KG's Hummus

OK there are lots of good hummus recipes out there but several people have asked, so here's mine. First off, you will notice there is no garlic. Raw garlic and I do not get along so I don't put any in and I'm happy that way. Roasted garlic would be nice but I rarely have any laying around so... Feel free to added a clove or two of crushed garlic if you like.

Ingredients

1 540 ml (19 oz) can of chick peas, drained, save some liquid
1-2 T of tahini (in a pinch you can also use peanut butter but it's better with tahini)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2- 1 tsp cumin (to taste)
Salt (and pepper if desired)
(Most recipes call for olive oil but I don't use any and don't miss it.)


Method

Dump chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and S&P into food processor. Add 1-2 T of reserved liquid. Process until smooth, adding more liquid if needed.

Can be eaten with pita, raw veggies, or my favourite, a spoon.

Store in fridge if you don't eat the whole thing at one sitting. :)

If you want to use dry chickpeas, COOK THEM FIRST! (Right Gordon? ;)

Quite a few calories, but I figure they're good ones.

Whole Grain Veggie Salad

I made this for dinner tonight, taking ideas from a number of different recipes I found.

Earlier today, I cooked 1 cup each of cracked wheat and barley. Simmer each in boiling water (cracked wheat about 12 minutes, barley about 20 minutes)until tender but chewy then drain and cool.

To assemble salad, measurements are very approximate.

1/3 cup cooked barley
1/3 cup cooked cracked wheat
1/2 cup chick peas (drained and rinsed)

Add chopped vegetables to your taste. Today I added:

* red pepper
* green onions
* avocado
* fresh chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil)

I also added a large handful of dried cranberries and walnuts.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and the juice from 1/2 lemon

Add salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe is so adaptable. You could any kind of cooked whole grain, raw or cooked vegetable, cooked beans, dried fruit and nuts, fresh herbs.

YUM!!!