Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Falling in Love

I will admit, I am a toughie to buy a gift for.  I just ended a sentence with a preposition; it's that serious.  My husband would ask, "What do you want for Christmas/birthday/random gift-giving holiday?"  I don't make it easy; I'd say, "I dunno" or "How about Lego Harry Potter?"  He would often suggest a gift, for instance, "You love to cook; how about a food processor?"  To which I'd wrinkle my nose and say, "Ugh, no.  Boring!"

Don't even get me started on the time he suggested a new vacuum cleaner.  Men, if you happen to read this: never, ever give a vacuum cleaner as a gift.  That is a line which must not be crossed.  You will have some serious making-up to do.  I don't even care if it is a Dyson. 

There's no rhyme or reason behind this and I know somebody will be perverse and comment, "I received a vacuum and it was the most beautiful gift I ever received." I have no words for you, Pervercia.  It also makes no sense that I have purchased my husband power tools; however, in my defense, he did ask for them.

This Christmas, we went to my parents house and my mom gave me this awesome gift.  And thats when Bianca and I fell in love. 

Who's Bianca, you ask?  She's my Cuisinart food processor.  We have a relationship based on trust and mutual respect, and also based on being able to grate cheese in approximately 0.4325 seconds.  She can also make a mean batch of hummus. 

Hummus

1 can of chickpeas, drained, but save some of the liquid!
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon cumin
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place all of the above in Bianca.  Pulse until totally pureed, or to the consistency you like.  Add additional oil, or tahini oil if needed to thin the mixture.

How easy is that?!?  Bianca totally simplifies your life.  Now you just need to slice up some pita, or get out some lathed carrots (don't fool yourself into thinking they're baby carrots like I did for all those years), or cucumber wedges.  Or bell peppers.  Go crazy.

You know what tastes amazing?  Toasted wheat bread, spread with hummus, and piled up with cucumber, sprouts, and/or other vegetables.  Once I was trying this vegan thing and pretty much ate this every day,  twice a day for a week.  At the end of the week I think I had a bacon-wrapped turducken with a side of trout.  Love me anyway.

You can add in other things like a fresh jalapeno, some roasted red bell peppers (drained if you use the jarred variety), or herbs like cilantro.  Go for it!  Get creative!

I would also like to thank Rita, my mini-prep, for years of faithful pesto making and garlic mincing, and Judith, my trusty Kitchenaid, who sees me through burned batches of divinity and perfect chocolate chip cookies. 

I'm working on a photo montage set to some thoughtful music to show how much I appreciate them both. 

1 comment:

  1. I LOVE my food processor...but my KitchenAid is comes first in who (what) I love most. :)

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