Chickpea Hummus...

Chickpea Hummus 

Chickpea hummus has got to be one of the simplest snacks to stash up in your refrigerator. It can be used as a party dip...a breakfast spread..mid-morning or afternoon snack..whatever you like. Kids love them too...well at least my daughter and baby likes it..haha..my big boy stuck out his tongue saying "yuck!" but then again...he says that to most healthy snacks..LOL

Well anyways..hummus can be made with various beans like white beans, peas, chickpeas and many more. But I have only tried chickpeas so far. I love it! It can be served with tortilla chips(unflavored and plain ones are better) carrots sticks, celery sticks..any vegetable you like actually. You can serve it with flat breads..or you can even spread on bread to make a sandwich..great for tea time or snack on the go. You can make it ahead and keep in the refrigerator..but my one can of chickpeas recipe lasts only two days...i keep snacking on it...it never lasts long..boohooo! But I must advise, do use quality ingredients and you can also boil your own chickpeas instead of the canned ones.

photo from google

these are the ones I used, easily available in Malaysia..or you can boil your own

Chickpea/Garbanzo Bean Hummus
source: All Recipes (this is the basic recipe and i altered it to my liking)

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic (crushed using the pestle and mortar so it doesn't leave chunks of garlic)
1 can garbanzo beans (the original asked to save 1/2 the liquid but i think it kinda leaves a bitter taste to it..so I opted for plain water instead)
less than 1/2 cup of plain water (in place of the liquid in the garbanzo bean can)
4 tablespoons lemon juice (add one tablespoon at a time so that you can adjust to your liking)
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon salt (adjust to liking)
2 tablespoons olive oil (I may have added slightly more)
black pepper to taste (I used cracked black pepper)
cumin - ground or whole crushed (I added this - totally optional but i like it this way)
paprika for sprinkling on top and chopped parsley)

Instructions

1. In a blender, chop the garlic. (I crushed mine with a pestle and mortar and added to the food procesor). Pour garbanzo beans into blender, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish ( i drained mine and rinsed a little). Place lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic and salt in blender. Blend until creamy and well mixed. (I actually place in the food processor - tahini, lemon juice, chickpeas, salt, pepper, cumin seeds, water olive oil and garlic - blitz till smooth)
2. Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl. Sprinkle with pepper (paprika in my case) and pour olive oil over the top. Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans.  

So there you have it...easy peasy one two three! Chuck everything in a food processor and blitz! Keep in the fridge in an airtight container so that it doesn't dry out.

I made the hummus to be eaten with carrot and celery sticks, tomato salsa and stuffed grilled chicken

Hummus Kacang Kuda
Sumber: All Recipes

Bahan-bahan:

2 bawang putih (saya tumbuk halus)

1 tin kacang kuda (resepi asal guna air dari tin itu sendiri tapi saya tak berapa gemar sebab rasanya nanti pahit sedikit)

kurang dari 1/2 cawan air (menggantikan cecair dari tin kacang kuda tu)

4 sudu besar jus limau (tambah sedikit demi sedikit ikut rasa)

2 sudu besar tahini (pes bijan)

1 sudu kecil garam (ikut rasa)

2 sudu besar minyak zaitun (saya guna lebih sikit)

lada hitam ikut rasa 

jintan putih - saya tambah sendiri (serbuk atau biji tak kisah)

paprika dan daun parsley sebagai hiasan

Cara-cara 

1. dalam pengisar, masukkan semua bahan diatas. Kisar sampai sekata dan tak berketul dan agak berkrim. bagi yang tidak ada pengisar boleh la menggunakan lesung batu ye..hahha...boleh la lengan tu macam popeye :))
2. keluarkan dan masukkan dalam mangkuk, hiaskan dengan minyak zaitun, paprika dan daun parsley. Boleh juga disimpan dalam bekas kedap udara dalam peti sejuk. boleh dihidangkan bersama roti arab, carrot, dan pelbagai sayuran. Juga boleh sisapu atas roti sebagai sanwich

Yummy Homemade Granola Bars

I've never really liked the choice of granola bars available at the supermarkets...I think some are just too sweet and the combination of ingredients..hmm...some of it I like...some I don't like..and by the way...they can be very pricey! I like the ones that taste chewy and crisp at the same time..but some of the ones that come in packets are kinda soft and somehow the taste of packed oats that are not crisp..tends to taste a little pasty ..hmm..not really my thing I guess.To find the right granola bar for me is quite a task..so i gave up. Haven't had a granola bar for 5 years...hahha..but suddenly I came across a recipe on footnetwork.com by barefoot contessa and i decided to give it a whirl!

I did make some adjustments as I read the reviews and made a conclusion that it might be too sweet for my husband. He doesn't like things too sweet :) Anyways...me too! All I can say about this recipe is "thumbs up!". A great basic granola recipe that we all can work on and tweek to our own liking. You don't have to follow the recipe to the T....but if you like the ingredients in the original recipe, go ahead and give it a try. I think these will keep well in an airtight container for many many days (if they ever last that long).

Homemade Granola Bars (original recipe)
Source: Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots 
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

My Version of Homemade Granola Bars
(based on the above recipe but tweeked to my liking)

• 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal (toasted)
• 1 cup (heaped) rice krispies
• 1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup dessicated coconut (toasted)
• 1/2 cup nestum/ cereal
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup corn syrup
• 1/4 cup muscovado 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sesame seed (toasted)
• a handful of flaxseed (don't need to toast)
• 1/2 cup (heaped) dried cranberries
• a handful of cashewnuts (toasted)
• a handful of walnuts (toasted)

• Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds,cashewnuts,walnuts, sesame and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the nestum/cereal.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, corn syrup, muscovado sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the falxseed, toasted coconut flakes and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature. (I baked it for 30 mins for a crispy crunchy granola bar...you can bake it for less if you want them more chewy)

optional ingredients:
chocolate chips, bittersweet choc chips, raisin, apricots, dates, dried apples, figs, hazelnuts, almond slivers, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cornflakes, and oh sooooo many more!