Food Thursday 05.03.12

Here we are again, discussing all things food related.  If this is your first Food Thursday, allow me to explain, as I know there are some new readers at TDT195 this week.  On Thursdays, TDT195 is all about food, cooking, nutrition, etc.  One of the main tenets of this site is that if you are serious about losing weight and eating well, you have to prepare the majority of your meals at home.  Or, as I recently read in Culinary Intelligence, ideally you should know how to cook or live with someone that does.  My philosophy is that if you can follow instructions, you can cook most simple things.  That's all a recipe is...instructions. 


When following a recipe, pay attention to what you are doing, read it FIRST, before trying to execute it and for God's sake, make sure you have all the ingredients before you start.  I've done it too many times to count.  There is nothing worse than realizing you are out of onions, or garlic, or some silly thing, the very second you need it.


Today, a simple recipe (2, actually) that will take about 30 minutes and is, in my humble opinion, much better than the store bought version.  The wife and I snack a good deal on hummus with carrots.  She is a hummus fiend, actually.  The Sabra Red Pepper Hummus is easy to find and the one we buy the most.  We do enjoy it and it is a fine product.  I just wanted to see if I could make mine cheaper, healthier and tastier.  I think I knocked this one out of the park.  Also, mine has a decidedly stronger red pepper flavor.  I may just add some fresh basil the next time.


A recent article I read in Cook's Country Magazine said that when you make hummus, heat the chickpeas prior to pureeing and you will get a much smoother product.  That is just what I did here.  The picture above is indeed mine.  Kudos to my mom for that fine looking table runner beneath my plates.  She made it.  Nice, huh? 


Here are a comparison of the store bought brand vs. mine.  I hope you enjoy this tasty treat.  You say hummus.  I say YUMMUS!




Mike's Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
makes 22 servings


Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray (regular PAM will do as well)
1/2 cup roasted sweet red peppers, chopped
1 25oz. can chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3.5 Tbs fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 tsp fresh thyme (1/2 tsp if using dry)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 Tbs Tahini (sesame paste)


Method:

1. Place garlic cloves in foil and spray with olive oil spray.  Wrap tightly and place in a preheated 400 degree toaster oven for 14 minutes. Turn over the foil pack half way through.
2. Heat your rinsed chickpeas in a microwave for 90 seconds on high.  If your peppers have come from the refrigerator, heat them for 30 seconds, as well.
3. Place all of your ingredients, including the roasted garlic in a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Chill and serve with fresh veggies or whole grain pita chips. (see below)

Whole Grain Pita Chips

4 servings

Ingredients:

2 Whole Grain Pitas

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray (PAM will suffice)

Garlic salt

Method:

1. Split the pitas, so that you have 4 discs.
2. Spray with EVOO spray and dust with garlic salt.  Flip over and repeat.
3. Stack the discs and cut pizza style so that you have a total of 32 chips. (4 cuts, through 4 pita discs...you do the math.)
4. Arrange on a cookie sheet and place in a preheated, 400 degree oven (or a toaster oven in 2 batches) and toast for 3-4 minutes per side or until crisp. I just toasted mine in my already hot toaster oven on the dark toast setting.

Serving size: 8 chips

Calories: 62, Fat: 1 gram, Sat. Fat: 0 grams

Cya next time for How Did I Get Here?: Part 12,

M

What I ate today and how I exercised:

Breakfast ~ On the road with an Egg McMuffin.

Lunch ~ Business lunch.  1 cup of pasta fagioli soup, mesclun greens salad w/artichoke hearts, carrots, walnuts, roasted red peppers, chickpeas and about 4 oz. broiled salmon.  Balsamic vinaigrette on the side.

Snack ~ 8 dark chocolate covered almonds (120 calories) and decaf with skim milk and cinnamon.

Dinner ~ Hummus with a carrot and pita chips.

Exercise ~ none