Spinach Hummus

One of the constant problems of living in a household of two is that it is difficult to use up ingredients before they go bad. Maybe that's just because I'm still used to living in a larger family setting where food disappears fast, or because it's more cost effective to buy larger quantities of ingredients. Whatever the reason, fresh spinach is one of those things that we seem to eat almost every day, but still have trouble getting rid of before it's past its prime. That's how this recipe came about. Despite salads, sandwiches and curries using the leafy green, we still had a few cups of fresh spinach sitting here. So I made a double batch of my favorite hummus recipe, added pureed spinach, and voila! A gorgeous, even more nutrient filled dip for us to snack on (and maybe give away to some of our lucky family and friends).

Spinach Hummus
Makes 2 1/2 cups

One can of chickpeas
2 cups of baby spinach leaves, packed down
1/4 cup of tahini
1/4 cup of water
2 tbs of olive oil
juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
2 cloves of garlic (raw and minced)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
black pepper and sumac, to taste

1. Rinse the chickpeas under cold water until the excess liquid is gone. In a food processor or blender, combine all of your ingredients (I usually do the wet ones first and then add the beans slowly into our crappy, easily upset blender). Transfer the dip to a bowl, sprinkle with a bit of chili powder and sumac, and serve with pita bread and veggies.

Hello! (and here is some Roasted Eggplant Dip to celebrate)

Creating this blog is something I have been meaning to do for a while! In fact, I meant to do this at the beginning of the year, when I decided to become a proper pescitarian and stop living on cheese sandwiches and coffee. Since then, I have totally revamped my lifestyle and eating habits, and to my surprise, found that I actually really love cooking. I enjoy the challenge of eating healthy but still making food that tastes really good, and cooking meals is something I completely look forward to.

One of the things that has proven to be a big challenge for me has been coming up with healthy snacks. Learning to make a variety of dips and serving them with veggies has been a godsend for those days when I can't stop nibbling. Today, I'm making a simple but new one for me, my own spin on a roasted eggplant dip. I currently have a whole head of garlic roasting in the oven, something I have never attempted before, and an eggplant sitting patiently in the fridge, an ingredient I've never worked with before! Excitement ensues... I'm thinking that it will be a nice accompaniment to the leftover tofu, mushrooms, spinach and peanut sauce stir-fry that my boy whipped up for us last night.


Roasted Eggplant Dip

1 head of Garlic
1 large Eggplant, halved
Half of one large onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 Medium tomatoes, halved and cored
3 Tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Peel as much papery skin as you can from the garlic head, wrap loosely in foil and bake until the garlic is soft, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

2. Halve your eggplant, and place it on a oiled baking sheet (i sprayed mine with cooking spray) cut side down. Roast for 10 minutes. On a separate greased baking sheet, place your tomatoes (cut side down) and the onions. Add these to the oven, and bake all of the veggies for another 10-15 minutes.

3. Separate the garlic cloves, squeeze the soft pulp into a bowl, and mash. Separate the skins from the eggplant and tomatoes, and coarsely chop. Finely chop up the onion. Add the chopped vegetables to the mashed garlic pulp and stir in the lemon juice, paprika, olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer about 2/3 of the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth consistency. Mix the blended portion with the chopped portion, and stir to combine. Serve with chopped veggies, pita bread, crackers or tortilla chips.