Who Moose?

That's houmous....or hummus, as pronounced by Delia Smith...

So, today I made my best ever batch of homemade basic houmous, consistency-wise atleast. My reluctance to put sufficient oil in has often  resulted in quite a thick, chunky paste, that doesn't spread well and is a nightmare to get out of the blender. Today was different, I got over myself and cranked up the oil and got this smoothy creamy bad boy:

 I made a small batch (2 generous servings) blending up just half a can of chickpeas, 20g each of olive oil and tahini, a whole clove of garlic, about a tablespoon of water, the juice of half a lemon and a little seasoning. It was very garlicky, which I love, but if you're not a fan perhaps start with just a quarter of a clove and add more as you like. I think it also helped that I put the oil and tahini in the blender first to bring it together without the blades getting jammed with chickpeas.

You may notice from the photo that half the batch has been used. "How?" I hear you ask. Well I made an open sandwich (recipe below) and it was sooooo good. The nutty-ness of the mushrooms and toasted rye bread contrasted amazingly with the sweetness of the sauteed veg and the sharpness of the houmous. What's more, it would be super simple to make this as a closed sandwich, making it totally portable.

If you've not tried rye bread, as with anything, I recommend giving it a couple of tries before saying you don't like it. I didn't at first but now I think it's great. Look for brands that are free from sugar and uneccessary extra ingredients - I always go for Lidl or Aldi's rye bread as there are no refined flours or added sugars there (same goes for their wholemeal pitta breads - and they're amazing value). If you haven't checked the ingredients of your usual loaf, I would suggest that you do. You might be surprised by my amount of additives and uneccesary fillers in even 'healthy' breads. Oh, and it was completely vegan yet still packed 18g of protein. Who's asking where vegetarians get their protein now, huh?

Houmous and Sauteed Veg Open Sandwich

2 slices of rye bread - toasted if preferred. 
1 serving of houmous
1 Tsp coconut oil 
Half a red pepper
Half a small red onion
A small handful of dried mushrooms (about 10g) - I used portobello

• Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan and bring to a medium heat. Toss in the veg (including the mushrooms, there isn't any need to soak them) and sautee them until the onions have turned golden and smell caramel-y
• Meanwhile, toast the bread if you prefer, and smear with houmous.
• Top the sandwich with the veg and dive in :-)

I will also be sharing this with wellness weekend, a sugar- and meat-free recipe event that is always exciting to be a part of.

Happy lunching,

Hannah xx