Guacamole & Hummus

Time for a post about two of my favorite things: Guacamole & Hummus! I can't believe I've had this blog running for over a month and haven't posted about hummus yet. I eat hummus on bread with a slice of tomato, I dip crackers, pretzels, and vegetables into it, and sometimes I just eat it with a spoon. Don't judge. There is usually always a container of homemade hummus in the fridge. It's the best snack ever, it's healthy, it's fast and easy to make, I could go on and on forever about my love for hummus, but I'll stop already and tell you how to make it!

Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas
1/4 cup of the water from the can of chickpeas
3 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon minced garlic
juice of one lemon, if you don't have fresh lemon you can use a squeeze of lemon juice
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander (if you don't have this on hand that's fine, I only sometimes use it)
salt and pepper to taste
dash of olive oil if it's too thick

Step one: put beans and water from can of beans into food processor.

Step two: Blend.  I use this time when the beans are in the processor alone to blend the beans because I like mine extra, extra creamy.

Step three: Add all the other ingredients. I'm a taste taster, so I usually add the ingredients, blend, taste, add more, blend, taste. Also use this time to add a little olive oil if it's too dry, or if you are staying away from oil, add a dash of water.

This is the hummus a few minutes after blending. I usually blend for a looong time. Like a good 4-5 minutes. Like I said, I like it creamy.

Finished hummus: (after a few taste testers have dipped into it)

Swoon. I could eat hummus all day, every day!
How do you like your hummus? Extra garlicky? Extra creamy? Sometimes we add chili pepper or throw some red roasted tomatos in there. You can flavor it however you want. Everyone likes it their own way!

Guacamole:
1 ripe avocado
juice of 1 lime (this is important. If you don't have the lime use lime juice. We feel it's a crucial ingredient)
1 tomato
parsley
salt and pepper to taste
optional: onion

Cut the avocado in half, and remove the pit. I slice my avocado while I'm holding it in my hand, still on the skin. After you slice it long and short ways, you can give it a squeeze and all the little square pieces fall out into the bowl! Dice up your tomato, and put parsley, lime and salt and pepper on it. The Boyfriend loves onion, but I don't like raw onion, so I usually boss him persuade him to leave it out!

I love how the farmer's market tomatoes are so beefy red. I think the taste is a world's difference, too! I highly encourage you to support your local farmers and visit a farmer's market. Most do not use pesticides, the produce is cheaper, and it tastes so much better! If you can't make it to the farmer's market or don't have one around you, you can still use the produce from the grocery store; we just think it tastes like an entirely different (and better) dish when using farmer's market produce.

 Give it a light toss to mix it together:

There you have it! Ready to dig in. Some people like their guacamole more mashed together. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I find if I'm making it fresh like this and not from a packet of spices, I like it chunky and lightly tossed.

 The good thing about these two dips is that they are naturally vegan and easily portable. You can take to carry-ins, picnics, different events, etc etc. I used to take my hummus into work whenever we had a carry-in because I knew everyone would like it, and it would be something for me to eat. People usually don't bring vegetarian or vegan dishes into carry-ins, so bring something you know you can eat enough of to fill you up. Hummus has loads of protein in it, and yes guacamole has "fat" but it's healthy fat and if you are eating a complete vegan diet you should include some healthy fats. Healthy fats in avocados are vital for your brain, and they help with your hair and skin as well.

 Hope you enjoy these dips!