An alternative to classic chickpea hummus: white beans with avocado

Have you ever wondered why does time pass faster when you don’t want it to pass fast? It’s already July, and I almost haven’t realized it. Thanks to everybody for you words after my disappointment with the job. I suppose you are right: I will find something better =)

There is a heat wave in Spain now. At this moment, I think that it would be colder in an oven than outside. I don’t know how does people survive in the Sahara, but I don’t envy them. My father has been struggling with the air conditioning, but it has been a waste of time: the temperature is still so high that we even had to put the chocolate in the fridge to prevent it from turning in an almost done hot chocolate.

My mother told me that I was born in 30’ minutes, and I think that such a fast birth affected me, my brain and my common sense, because today I went running at 5 p.m., during almost one hour, at 32ºC. Nevertheless, I have survived, and now I am sitting in front of the laptop, in the living room (I escaped from my tiny bedroom at its stifling atmosphere), next to the fan (it’s better than nothing, although I have the feeling that it only moves the hot air) and sweating buckets (after finishing the post I will dash off for a shower), but very happy.  Some people don’t understand why I love running, they say it’s a torture, but for me the endorphin injection after it worth all the effort. I also love the feeling of the blood moving through the veins and the heart bombing it. It makes me feel alive =)

Now, it’s enough of talking about running, and let’s talk about food. After all, we need food to run, to cycle, to walk your dog or even to move your fingers to type on the keyboard (in case is the only exercise  you do). The problem is that when it’s hotter than in the hell (I have never checked it personally, though, if you are wondering), the last thing you want to is to be near the stove. Actually, the last days I forgot about my morning oat porridge, and substituted it with cold granola (it was the first time I did it and I burned it) and green smoothies. But because I am not a raw vegan, although I tried to go high raw for a time, I can’t survive on smoothies, and my body also craves some protein.  The solution? Delicious, creamy, highly nutritious and the best of all, cold, hummus. You can even do it without turning on the stove, just opening a can….although with such a heat wave I think that it would be enough to make you sweat.

White bean avocado hummus This time I wanted to try an alternative to the classic chickpea hummus, and I chose white beans. Just plain they have a creamy texture, but to give them more creaminess I also added avocado, but left outside the tahini (mainly because I didn’t have any). Nevertheless, I thought that it needed some nutty touch, and I threw a little bit of peanut butter …and of course, olive oil for the fatty acids (and extra flavor).  I encourage you to try different versions, substituting the white beans with black beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans or why not, chickpeas. Serve with diced avocado on top. From: my own creation Ingredients: -1 cup of cooked white beans -1 ripe avocado -2 Tablespoons of peanut butter -2 Tablespoons of olive oil -Salt and pepper to taste -Water as much as needed If using uncooked beans, soak them overnight and cook during one hour or more. If not, just open the can ;) Put half of the beans in the food processor and add a little bit of water. Puree until smooth Add all the other ingredients slowly, adding as much water as needed during the process. Adjust the water to the desired consistency (I like my hummus on the fluid side)

Last Friday I had to do some passport photos because I didn't have any and I needed them for the school fees. I'm not photogenic at all, but it could have been worse.

Raw Hummus recipe

How are you? I hope you are less stressed than me. You know...finals exams never help to relieve your already stressed nerves. I finish school the 5th June, so there are only a few weeks left. For the people who are studying...when do you finish classes? Anyway, I suppose I won't have too many opportunities to rest in summer. Last Friday I went to a job interview, and hopefully they will employ me. It's a chain of hotels, located in Sitges called Matas Arnalot. The only job I can apply for, is waitress, receptionist or in the kitchen, because I have no experience (this would be my first job). So I don't expect a high salary.

As I told in my last post, I tried to sprout chickpeas. Well, luckily it turned out pretty good. I soaked them for one night, and sprouted during almost 5 days, until the sprouts where long enough. My first idea, when I began to sprout them, was to do raw hummus. Yes, I said raw hummus. It can sound strange, but raw (sprouted) chickpeas are edible! And I must say delicious. As I planned, I did the hummus, but I didn't use all the chickpeas there: I used the leftovers in salads. In the next post, two salads recipes where you can use it (in form of hummus or whole). My mother did a lot Sauerkraut, so I added it to both recipes. For people who don't know what it is, it’s fermented white cabbage. I will explain more in the next post ;)



Raw Hummus

There are as many recipes for raw hummus as recipes for cooked hummus, so you just have to find the proportions of garlic, tahin, lemon juice and spices you like the most. The only little inconvenient of raw hummus is its smell, quite strong. So don't worry, it doesn't mean that your chickpeas have rotten! Well, if the smell is very bad maybe they are really get off. You have to rinse it many times a day during the sprouting to avoid it. I served the hummus on puffed rice cakes, with peanut butter and pine nuts on top, and on red bell pepper. Try also with chopsticks of carrots or celery...delicious!

Recipe from The Veggie Guy.

-1 cup dried chickpeas
-1 1/2 cup water
-4 tbsp tahini
-1 tsp cumin
-Juice from 1/2 lemon
-2 cloves garlic, whole

*Soak dried chickpeas in water for 1 day. Drain. Let sit for 2 days, rinsing and draining once or twice per day. Chickpeas are ready when the sprouts are about 1/2 inch long.

*Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove water from heat and let sit for 1 minute. Place sprouted chickpeas in the hot water for one minute; drain. (This step is very important. If you skip this, the hummus will be completely awful.)

*Place chickpeas, garlic, cumin, 1 1/2 cups water, tahini, lemon juice in a blender. Blend on high for at least one minute. If hummus is still not smooth, add a bit more water and blend again until smooth.

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