3 garlic cloves
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup light olive oil
5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Place chickpeas, garlic, and salt in food processor and blend, stop occasionally to scrape down the sides as needed.
Add lemon juice & blend, Add tahini & blend, add water & blend, Drizzle in olive oil while the processor is running and then the vinegar
Here is a picture of it served with veggies and pita chips and Yes...even raw Onion...Aaron loves raw onion and loved it even more dipped in hummus << gag>> But Hummus is definitely a new and welcomed staple in our fridge that everyone loves! Now you might have just read that recipe like I did the first time and when you came across the ingredient listed as "Tahini" you said to yourself " a Tah what?" or "what on God's green Earth is a Tahini" or "that sounds like a fantastic cocktail!" Ha!!! But really all it is , is pureed sunflower seeds. You take about a 1/2 cup of just regular unsalted and shelled sunflower seeds and place them in a frying pan on the stove over med-low heat for about 10 min. Put them in the food processor and blend while mixing in a lil olive oil till it becomes a paste like or thinner substance. There ya go Tahini 101 , however I'm sure you can google Tahini recipe and you'll find a much more sophisticated recipe with more detail. But it does make all the difference because the first time I made hummus I did not include the Tahini and it was absolutely missing something , and all store bought hummus includes a tahini as well.
Next on the snack list is Strawberry Banana Protein Bars...created by yours truly! :) I wanted to make some protein bars, however I was missing a few ingredients for the recipe that I had, and going back to the grocery store after I had already been once that day and being that Tripp had not had a nap , it simply was Not an option. So....
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1 Cup banana walnut Quaker Hearty Medleys instant Oatmeal (about 2 1/2 packets)
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 scoops berry flavored protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup egg whites
2 tbsp stevia
8 (roughly) chopped fresh strawberries)
2oz water
Mix all wet and dry ingredients separately then mix them together. I chose to put the oatmeal in the food processor before I added it in as well as the strawberries to make them real fine and almost pureed. Bake in a greased 8x8 pan for 25 min. at 350 degrees.
Aaron really liked them and I let a few of my gym buddies give them a try today and they liked them as well so they just may be a keeper, however next time I may just try to use unflavored oatmeal and add in a real banana and maybe a lil more stevia to make up for the sugar that was in the instant oatmeal. Tonight I made some Oatmeal Raisin Protein Balls or Bars which ever you prefer!
This is one of the recipes that I wanted to make that included something called liquid stevia which was on my Whole Foods shopping list.
This tiny little jar was $16 I believe or maybe it was $13, either way I about shit my pants when I saw the price, but I've seen several recipes that call for it that I want to try and I thought well hopefully for that price it will last till the boys go to college! Ha!
3/4 cup any Nut Butter ( I used half almond butter and half natural peanut butter)
3/4 cup quick oats
2 1/2 scoops of whey protein powder (I used Vanilla)
20 drops of vanilla stevia or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract if your not using stevia and using honey as a sub)
1/8-1/4cup water depending on how dry your mix is
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
and if your using honey instead of the stevia just eye ball it, use enough to make it stick together
Mix by hand, and form into a giant ball.
Place a layer of plastic wrap in an 8x8 pan then place mixture on top
Use the plastic wrap to smoosh the mixture into the pan
Place in the fridge for 30 min , then cut into bars or roll into balls (that word still makes me giggle) (true story)
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| Using the Stevia Dropper....and after using it the flavor is intense and I believe this stuff will last quite a while |
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| Make sure the plastic wrap is under the mixture |
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| Oatmeal Raisin Ball finished product |
Today I taught Body Pump and made sure my kids did not drown at the pool for my workouts! Ha!! Tomorrow I'm teaching Body Pump again as well as Sunday......but too much Body Pump never killed anyone, however I must find time for some high intensity cardio this weekend for sure! Goodnight!
Never thought about balsamic vinegar w/ hummus - interesting! Ryan doesn't like the stuff (balsamic vinegar, that is), but I love it. :) He might notice if I try to sneak it in, though. Haha!
