hummus

Smashed Pea and Beet Hummus Toast

June 6, 2020 by Alyssa

Move over avocado toast! Smashed Pea and Beet Hummus Toast has arrived to transform your moring breakfast habit.

Smashed Pea and Beet Hummus Toast star creamy hummus, fresh peas, a touch a mint, and a 6-minute egg that makes for a fresh take on the standard avocado breakfast toast.

Now, in all fairness, I can’t take credit for this creation as I was inspired to make this after having a similar toast last Spring while eating brunch at The Collins Quarters in Savannah, Georgia.

The original Smashed Pea and Beet Hummus Toast from The Collins Quarter was a bit over the top for everyday breakfast with beet hummus, whipped feta, minted smashed peas, grilled halloumi cheese, and a poached egg.

And in my opinion, breakfast should be simple.

So for my version, I brought The Collins Quarter toast back to reality by simplifying the ingredient list. I start with a thick slice of toasty bread and sub homemade hummus for the best store-bought hummus ever, Ithaca Hummus, from my home state of New York. You can pick up Ithaca Hummus at Central Market if you live in Austin, Texas and they have quite a variety of flavors.

Ithaca Hummus makes a to-die-for lemon beet hummus that a homemade hummus could never match. And while I’m all about homemade hummus, I’m also about convenience in the morning and Ithaca Hummus can’t be beaten. (Also, this is 100%, not a sponsored post. I realllllyyy love Ithaca Hummus. So yea, hi, Ithaca Hummus, if you’re reading this, I’m a big-time fan!)

Now, back to the toast: on top of the lemon beet hummus, I spread chilled, smashed peas that have been seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit of fresh mint. To top things off, I add a 6-minute egg with a glorious runny yolk, a few grinds of fresh cracked pepper and pink Himalayan sea salt and call it a day.

Easy, simple, no fuss, and delicious.

What more can you ask for at breakfast time? I hope you enjoy my Smashed Pea and Beet Hummus Toast. And please, let me know if you fan-girl over Ithaca Hummus as much as I do!

Beet Hummus and Smashed Pea Breakfast Toast

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

6 mins

Total time

16 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 1 toast

Ingredients

1 slice crusty bread (like sourdough or a French Baguette)
¼ cup cooked peas, chilled
2 fresh mint leaves, finely minced
2-3 tablespoon Ithaca Hummus lemon beet hummus
1 egg
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

First, start your 6-minute egg by preparing an ice bath by adding 1 cup water and 1 cup of ice to a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
Bring 2-cups of water to boil in a medium-sized saucepan over high heat.
Once boiling, gently slide the egg (in its shell) into the water using a slotted spoon and boil on medium-high heat for 6-minutes, exactly.
After 6-minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the egg from the boiling water and gently place it into the prepared ice bath for 1-2 minutes to stop the cooking process.
Remove the eggs from the ice bath and gently crack to remove the shell. Be sure to remove all shell pieces from the eggs before plating.
Toast your slice of bread to your desired doneness.
While the bread is toasting, place your chilled peas in a small bowl and mash them with the back of a fork. Stir in the minced mint and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assemble the toast by spreading 2-3 tablespoons of hummus on the toasted bread, top with the smashed, minted peas, the 6-minute eggs, and a few cracks for fresh black pepper and salt.
Serve immediately.

The Ultimate Party Mezze Platter

January 27, 2019 by Alyssa

The Ultimate Party Mezze Platter is fit to please a crowd. With flavors made to easily mix-n-match, there’s a little something for everyone.

If you know me, then you know I love hummus. It’s my favorite food. And my favorite way to enjoy hummus is on a mezze platter filled with all my favorite Mediterranean dips, salads, and accompaniments.

I created my ultimate Mezze Party Platter by taking my standard Everyday Hummus recipe and jazzing it up with a few new ingredients to create a hummus trio — savory roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, and beet.

As a twist on the standard tabouli salad, which traditionally uses bulgar wheat, I subbed in Israeli pearled couscous giving the salad a chewier texture. The tabouli is mixed with tomatoes, fresh dill, parsley, and a lemon olive oil dressing

To round out the platter, I added an assortment on marinated olives, dolmas with tzatziki, and cucumbers and whole wheat pita wedges for dipping. I chose to keep my pita wedges soft rather than toasting them, so they can more easily scoop up the hummus and tabouli but you’re welcome to toast the pita if you’d like.

