans

8-10 cloves of garlic

1/4 Cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 Cup tahini

6 TBS olive oil

4 tsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp red pepper

Hummus is best served at room temperature, but if it is not going to be served immediately after making, it should be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.