May 14 Salad

This delicious, colorful take on an Italian chopped salad features romaine lettuce, diced salami, red bell pepper, English cucumber, garbanzo beans and a sprinkling of red wine vinegar.

May 4 Salad: Going Greek

I wanted a quick, zesty salad for dinner and so I went for a Greek-inspired number with romaine lettuce, garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed), diced red bell pepper, peeled and diced cucumber, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, a splash of red wine vinegar and a pinch of dried oregano. Totally hit the spot.

Spicing up Sunday with homemade hummus

We had a big, late breakfast this morning, and I planned on making a hearty dinner later, but wanted a quick, healthy snack to keep the energy up in the middle of the day.

So, while at the grocery store this afternoon I picked up some garbanzo beans and decided to take a crack at making hummus. I would have added tahini, but apparently my local Safeway doesn’t carry the sesame seed paste used in a lot of hummus recipes.

Nonetheless, the dip turned out pretty well and has a fresh flavor, thanks to lemon juice, and a little something extra from the smoked paprika, my newly discovered favorite spice.

Smoky Hummus
1 14-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
Juice from one large lemon
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 clove garlic

Throw all ingredients in food processor or blender, and mix until ingredients form a paste. Serve with pita chips and vegetables.