Papa Diva Discovers the Wonders of Hummus

I've got to be honest, I don't know what's going on with my family. First, Papa Diva sends me a post he's written about hummus, then - just this weekend - Mama Diva divulged that she's flirting with the idea of becoming a vegetarian. Who are these people and what have they done with my parents?!

Now, its possible that you'd have to know Papa Diva to understand how funny this hummus business is. He's an Irish meat and potatoes kind of guy ... or so it seemed. But after a recent lunch with a friend, he's been waxing poetic on the wonders of hummus. Astounding! Now, of course, some of us have been eating hummus for years - but for him, its a new taste treat and he's taken such a shine to it that he's written our post for today. Take it away, Papa Diva!

P.S. - don't forget to enter my agave nectar + cookbook give-away. Contest closes at midnight on July 13th!

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Diva Dad Goes Vegan ... for a Day

Recently, the Diva Dad attended a wooden boat show at Mystic Seaport with a longtime friend. The friend packed a lunch for himself and for the Diva Dad. The friend, Dave Niles, does not eat anything that had a face or a mother. We are talking serious vegan commitment here. Dave actually made the switch over to a fully vegan diet for health reasons and he is reporting very good results.

The Diva's very close friend, Olive, is also a vegetarian - I wonder if her name had something to do with the decision? The Diva's aunt Linda is also a recent convert. So we need to give these people some ink now and then ... it might just be a movement!

Back to the lunch - it was a hummus and pepper sandwich on a whole wheat bun. It was delicious and very easy to prepare. We are duplicating the sandwich herein. Mama Diva gathered the ingredients, made the hummus, and assembled the sandwiches.

Basic Hummus Recipe:

• one 15 ounce can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 or 2 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, seeds removed
• 1/3 cup tahini
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling as garnish
• ground paprika and chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In the bowl of your food processor, combine the drained chick peas, garlic cloves, salt, lemon juice and tahini paste. Process and pulse until smooth and fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon, tahini or salt according to your liking. Serve.

If serving as a dip, place the hummus into a serving vessel and drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil over the top. Garnish with a dusting of ground paprika and some chopped fresh parsley.

Alternately, you may choose to prepare the Diva Dad's new favorite sandwich, as seen above. The peppers he prefers are small orange peppers. I usually associate small peppers with high heat, but this is not the case with these peppers. Preparation of them could not be more simple; no roasting, no caramelizing, no peeling. Just wash, cut open, remove seed and slice into strips. The peppers work well with the hummus, giving the sandwich much more interest.

Now I am aware that some people think any sandwich can be improved with a few slices of bacon - however we must remember that bacon had both a face and a mother. No bacon strips allowed here!

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Many thanks, Papa Diva, for introducing us to this healthy lunch option! Of course it remains to be seen just how long Papa's fascination with the chick pea will last. Remember, this is the same man who recently wrote a post on grilling meat!

Naturally, I'll be submitting this post to Hey What's for Dinner Mom?'s Just Another Meatless Monday. Be sure to pop on over to Laura's place today and check out the other meatless meals on offer.

Bon appetite!