The Perfect Bite

What I love about mezze platters is the ability to mix and match all the flavors and textures to whatever you prefer. My perfect mezze platter bite is to spread a little bit of hummus on top of the pita, top it with a scoop of tabouli, and a dollop of tzatziki.

This mezze platter is perfect for parties. It’s a huge platter with plenty of leftovers so you can refill it a few times throughout the event — though, I have no shame in admitting that I’d be more than happy to make a full meal out of this mezze platter all by myself.

Do you love mezze platters? What’s your favorite bite?

The Ultimate Party Mezze Platter

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 1 platter

Ingredients

hummus trio of roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, and beet, recipe below
couscous tabouli, recipe below
½ cup assorted olives
½ of an English cucumber sliced into ¼ inch rounds
6-8 dolmas cut in half
¾ cup tzatziki*
8 large pita rounds, cut into wedges
optional for garnish: fresh dill sprigs, sliced lemon

Instructions

On a large platter, place the three bowls of hummus and the tzatziki.
Place the couscous tabouli into one corner and the pita wedges in another.
Fill in the spaces with cucumbers, dolmas, and olives.
Garnish with fresh dill sprigs and lemon slices.
Serve with small spreaders or spoons, replacing pita as needed.

Notes

*you can make your own tzatziki but I find Cedar's Tzatziki to be delicious and prefer to save myself a step by using it in place of a homemade tzatziki

Hummus Trio

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 3

Ingredients

1 recipe Everyday Hummus
6-8 roasted garlic cloves*
½ cup roasted red peppers, dried of any water and roughly chopped**
⅓ cup cooked, red beets, dried of any water and roughly chopped***
optional for garnish: 3-4 roasted garlic cloves, ½ tablespoon diced beets, ½ tablespoon red bell pepper cut into thin strips, quality olive oil, paprika, and feta cheese

Instructions

Split the Everyday Hummus recipe into thirds
Take one-third of the Everyday Hummus recipe and place it in a food processor. Add in the roasted garlic and blend until fully incorporated. Remove the hummus from the food processor and place it in a small serving bowl. Garnish with a dash of paprika, swirl of olive oil, and roasted garlic cloves, if you choose.
Rinse the food processor.
In a clear processor, place the second-third of the Everyday Hummus recipe and add the roasted red peppers. Process until fully incorporated. Remove the hummus from the food processor and place it in a small serving bowl. Garnish with the thinly sliced bell pepper strips and a dash of paprika.
Rinse the food processor.
In the clean processor, place the last third of the Everyday Hummus recipe and add the chopped beets. Process until fully incorporated. Remove the hummus from the food processor and place in a small serving bowl. Garnish with diced beets and feta.

Notes

*you can purchase these at the store, they are typically found on the olive bar or you can make your own roasted garlic
**about 2 large, jarred red pepper slices
***about 2-3 small beets like Love Beets)

Couscous Tabouli

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 1.5 cups

Ingredients

1 cup cooked Israeli pearled couscous, fluffed & cooled
½ cup finely diced tomatoes, seeds removed*
¼ cup finely diced cucumbers
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons quality olive oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl gently toss together the cous cous, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Pour the olive oil & lemon juice mixture over the couscous and stir to combine.
Gently fold in the feta and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. If you prefer a more lemon-y tabouli, add more lemon juice, a teaspoon at a time.

Notes

*I prefer to use cherry or grape tomatoes because they're sweeter

Ramona’s Hummus: Austin Food Truck Making a Meal Out of Hummus + GIVEAWAY

January 16, 2018 by Alyssa

Ramona’s Hummus is an Austin food truck making a meal out of hummus serving up hummus bowls topped with spicy meat and falafel, starring hummus in veggie-filled salads, and makes hummus poutine fries for those in need of a hangover cure. And it’s one food truck you’ve got to try.

I’m giving away two sets of BOGO cards to Ramona’s Hummus. Find details on Instagram.
Winner announced on Saturday, January 20th.

Hummus Plate with gluten-free falafel

If you don’t know by now, hummus is my favorite food. If it’s on a restaurant menu, there’s 110% chance I’m ordering it. Garlic hummus, curried hummus, beet hummus, whatever it is, I love it. (Except dessert hummus, someone made a mistake when they put chocolate and beans together…)

But none the less, I love hummus and Ramona’s Hummus is my favorite, crave-able spot to get my fix.

I’ve seen the evolution of Ramona’s Hummus from its days as a pop-up shop, cooking on a hot plate and a folding table through menu development and recipe testing, and now, as a full-fledged food truck. And with each visit, I find myself loving it even more.

