Sunday, August 15, 2010

Hummus حمّص

Hummus is something we like to make as much as possible as it goes with everything we make for dinner. It is perfect for dipping and is proven to be quite healthy.
The recipe is as follows, however, it really depends on how you like the taste. For instance, my family likes the hummus with lots of lemon, so we tend to add more lemon, etc.

-2 cans of chick peas
- 1/4 cup Tahina Sauce (Can be found at any Arabic Foodstore)
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cups of water
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
**Serves up to 10 people

The secret is to first boil the chick peas in a small saucepan. This makes the chickpeas easier to grind in the food processor.
1. Pour contents of chick peas from the 2 cans into a small saucepan. Add water just enough to cover the chick peas.
2.Sprinkle some baking powder on top of the water.
3.Allow to boil for about 15-20 min, or until the chick peas can squish between your fingers easily.

4. Drain the contents of the saucepan in a drainer.
5. Pour the drained chick peas into a food processor.
6. Add the Tahina sauce, lemon juice, salt, and garlic.
7. Pulse in the processor until the contents are mixed.
8. Next, slowly add water into the mixture and turn the food processor on.
 As the water is added, the mixture should become more and more smooth.
You should not be able to see the skins or chunks of chick peas any more.
9. If all the water is added, and you still don't like the texture of the hummus, its ok!
The solution is just to add more water until you are satisfied. In my family, we like the hummus not too runny, so I don't put too much water.
10. Always taste the final product. If it is too salty or too garlicy for you, just add a little more water to balance it out. If it is not enough, add to your taste.
11. When you're finished and satisfied, just pour out onto a plate of your choice with a spoon. Smooth out. Pour Extra Virgin Olive Oil all around and serve with Pita Bread.

Ramadan

So everyone knows it the holy month of Ramadan, the month where all Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset each day. It is also the month where some of the best food is cooked from tabouleh to sambousik to kibeh. All day we cook to prepare for the wonderful Iftar (breaking of the fast) and to feed our family all the food they were craving all day. It truly is the best time of year for us. So, I will be providing recipes for the rest of the month that I cooked during Ramadan, recipes that are GREAT for family gatherings. I hope you all enjoy. :)

Friday, August 13, 2010

New Experiences

Hello and Welcome,

I am sure you can read the "About me" to read a little into my background, however, I would just like to make this first post a welcoming one and to introduce myself. My name is Nur (pronounced Noor) and I just graduated  with a Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences. I feel like I now have the free time to finally give back to the world one of the only things that kept me going in college: cooking. This is my first blog, so it is a new experience for me and will take some time getting used to...But I already love it. I will be posting random recipes, ideas, suggestions, and thoughts onto this blog to make my own footprint in this blogging world. I have made commenting available to anyone so that I may get the most out of your feedback. Please write to me if you try any of my recipes and let me know how they go. I deeply look forward to your opinions on my postings.