10 May 2009

Sesame-Free Hummus and Tabouli

There are two important events that coincide today: Mother's Day and my friend Ren's birthday. As a result, you're getting TWO (yes, aren't you excited) recipes.


The first one is for Ren (although I bet my Mom would like it -- you can have some too Mom!) Ren is allergic to sesame. Wait, you're thinking, doesn't hummus have sesame in it? Are you sure this is for a friend? Yes store bought hummus does have sesame - Tahini actually, a paste made out of sesame seeds - but that's not the only thing that gives it its taste, texture or even heartiness. Most of that comes from the good old garbanzo beans aka chickpeas. When I first got to France, I couldn't find tahini in the supermarket (turns out it was hiding under my nose, in a random fridge case and it's called tehina, but that's another story), so I started making my own hummus without it. I liked it just as much, if not better!

Sesame-free Hummus

1 large can (2 small) chickpeas
1/2 cup olive oil
1 roasted pepper, cut into slices (optional)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 pinch cumin
1 lemon

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and pour into a food processor. Blend and pour the olive oil in little by little with motor running. Add the roasted red pepper (if using), the garlic and cumin and blend. Add the lemon juice (tasting as you go to see how you like it). Adjust the season to get your desired texture.

Serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and paprika.

My mom and I have been talking tabouli all week. In my last post, I talked about how I needed simple, fortifying dishes to feed my theater troupe and this week's was tabouli. I made it with a mix of red and white quinoa and bulghur because that's what I had and it sounded like it would be interesting. Here's the thing, it came out pretty (for sure) and decent, but not amazing, like maybe it was missing some spice or seasoning to make it more interesting, even though it was chock full of yummy stuff! My mom suggested adding sun-dried tomatoes for some tang, but I haven't tried it yet. I might try a vinaigrette next time instead of just olive oil and lemon. What do you guys think?



Tabouli

1 1/2 cups quinoa/bulghur mix
1 cup (about 1 bunch) flat parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
3 tomatoesm chopped (plus 1 for garnish)
1 sm yellow pepper, chopped (you can set a couple slices aside for garnish)
1-2 large scallions, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
salt, pepper



Cook the quinoa/bulghur, drain and let cool. Mix together with the rest of the ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve cold with sliced tomato and pepper garnish. And why not some homemade hummus on the side?

Happy Birthday Ren!
Happy Mother's Day Mom!

14 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Two great recipes! Light and tasty!

Cheers,

Rosa

Unknown said...

More parsley! My mom uses tons when she makes tabouli.

taxishoes said...

Aw, thanks! You're the sweetest.

Maria said...

I have to admit, I make "hummus" this way all the time and none of us here at home are allergic to sesame! I just love the way this dip comes out and the addition of the roasted pepper to your version sounds great. The cumin you've added must also provide a great dimension of flavor.

I've been reading a lot on quinoa lately but have never ventured to use it. Your tabouli looks so fresh and delicious. I should really try my hand at this dish.

Nirvana said...

These are my 2 favorite dishes! Loving the pictures :)

Joanne said...

You are such a great friend, I can't imagine living without hummus! Middle Eastern flavors are some of my favorites, so I will have to bookmark these.

Maris said...

So many of your recipes look great I couldn't decide what to comment on!! Hummus is one of my favorite foods (maybe, ever!) and I your caramelized onion pasta salad looks so, so good! I would probably use goat cheese instead of feta = heaven!

Hopie said...

Rosa - Thank you :-)

Amy - Yea, I think you're right. D's not a big fan of parsley, which is why I went light on it, but traditionally there should be much more!

Taxishoes - No problem! Happy birthday!

Maria - Glad you agree about sesame-free hummus :-) Definitely try with roasted red pepper - it's yummy! Quinoa is easy to cook with and you can often use it where you might use other grains like pasta or rice. I'd love to see the tabouli you come up with!

Nirvana - Thanks! Mine too!

Joanne - I know, me neither. Hummus is an important staple!

Maris - Thanks for your kind words about my blog :-) I bet the pasta salad would be yummy with goat cheese. I'll have to try that.

giz said...

I love both dishes and I'm intrigued with the sans sesame hummus.

Sam said...

I really like the hummus recipe, adding a roasted pepper is a great idea! I'll try that next time I make some.

Hopie said...

Giz - Thanks!

Sam - Enjoy. Let me know what you think :-)

Ivy said...

I love both recipes and I never add sesame in hummous. Tabouli or tabbouleh is a parsley salad so if I may give you my version, I add a lot more parsley and less bulgur wheat, as it's only to absorb the fluids. I've tried it once with quinoa but it's much better only with bulgar wheat.

Deeba PAB said...

Way to go...light & just right Hopie. Happy belated birthday Ren...& hope Mom had a great Mother's Day. I like the hummus sans sesame...YUM!

Hopie said...

Ivy - Yea, I think I prefer it with bulgur too. Thanks for your advice :-)

Deeba - Thanks for your kind words!