Hummus

A lot of people I've known tend to dismiss hummus out-of-hand as a "hippie food", something that only smug, self-satisfied martyrs are willing to put into their undernourished mouths. Oh, and I guess those guys in the middle east somewhere eat it too, right? Sometimes I want to swat these people. Hummus is, in essence, BEAN DIP. An exceptionally awesome bean dip, at that. You can shovel it in using raw vegetables, eat it with chips, crackers or bread, or even slather it on sandwiches. It's just that good. This recipe tastes a lot like the hummus my Jordanian teacher used to bring for school functions, and is really easy to make.

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed, liquid reserved
1 large clove garlic, pressed
3 T. tahini (ground sesame seeds)
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
salt to taste

In a food processor or blender, blend all ingredients EXCEPT the bean liquid and salt until smooth. EDIT: Turns out the hummus comes out smoother and creamier if you start by blending the tahini with the lemon juice first. This emulsifies the tahini and gives it a really great texture! Next, add the garlic and whip until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients now, using the reserved liquid to thin the mixture as you blend it. You could need anywhere from 3 T. to a half cup of liquid, depending on how thick you like your hummus. Taste before adding salt. Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge until ready to use.

You want to avoid oversalting this! I've done it before. It's pretty tough to enjoy eating overly-salted hummus with salty crackers. Try adding some roasted peppers and/or a teaspoon of cumin powder, or serve with extra olive oil and paprika on top for something different.

Banana Bread

I just kinda whipped this up today because I had a lot of very brown bananas that needed to be used, and it turned out pretty good. It's dense and moist, not too sweet, but sweet enough, and would have been great with walnuts or chocolate chips, or both. (If you want to try it that way, just add a cup of each to the batter!)

Banana Bread

4 large or 5 medium bananas, very ripe
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 c. turbinado sugar
1/2 c. water
2 T. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 c. whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl, then add applesauce, sugar, water, molasses, vanilla, and oil and stir. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the wet mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, but avoid over-mixing. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting (I cut the sheet lengthwise in half, then make thick slices across). Makes many servings, tasty plain or spread with a little Earth Balance margarine.

French Bread Pizza

This one is easy and delicious. It also lends itself to the addition of cheese, if you're into that sort of thing.

French Bread Pizza

1 loaf french or italian bread
1/2 can crushed pineapple, juice-packed, drained and lightly squeezed
6 large button mushrooms, sliced
1 small can sliced black olives
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

1 medium tomato, thinly sliced

Pizza sauce:
1 6oz can tomato paste
1/4 c water
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
dash of powdered rosemary and/or red pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice bread lengthwise into two halves and set on a cookie sheet, cut side up. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside while you prepare your other toppings. Spread sauce on bread (there should be enough for a nice thick layer on both pieces). Sprinkle pineapple over the sauce (it's important that you squeeze out some of the juice so it doesn't make your pizza soggy. Alternately, you could use tidbits or omit pineapple altogether. We like crushed pineapple because it spreads out well and sort of conceals the lack of cheese), followed by mushrooms, olives and artichoke hearts. Bake for 15-20 minutes. It'll be done when the pizza starts to brown nicely around the edges. Cut into chunks and serve with raw tomato slices on top.