Best homemade Hummus

Hummus is a healthy, versatile spread made with chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon.

Ingredients

15.5 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

¼ cup Greek tahini (roasted sesame paste)

1 large lemon juiced (1/4 cup juice at minimum)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons Greek extra virgin olive oil (additional for serving)

3 tablespoons water

pinch of cumin

Sumac for serving
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves for garnish

• Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients (except water) to the food processor and process for 2 -3 minutes until smooth.
  2. Add water as needed to get to desired consistency. I find that the full 3 tablespoons works perfectly!

 Serve on Greek rusks dusted with sumac.

Serve as a snack on Greek rusks with some carrots.

Hummus can be used on bread as a spread for a sandwich, can be served as a dip with vegetables or crackers, makes a great quick snack on a cracker or, my favorite, on Greek rusks topped with sumac, olive oil and chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Maria 

 

 

 

 

Filet of Flounder with chimichuri sauce, roasted cauliflower and haricort vert(fancy french word for string beans)

Cut up about 2 cups of cauliflower florets. Toss them with 2 tablespoons of Olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 20-30 minutes in a 400 degree oven turning once midway.

Steam two cups(or two handfuls) of haricort vert until just tender, drain and set aside in a covered dish.

Cut up a small onion, 3 cloves of garlic, a cup of parsley and a quarter cup of cilantro and add to your food processor. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and two tablespoons wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Process until pureed.

 

 Set chimuchuri aside.

Roasted Cauliflower

Place your filets in a shallow baking dish where you've put 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Spoon the chimichuri over the filets and smooth it with the back of your spoon. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

 Serve the fish alongside the roasted cauliflower and steamed haricort vert. 

 

Enjoy!

 

Maria

Tuscan Bean Soup

When the colors of fall are vivid, there's nothing like a hearty bean soup to warm the soul

 

Tuscan Bean Soup and a slice of Stelios' multigrain bread 

Carrots, onion, jalapeno and garlic

Dice a medium onion, two carrots, a jalapeno pepper and two celery stalks.

Sauté two spicy chickens sausages in a deep soup pot and set them aside

Add a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the diced carrot, onion, celery and seeded and diced jalapeno pepper until they are soft. If you want it super hot leave the seeds in.

Add three cloves of minced garlic and1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and sauté for a minute until fragrant. Add a quart of low sodium, fat free chicken broth, 2 bay leaves and the twig from a sprig of rosemary. Reserve the rosemary leaves to garnish the soup when served.

Add two cans of cannellini beans

Roughly chop about 2-3 cups of Swiss chard and add to the pot.

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and rosemary twig. Blend the soup with an immersion blender so that only some of the beans are pureed.

Slice the sausages and add them to the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Accompany the soup with yellow beets with goat cheese and a dressing of(what else?) Greek extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Ladle the soup and garnish with some olive oil and the reserved chopped rosemary leaves.

Enjoy!

Maria

Gazpacho

 

With all the summer vegetables so alive this season you can't help but want to eat them as close to fresh as possible. Gazpacho is an easy, refreshing way to do just that.

 
 

 

 With the bag of tomatoes cousin Yianni gave us I knew I had to do something more than just salad. All the ingredients for a tasty gazpacho were right there in my kitchen, including the basil which every self respecting Greek has to have a plant on their balcony.

 

I diced one medium onion, peeled lots of garlic, diced a cucumber and a pepper. I then peeled a mountain of tomatoes and diced them as well. I reserved some for garnish and pureed the rest in batches in my blender.

I boiled some zucchini with the blossom still on

 

Gazpacho
1 onion diced
4 gloves of garlic peeled
1 cucumber peeled
1 pepper red or green
5-6 large ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 heaping teaspoon sea salt
dash of pepper
red pepper flakes

Puree everything in batches. To this wonderful mixture I added two tablespoons of wine vinegar, a quarter cup extra virgin Greek olive oil, Kytherian sea salt and pepper and I added some red pepper flakes for a little heat.

Mix well with a large spoon, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Serve with crusty bread(I toasted mine topped with graviera cheese), garnished with the reserved diced veggies, chopped basil and a drizzle of olive oil.

Heaven!

Enjoy,

Maria