ReplyDeleteAlso, homemade hummus...definitely better than store bought! :) Totally agree. For me, the difference is the tahini. Actually, tahini is made with sesame seeds, not sunflower. And I don't like regular tahini b/c of that, which is why I don't like store bought hummus. BUT I started making the tahini w/ the sunflower seeds and that's what I like and the reason I now love hummus! :) Glad you tried it out and liked it, too! I make a big batch of the sunflower seed tahini using 2 cups of sunflower seeds. It will last a long time in the fridge and be enough to make a number of batches of hummus - at least 3-4! Here's where I started w/ my sunflower seed tahini recipe: http://www.halleethehomemaker.com/2010/05/sunflower-seed-swap-tahini/ Just make sure you have plenty of oil b/c that's what keeps it from spoiling. :) She also has a post on how to make regular tahini, but I just don't like the stuff. And you can get sunflower seeds (or sesame seeds if you prefer) at Whole Foods in the bulk section for pretty cheap!
Also, I haven't compared the prices w/ the quinoa at Trader Joe's, but I have compared all the different ones at WF - and the quinoa in their bulk section is also a lot cheaper. You do have to rinse it b/c it's not pre-rinsed, but it's not like that takes a lot of time! And you can make a big batch at a time to have plenty for the week. That's what I do.
Have you all ever tried sunflower butter, too? It's pretty good! I guess it's grown on me b/c the last time I tried some, I LOVED it and wished I had been eating it more than pb. Haha! We started getting it for Aiden when we were avoiding nuts, but Ryan uses it now b/c he's now allergic to peanuts and almonds (and a few other nuts, too). Aiden will go back and forth between asking for the sunbutter and regular pb. It's also cheapest at TJ's.
I was cooking the other night and Aiden kept trying to taste everything - even the raw onion. I told him he might not like it raw, but apparently he did and he just kept reaching up to grab more! I was shocked! Your comment about Aaron liking the hummus w/ raw onion made me think about it.
AND...I certainly hope those boys are all better by now! (And that you're really not getting it, too. Yuck. When I found out Aiden really did have strep, that whole day my throat was kind of sore, but I think it was just b/c I hadn't slept enough b/c it never turned into strep, thankfully! No fun when mama picks up the sick germs, too!) I do hope everyone is well now and things are back to normal!
Ha!!! So you mean to tell me you can't call roasted sunflower seeds, puree'd with oil can't be called a Tahini?!?! oh well We'll just call it a tahini with a twist! I totally just followed what you did because your hummus was delish so I never even bothered looking for sesame seeds. And no I've never tried sunflower butter but I'm sure its great! My new fave is coconut butter! yummo!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the addition of the balsamic vinegar I just decided to give it a shot. I've been reading a lot lately how it helps your food last longer and gives you that full feeling without hardly any calories so I try to throw a splash in wherever I can. It was really good...I used kind of a lot because we love it but I'm sure you could squeeze in a splash and Ryan wouldn't notice.
I'm definitely gonna have to cash in on some of these bulk items such as beans and quinoa at "Whole Paycheck" ha! Maybe it will force me to quit calling it that! ;)
Haha! Girl, you can call it whatever you want! If you go out and buy tahini, though, it will be made with sesame seeds. And I know that if someone likes my hummus, I want to be sure they know I don't use traditional hummus. Some like either, but I certainly don't. So, I wouldn't want someone to go buy traditional tahini and expect it to come out tasting like hummus made w/ sunflower seed tahini. ;) If you do like it w/ sesame seeds, you can buy those and make it the same way you would w/ sunflower seeds (adjusting the oil as needed). They're also in the bulk section at WF - either very near or right next to the sunflower seeds. About the same price, too.
ReplyDeleteIs coconut butter more like regular butter or like a peanut butter?? I've not seen it. Might need to look into that. I like using coconut oil and coconut in lots of things (the oil is a great "lotion," too).
And yes, some of the bulk items at WF are GREAT deals! Esp the beans, rice, seeds, quinoa, etc. Some things here and there are actually more $$ - so you will prob want to compare prices. Some nuts are more expensive, but the beans, rice, quinoa...that sort of stuff is cheaper, for sure. (Just be sure to rinse the quinoa b/c the kind in the bulk section is not pre-rinsed!). We've done a lot of price comparisons since we shop at WF for so much, and they actually have some great deals there. If you get a lot of the bulk items, their 365 brand, etc - you can often pay less there for organic than you would pay for conventional at a regular store. :) You just have to compare and take a little time to figure out which items are better deals.