A Lesson In Sharing
My son is great. Seriously, he is one of the best gifts given to me and my husband. However, I have to confess that he is also the worst thing that has happened to my appetite. Let me explain, Mom’s I am sure you have been there, you sit down to a wonderful, home cooked meal with your family to which you barely touch because someone is leaning over to see what you are eating and insists on indulging in everything on your plate. YOUR PLATE! C’mon now…I know sharing is an important lesson that our children need to learn…but there is a fine line between sharing and mooching off of someone else…ladies, it’s time to take back YOUR MEALS! Are you with me? Let’s start with a snack you can share with your kids. Good ol’ fashion hummus…
Hummus is a typically easy dip to create, but the beauty of this recipe is it cuts out some of those “rare” ingredients like tahini paste. What you are left with is a beautiful example of how simple, everyday ingredients can be used to create a flavorful snack or even lunch. Here is the line up-
First things first, let’s roast those peppers. If you haven’t roasted peppers before it’s really simple. Don’t believe me? Watch and learn! Place peppers on a baking sheet lined with foil and a cookie rack.
Place in the oven under a preheated broiler. I had the broiler on High. BE SURE TO STICK BY THE OVEN WHILE ROASTING! I cannot tell you how many times I have walked away and nearly destroyed not only my dish but my kitchen for that matter…YEESH!
We want the skin of the pepper to get really charred. You will need to turn it periodically so the entire pepper has a chance to char evenly.
Once the skin is charred place the peppers in a glass bowl and cover with foil. This is going to allow the peppers to continue to steam with its residual heat which will loosen the charred skin.
Once they are cool enough to handle use your hands to remove the loosened skin. Then slice the peppers into ½ inch strips.
Now it’s time to make the dip…In a food processer fitted with the blade attachment add the chickpeas, yogurt, oil, cumin and garlic.
Puree the ingredients. Are you salivating? I know am…no lie!
Add ½ of the roasted red pepper to the hummus and puree as well.
Serve the hummus in a small bowl for baby topped with some of the remaining roasted red pepper. As you notice I have diced some of the strips…Lew doesn’t have too many teeth at this point so I needed to adjust to his chewing ability. While you’re at it, serve some on a piece of crusty bread for yourself…you deserve it after all that hard work mama!
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 can (15 oz) cooked low-sodium chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 small clove garlic
- 2 TBS olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Preheat your broiler on High.
- Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil.
- Broil the peppers, turning occasionally, until the skin is blackened all over.
- Transfer to a glass bowl and cover to let the pepper steam to help loosen the skin. Let stand to cool.
- When cool enough to handle, cut the pepper in half then remove and discard the stem, seeds and blackened skin.
- In a food processer or blender, combine the chickpeas, half of the roasted red pepper, the yogurt, garlic, cumin, and olive oil and process until smooth. Cut the other half of the bell pepper into small strips for dipping.
- Refrigerate the hummus in an airtight container for up to 1 week; refrigerate the pepper strips for up to 3 days.
- **You can also make extra roasted red bell pepper, puree them and then freeze for future mix-ins. Also try with ricotta cheese, cottage cheese or even with chicken or pork.
Nothing is better than sharing a recipe with friends and family, but at some point the kid has to learn to eat what is on his plate. And when you both are eating the same thing, it is hard for him to deny the food served in front of him. Ok Mom’s of the world, let’s rally together and commit to taking time to feed ourselves and explore the culinary wonders of this world. They can take our time and energy but they cannot take our FOOD! Will you join me?
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