Hummusgirl's Blog

What is your favorite type of hummus?  Well I did a taste test a year ago of the hummus from Whole Foods.  The brands included Asmar, Whole Foods, Bobbi’s, and my own.  I found out that my coworkers thought that Asmar was too bland and boring, Whole Foods was also bland, and Bobbi’s and my own were practically a tie for best.  They liked my spicy kick and the roasted red pepper flavor of Bobbi’s. 

But how would these compare to Middle Eastern restaurants’ hummus?  See, a whole different frame of mind exists when you visit restaurants.  You expect more because you’re probably paying more.

And a friend said her daughter likes American brand hummus better than the authentic kind.  It’s weird how there’s so many different brands of hummus around this country, yet each is specified to its own region.

I know salsas are very different according to each region as well and as well as Chinese food.  Chinese and Italian food are different because there’s not really many chains for these, especially not for Chinese food.  Did you know there are more Chinese restaurants than McDonald’s in this country?  That says something about the nation’s state of food if you ask me.

I was wrong about sticking just with hummus!  Turns out, chickpea flour is the extreme of what I could do with my beloved garbanzos.  There’s bread, crackers, cookies, currys, you name it, that chickpea flour (also called gram flour) can be used in.  You can even make hummus out of it! Now that’s what I call an adventure!  Maybe today, I’ll cook lots of chickpea dishes and have people over to experience el chickpea in its highest art form: versatility.

So I made potato and chickpea flour dumplings and they didn’t look too good. They were, however, fried in peanut oil so they tasted pretty good.  I’ve heard that one can make hummus out of chickpea flour.  This I have to try.  Because this gram flour is just chickpeas so it must be pretty simple to make right?

I must confess, I like junk food just as much as the next person.  I wish I dipped with veggies more often, but like, no LOVE, the taste of carbs.  And there’s so many different kinds of carbs like pretzels, cookies, french fries, corn and potato chips, wheat thins, sun chips, and even fragile “chips” like pringles, corn, and cheese doodles. 

And we even dip fruit, pound cake, different kinds of bread like artisan and pita bread.  I guess if you’re interested in dipping and feel adventurous, go for it!  I think the most versatile dip is fondue for you can dip bread (in cheese), and strawberries, pound cake, and other food in chocolate fondue.

But then I put an ad on facebook about dippers and got responses like donuts, pot stickers (looked it up- actually dumplings), graham crackers (you know, I actually met a descendent of the inventor of graham crackers), and churros and chocolate. 

Which makes me wonder if meats can be dippers.  I know most people prefer sauces on their meat, but we do dip “chicken” nuggets in sauce, and chicken tenders from fast food places as well, so it’s not like this is something new. 

And I do love my hummus as a spread on sandwiches with brie, bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomato on artisan bread.  But carbs aren’t the be all end all of life, so maybe I should branch out into other modes of cuisine.

I like how wikipedia says that when you mess with someone’s rice and beans you mess with their mind.  I think that way about hummus sometimes.

Anyway, this dish is popular in Latin America, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and probably the United States too.  Simple, yet nutritious, this rice and beans is rich in starch, iron, vitamin B, and protein.

I like that poor people have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  If I wasn’t such a spoiled young American in terms of the variety of food I eat, would I be eating rice and beans or hummus all the time as well?

I made lentils and rice a couple days ago and definitely felt the benefits of nutrients seeping into me.  It’s also accompanied by meat, bread, eggs, or vegetables as well.

A variety of rice and beans dishes are served all over the world, so it’s not exclusive.  However, noting from how important is or was to the Americas, maybe it’s safe to say that not only did this dish get its start in South and Latin America, but maybe if we Americans adopted rice and beans more instead of fast food, we’d not only be healthier, but better people.