Confessions of a Salad Hater

October 26, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged basic hummus recipe, hummus salad, salad dressing, Salad hater

I have a confession.

 

I’m a vegan, and I don’t like salads.

 

Ok, that’s not entirely true. There are some salads I enjoy, but for the most part, I’m not a fan. Last week, I made a salad at work and as I sat there forcing my way through it, I realized I wasn’t enjoy it at all. Not even a bit. But why not? I’m a girl who loves her greens. Why was I such a salad hater? That’s when I realized, the greens are not to blame. No, it was the dressing. I’ve tried tons of different dressings, and they’re usually too sweet/too tangy/too salty/too creamy/too runny/too thick/too slimy/too bland. I just haven’t found a dressing I like!

But this weekend… my salad has found a new best friend…

 

Hummus!!!!

 

I had a big pile of greens topped with a blob of roasted red pepper hummus, and let me tell you, that was a life changing salad. Ok, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but my love for greens has been resurrected.

 

Looking for a simple hummus recipe? Well look no further…

Basic Hummus Recipe

• 1 can (16 oz) chickpeas
• 2 cloves garlic (I used that stuff that is already minced in a jar, and I just put in about 1/4 tsp)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame tahini
• 1-2 tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp roasted red pepper flakes

Toss your chickpeas in your blender or food processor and blend for about 15 seconds. Add your garlic, olive oil, tahini, and 1 tbsp of water. Blend for about 30 seconds. If it’s too thick (this depends on how well you drained your chickpeas!) you might need to add another tablespoon or two of water. Once you get it to a nice pureed consistency, add your salt, garlic salt, and roasted red pepper flakes. I gave approximate amounts, but you can add more or less, depending on how spicy you like it. (I usually end up adding a whole teaspoon of red pepper flakes.) This will keep in the fridge for about ~10 days… but mine doesn’t usually last that long 😉

This only costs about $1 to make, which is much cheaper than the $3-4 you’d pay at the grocery store!

Hummus is great on pita, carrots, cucumbers, sandwiches, and of course… salads!

 

What do you guys like to put on your salads? Any dressing recommendations? Do you like hummus on your salads?

 

-LLV