Hummus

It's ridiculously easy if you have a food processor.

HUMMUS
2 cloves garlic
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, plus ½ cup bean liquid
¼ cup tahini
lemon juice to taste
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil to taste

Peel garlic and whirl it in the food processor until it's in tiny pieces. Open garbanzo beans and drain all but ½ cup of the liquid, reserving liquid for later use. Whirl garbanzos with garlic. Add tahini, reserved garbanzo liquid, lemon juice, salt and pepper, then process while adding a thin stream of olive oil to the mix. It's done when it reaches a nice smooth dipping consistency. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary.

Garlicky good! Tasty as a dip for raw veggies, spread on lavash as part of a pinwheel sandwich, or in a tabbouleh-filled pita.

Contributor: Soozcat

Tabbouleh

If you can get really ripe tomatoes, make this to fully appreciate their lusciousness. It takes a lot of mincing but the results are worth it.

TABBOULEH
½ cup medium or fine bulgur wheat
½ cup onion, minced
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon or more pepper, freshly ground
1-2 teaspoons salt
3 cups parsley, minced
½ cup green onions, minced
2 cups ripe tomatoes, minced
1½ cups fresh spearmint leaves, minced
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and minced
½ cup fresh lemon juice
¾ cup olive oil
romaine or other leaves for serving

Soak bulgur wheat in lukewarm water to cover by ½" for about an hour, then drain in a sieve.

In a small bowl, combine minced onion with allspice, pepper and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine parsley, green onions, tomatoes, spearmint and cucumber. Gently fold in the drained bulgur and seasoned onions.

Refrigerate until an hour before serving, then dress salad with lemon and oil. Surround with romaine leaves, using them to scoop up the salad in juicy bites.

Serves a few people. (I can't remember.)

You can also use this as an excellent sandwich filling for a pita, along with some good hummus. Messy and delicious.

Stolen from the Internet by Sooz, muahahaha.

Elegant Chicken Salad

From the always-elegant Auntie Kathie.

ELEGANT CHICKEN SALAD
Dressing:
⅔ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons onion, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Chicken:
1 3-4 lb. frying chicken
1 medium onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
2 cups celery, with leaves
1 small carrot

Vegetables:
1 cup green pepper, diced
1 lb. green seedless grapes
2 cups celery, chopped
1 small can pimientos, chopped (optional)
¾ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

First, mix together dressing ingredients in a small bowl, cover and chill.

In a 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, add all chicken ingredients and enough water to cover. Bring rapidly to a boil, then cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken and chill until it's easy to handle, then remove chicken from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. (The boiled veggies and broth can be used to make soup later.)

In a bowl, mix together chicken and vegetables. Pour chilled dressing over all and toss lightly to coat. Serve in chilled lettuce cups, or as a filling for pita pocket sandwiches.

Serves a lot, because that's how we do things in this clan!

Contributor: Kathleen Ashton