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!