Hummus plate with gluten-free falafel, pita, and cucumber salad

Ramona’s Hummus

I first met Ramona’s Hummus chef and owner, Will Elman, when I professed my love for hummus to him at Hops & Grain Brewing early last Summer. The moment I tasted Will’s recipe, I was in love. Ramona’s Hummus is thick, creamy, and heavy on the tahini. If you’re a hummus connoisseur, you’ll find Ramona’s hummus is more in line with a Israeli or Palestinian style of hummus. And it’s damn delicious.

Creamy, thick hummus

About Ramona’s Hummus

While chatting with Will over the course of many visits, I learned his hummus inspiration came from a friend’s Mom (Mona) who he refers to as the Queen of Hummus. The truck’s name is a nod to Mona, although Will developed his own hummus recipe which starts with dried beans that he soaks overnight before mixing with a few other secret ingredients.

Hummus and salad with soft-boiled eggs

Will, a self-taught cook, having only worked a few miscellaneous restaurant job, also developed his own pita recipe. It’s baked in a pizza oven at DeSano Pizzeria, creating a soft yet chewy pita, adding to its authentic flavor and making it the perfect accompaniment to the savory, thick hummus.

Fresh pita

What to Eat

Ramona’s Hummus Menu

My favorite Ramona’s Hummus menu item is the Hummus Bowl that comes with pita and cucumber salad. I typically add spiced chicken or an egg to round it out! The chicken is slightly spiced, just enough to add a bit of heat and pairs nicely with the cucumber salad. As for the egg, Ramona’s eggs are simply perfection and if you’ve never had an egg with hummus then you’re definitely missing out.

Hummus Plate with spice chicken

Salad Bowl with spiced chicken & egg, pita, mint lemonade

I also love the Hummus Bowl with Ramona’s gluten-free falafel for a full-vegetarian lunch! The falafel’s extra crispy on the outside but light and fluffy with a touch of spice on the inside from ancho chiles! YUM!

Hummus Bowl with gluten-free falafel

<3M loves the Pita Sandwich with Beef Shawarma (though, he often has a tough time deciding which is better — chicken or beef because they’re both seriously so delicious). The Pita Sandwich is packed caramelized onions, pickled veggies and a heavy serving of hummus in place of a sauce. <3M tops his with a hefty helping of Ramona’s homemade hot sauce, a fresh cilantro jalapeño mix!

Salad Bowl with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate

Homemade hot sauce

If you’re looking for something a bit lighter or another veggie option, then the Hummus Salad is a great choice. Will mentioned the salad’s a big hit with the weekday office-lunch crowd! In the Hummus Salad, you get a little bit of everything — creamy hummus, cucumber salad, pickled veggies, plus some crunch and a bit of sweetness from walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and pomegranate arils! It’s a light mix of savory, tangy, and salty! You also have the option to add a protein or egg on the side! (DO IT!)

And to wash it all down, a tart mint lemonade blended fresh to order. Ahhh!

Ramona’s Hummus Salad Bowl

Where to Find Ramona’s Hummus

Like any food truck, Ramona’s Hummus is a wanderer. Your best bet is to check their website or Instagram page for exact locations and timings. But most weekends, you can find Ramona’s Hummus at a local brewery serving up lunch and dinner — just look for the big yellow truck with Ramona’s face. And when you’re there, say hi to Will — tell him Alyssa sent you.

Ramona’s Hummus Chef & Owner, Will Elman

GIVEAWAY

I’m giving away two sets BOGO cards to Ramona’s Hummus, open to all local residents. Just head on over to my Instagram page to enter! I’ll draw a winner on Saturday, January 20th!

Ramona’s Hummus
Food Truck – Austin, Texas
www.ramonashummus.com

Everyday Hummus

March 3, 2016 by Alyssa

Everyday Hummus is a staple in our home. It’s easy to make, delicious, and one of those things you can eat every day. Thus its name!

For Christmas this year, I asked for a food processor and it’s the key tool for Everyday Hummus. In my mind, a food processor was the only major appliance my kitchen was missing. Lucky me, my Mom gifted it to me and I used it immediately on Christmas Day to grate some carrots for a Carrot Cake.

Hummus Basics

Originally, when I dreamed about using my food processor, I always pictured myself using it to bring together pie dough or some kind of pastry crust. I imagined myself all Paula Deen-like, processing cold butter into a flour mixture and magically having the most perfect pastry dough the world has ever seen. I imagined myself crimping dough around apple pies with lattice tops and singing merrily as I made beautiful pies — all thanks to my lovely food processor.