Hot Pink Hummus

The next bookstore I walk into, I will be purchasing this book.

Only because I don't want to give my copy back to the library. Yesterday I made Beet Hummus.

Her recipe:
1 med beet roasted, peeled and chopped
1 1/4 c cooked,canned chickpeas
1/3 c tahini
1/4 c toasted pin nuts
2 garlic cloves
1/2 c olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Well I had 3 roasted beets and the can of chickpeas measured 2 cups so I improvised. It didn't help that my food processor is at my daughters either. Hmmm well I do have a smaller itty bitty one...it will have to do.

My recipe:
3 roasted med beets
2 c canned chickpeas
2 russian garlic cloves (thank god I didn't use 4) they are larger and much more pungent than regular garlic
2/3 c tahini
1/2 c roasted pecan halves, chopped
1 c+ olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
salt and pepper

I had to make it in three batches in the small processor. I used two of the larger garlic cloves.....that was a mistake

I had to open another can of chickpeas and make another batch
1 cup chickpeas
1/3 c tahini
1/2 c olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

and mixed it up with the original one, had to thin out the garlic....it was very powerful....after the intervention it was much better. So basically I quess I trippled the recipe.

This morning I went to grocery store to pick up a few things and noticed a big bag of lemons for $.50, and a large bag of Brussel Sprouts for $1.25 in the vegetable reduction bin. The only reason I went over to check it out was because so many other shoppers were standing grabbing stuff, that I grabbed some cauliflower, lemons, and sprouts, and I managed to leave the area with all body parts intact.

I was planning on making mashed potato and chicken for the grandkids for a late lunch early dinner today and I thought I would try combining the cauliflower and potatoes. They were a hit. Wow I will probably make mashed this way all the time. Shepards Pie for sure. It was very good.

I also thought it might be a good idea to juice the lemons and zest and stick in the freezer, so I washed the lemons and poured boiling water over them twice, and voila ...lots of juice when I need it, and I never seem to have a lemon when I need one, so hopefully this will end that problem.

The lemon waste will be a nice addition to the compost
The brussel sprouts....well I thought I'd give pickling them a try, i've always wanted to but never thought of it before. I've only ever bought them for thanksgiving or xmas dinners.