We made four different varieties (recipes at the end of the post):
We served the hummus with cucumbers, broccoli florets, sliced mushrooms, and toasted pita wedges. But that's not all, no, that's not all...
Roasted asparagus:
And, for dessert, strawberries in balsamic vinegar (as I saw on Scottish Vegan's blog a while back and have been thinking about ever since):
How I wished we had some fresh mint or basil leaves as a garnish... but all we had was cilantro. With strawberries? Not so much.
The whole, elaborate, elegant spread:
It was a night of delicious vegan food, of creativity and experimentation, and of good fun with good friends. Just the way I like it!
By the way, the all the different varieties of hummus were very good and very distinct. The southwest-style hummus was definitely non-traditional, but it was unique and still very nice. I would make any of these again, in an instant. Each of these recipes represents half a "regular" batch of hummus; if you choose to make just one, I suggest doubling the recipe. Just toss all your ingredients in the food processor and go to town, adding liquid as needed to get a smooth consistency.
Basic Lemon-Garlic Hummus
1 cup chickpeas
1 tablespoon tahini
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon water
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Garden Hummus
1 cup chickpeas
1 tablespoon tahini
1 large green onion (white and green parts)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 pieces sun-dried tomatoes (from a jar, packed in oil)
1 clove garlic
Salt and black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar
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Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 cup chickpeas
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 red pepper (roasted for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees, cooled, and peel removed)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic
Salt
1 tablespoon water
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Southwest-Style Hummus
1 cup chickpeas
1 tablespoon tahini
1 teaspoon chipotle paste
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 jalapeño pepper, or to taste
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Salt
1-2 tablespoons water
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Balsamic-Roasted Asparagus
1 bunch asparagus, stems trimmed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Garlic
Salt
Black pepper
Paprika
Place vinegar and oil in roasting pan. Add asparagus and toss to coat. Sprinkle asparagus with seasonings and spread out into a single layer in the pan. Roast at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, until tender.
17 comments:
WOAH! a HUMMUS party! That is a super cool idea. And it sure was an elegant spread, what with those flowers as well brightening the whole table up, the greens 'n' shrooms, the strawbs, the beautiful tablecloth, the toasted wedges o'pita and all that hummus! Bliss!!
I love it- overworked and overstressed accountants wind down with HUMMUS! I wish I could have been there - what a gourmet spread. Mmmm asparagus. Mmmm strawberries. I hope your friends appreciate you two!
P.S. I know what you mean about reading poems in their original language! I tried translating some poems from French once. No matter how skilled the translator, there is no comparison to reading poems in their original language, since the sounds and cadence and rhythm and connotations can't be duplicated...
Wow - a hummus party! What a great idea. I've been mostly unsuccessful in making my own hummus at home - for some reason, the variety I buy at the store always seems to taste better. I will definitely try out your recipe, though.
Kleo, we were at my friend Abby's house and she was so excited to pull out all her fancy party stuff! I'm glad she did--it really dressed up the whole affair!
Bazu, yes--there's just so much richness that language itself adds to poetry beyond merely the meanings of words. And the more you know the language the fuller the experience is--I can read poetry in French, but there is so much I don't get because I don't have the emotional connections to the language that a native speaker would have. But the poem you shared, I got the feeling that it was pretty well translated--some of that depth seemed to come through. I bet translating poetry is a pretty daunting task! Oh yeah... hummus. Thanks! :)
Kati, I can't really stomach commercially prepared hummus--maybe it's just a difference in preferences. The secret I have found to making hummus more palatable for me is adding enough water so that the hummus is creamy, not pasty. I also think using homecooked chickpeas helps too--I cook them by the potful and then freeze them in 2-cup batches for later use. Anyway, if you give hummus another shot I'm interested to find out what you think of it.
Oh yummy! A hummus party!! What a cool idea! Considering my love of chickpeas I don’t really make hummus very often…you have inspired me to try making some soon! I love roasted asparagus, but have never tried it with balsamic vinegar…it sounds great! Another thing to try!
I hope you liked the strawberries as much as I did! Thanks for linking to my blog!
I love the new layout (well I don’t know how new it is because I have not commented in a while). I think a hummus party is great idea! I especially want to try roasted red pepper.
A hummus party is an excellent idea! I must try the SW hummus, and I just bought a beautiful bunch of asparagus this morning for roasting - thanks for the recipe!
Oooh, four types of hummus in one post...love it! They all look so tasty. I'm really intrigued by the Southwest-Style Hummus.
Scottish vegan, I did love the strawberries! It's amazing how balsamic vinegar pairs with them so well...
Kate, thanks--you have not missed the new layout for very long. This was actually my first time ever roasting a red pepper myself, and I don't know why. It's simple and much better than the canned peppers you can buy. If you make this hummus, I recommend roasting your own pepper!
Diann, I never did asparagus in balsamic before, but it's great! I hope you try it and like it just as much! And the southwest hummus DID make me think about you...
Emmy, thanks! It was fun. If you make the southwest style hummus, try it on a wrap with lime juice and avocado and sprouts--mmmm...
OH FUN!
I love theme parties SO much!! :) A hummus party is a great idea!
I was thinking of doing strawberries with balsamic today for a dinner party. how was it? I think I may have to try a small bit and see what I think. Mint is a good idea, I do have mint in the gardene. hmmm. The problem is, it's hard to make strawberries any better than they already are!
Amey, I really liked the strawberries in balsamic vinegar. I added just a dab of sweetener (2 teaspoons to a whole pint of strawberries) just to help bring out their own natural sweetness, then tossed them with the vinegar. You're right, strawberries are to die for on their own! But the balsamic just helps bring out... something in them. If you do decide to do it, I bet the mint will make it really pretty. :)
i want to be at the hummus party too! those strawberies looks too good!
thanks so much for all the recipes.
I like your new blog skin!
Hummus is what everyone thinks of when they think of vegan food--but your hummus extraVEGANza inspires us all to move on and be creative. Thanks for all the yummy recipes.
Johanna, I wish you (& all my blogging pals) could have come! The whole time I was thinking how exciting it would be to blog about it. :)
Urban vegan, thanks a lot! ExtraVEGANza... I love it.
Wow, looks like a great party. Very fun :-) Thanks for the recipes!
Wow, I want to come over for a hummus party! Yum! They all look amazing! I like your dippers, too.
Hmmm, I'll admit that I'm skeptical about the balsamic vinegar over strawberries. I'm skeptical of all vinegar, though. I'm weird like that.
Tania, cooking parties are always fun, eh? :)
Kris, hah... I don't blame you for being skeptical about the strawberries. I think it's really good, as long as you don't overdo it on the vinegar... but if vinegar is not your thing, then I definitely wouldn't recommend this!
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