Lazy Summer Weekends

June 18, 2011

Today is Saturday, and I am just messing around the house and garden. It rained a little bit overnight, thank God....it has been so dry here! My water bill appreciates me not having to water the veggies as much.

Since the short thunderstorm last night, today's high is only 91, instead of 97. But that's OK, I have good ways to use the sun, which I'll get to later.

I think I have found the best way to have lunch on a lazy, hot Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Not only is it healthy, but it celebrates the best of the season here. My tomato plants are giving me several ripe tomatoes each day, and I put them to good use.

Doug and I like to eat hummus, so we usually have a Tupperware full of it in our fridge most days. I would like to "publish" my favorite recipe below for you all to try, and use for your own healthy summer lunch. I find ours is better in the summer, since the herbs are fresh:

Simple Slightly Spicy Hummus

Ingredients:

1 cup of dry garbanzo beans, also called "chickpeas"

- We like to use dry, since the canned tend to have a lot of salt added to them, even if you drain them....as I learned from Cooking Light magazine. So....soak your dry beans overnight in water, then drain, and cook in 2 cups of water stovetop for 45 minutes.

- My lazy way: 9 PM the night before, put your 1 cup dried beans and 2 cups water into the Crockpot on low setting. Add a pinch of sea salt as well. In the morning, your beans will be ready to go in hummus or a salad. Drain the water well before using.

5-10 sprigs of fresh parsley

2-5 large leaves of basil

2 tablespoons of tahini, be sure you mix it well....the oil likes to separate

pinch of sea salt

pinch of black pepper

1-2 pinches of kung pao or cayenne pepper, Thanks Uncle Don for your home-grown kung pao pepper flake that I used in mine yesterday!

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil (California), or add until it's nice and creamy

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon of lemon or lime juice

Method:

Using your food processor (fastest, and easiest), put in your herbs, garlic cloves, and tahini and pulse until your garlic is in tiny bits.

Then, add the remainder of the ingredients, except the oilve oil.

Once everything is combined but has a bit of a "dry paste" consistency, drizzle in the olive oil until creamy and smooth.

Remove from processor bowl into a Tupperware or into your mouth.

~This keeps in the fridge for 7-8 days easy, ours never lasts this long.

Today I enjoyed my homemade hummus with homemade flatbread, garden fresh heirloom tomato, cucumber, olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. I topped it off with a refreshing tiny glass of limoncello.

*My flatbread is really just pizza dough that I made last night when I put the beans in the Crockpot. I let it proof overnight in the fridge, then put into the oven right before lunch today. EASY! It's so much tastier than store-bought, you can control the amount of salt, make it whole-grain or organic, and it does not take that much time! I have used the Anson Mills recipe with White Lily bread flour in the same proportions of yeast, water and salt, and its incredible.

I think this lunch is a great way to celebrate healthy eating and celebrating the bounty of summer. I've watched a few recent episodes of Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution on abc, and I think he would approve. My Mom has been making tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil paninis lately, which sounds delicious! I'll have to try that soon with my flatbread!

This evening with my dinner, I want to enjoy another "fruit of the sun"......my Charleston Tea Plantation Peach Tea. Any good Southern cook or "lady" knows that in the summer, you make sun tea! It is so easy and helps keep your kitchen cool. One less stove burner to turn on.

It is simple, simple, simple.

Sun Tea

NOTE: I use loose tea whenever possible, and strain it after brewing.

I use 1 teaspoon of loose tea per cup of water, and it is just the right strength.

Take your tea bags or loose tea, and put in a mason jar or other container with a lid.

Use the same number of tea bags per cup of water, like you usually do.

Fill container with appropriate amount of water.

Put the lid on the container.

Put it in direct sun for 1-2 hours. You want the water to look like tea, and the container to be VERY warm, before you bring it in.

If you want to sweeten your tea, I recommend using a simple syrup or adding agave nectar, as it will dissolve better than granulated sugar.

Chill, pour over ice, and enjoy!

Making Sun Tea is so easy....das Jetta can do it!

Like I've said before.....this blog needs a food stylist! Please laugh at my pictures, it's ok! :)