So, I started to write, here on the blog. Really write, as opposed to the kind of filler content the internet overlords like recipe bloggers to trot out. I wasn’t sure what would come out when I started. But I’ve promised myself that I will keep looking inside & letting my self go where my heart knows, even while my head is terrified of the direction & eventual destination.
The only way I can do that is if I don’t think about or try to shape what I’m writing. I have to set a timer (to motivate me to write rather than think), drag myself to a keyboard and just… let go. I almost never end up writing what I thought I was sitting down to write!
I’m very aware that in sharing these little snippets recently, I’m not really “fitting with” my food work. At least not in any obvious way. But the thing is… all of those little stories are part of how I got here, even if they’re not so obvious.
And much to my surprise, releasing them out into the world hasn’t been the scary part. Hitting publish allows me to stop agonizing over the “worthiness” of the writing and to stay in the moment & process. The process is really what I need right now.
I understand that not everyone will want to engage with this kind of writing, but I also know it’s something I need to do for myself.
If you’re not here to read that kind of thing, I totally understand. I respectfully ask that you make use of the “jump to recipe” buttons at the top of my recipe posts to simply skip over my writing here if you wish. If you’re here just for the food, plenty of recipes & food photos will still be coming your way!
For whatever reason, I need to write. Where that will end up taking me, I’m not sure. But thank you for letting me be just a little bit more me in this space.
PrintWhipped Beanless Hummus with Chunky Mediterranean Salad
This silky smooth hummus leaves out the legumes but brings all the flavor, brightened with crunchy, fresh Mediterranean salad for the perfect summery meal or produce-forward appetizer.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 - 6 1x
- Category: appetizer, snack
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: paleo, gluten free
Ingredients
For the Beanless Hummus:
- 1 cup / 5 oz / 140 g raw cashews
- 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1/3 cup / 80 ml high quality tahini
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml very cold water
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
For the Chunky Mediterranean Salad:
- 4 oz / 115 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 oz / 115 g chopped cucumber or sliced Persian cucumbers
- 1/4 small red onion, sliced thinly
- handful of Kalamata olives, halved if you like
- 1 tsp / 5 ml fresh lemon juice, or preservative free bottled lemon juice
- 1 tsp / 5 ml red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper, to taste
To garnish:
- za’atar seasoning, optional, to taste
- drizzle extra virgin olive oil
- chopped parsley, mint and / or chives
Instructions
SOAK: Put the raw cashews into a bowl and pour over enough just-boiled water to cover the cashews by about 1 inch / 2.5 cm. Cover and soak for 8 hours, or overnight, see notes. Drain now cloudy liquid from the soaked cashews and rinse them in a strainer until the water runs clear. Let drain again so no excess liquid remains.
CHOP: Pop the unpeeled garlic cloves into the bowl of a 14 cup food processor, along with the lemon juice and salt. Pulse until the garlic is roughly chopped, scrape down the sides so the garlic sits in the lemon juice and leave to mellow the flavors out for 10 minutes or so.
TOSS: While the garlic is marinating, combine all of the ingredients for the Mediterranean salad in a mixing bowl. Toss together so that the dressing is distributed evenly, adjust the seasonings to taste and let the salad marinate until it’s time to assemble the platter later.
STRAIN: Place a small fine mesh strainer over a bowl and scrape the garlic & lemon mixture from the food processor bowl into the strainer. Press down with the back of the spoon to squeeze out as much liquid from the garlic as possible, then discard the dry garlic pulp. Add the strained liquid back to the food processor bowl.
WHIP: Add the tahini to the food processor and pulse a few times. Using the feeder tube, slowly add the cold water to the tahini mixture with the food processor running, until all the water has been added and the tahini is whipped into a soft, lighter and completely smooth mixture.
BLEND: Sprinkle the cumin into the food processor bowl and add the soaked, drained cashews. Process for a couple minutes, until you have a smooth, creamy & light hummus texture. Taste and adjust lemon, salt and cumin, as needed. If you like, you can thin with additional water, too, although I didn’t here.
ASSEMBLE: Spoon the hummus onto a platter or large plate, swooshing it smooth with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with za’atar seasoning if using. Use a slotted spoon to pile the chunky Mediterranean salad on top of the hummus and sprinkle with any of the garnishes you like. Serve immediately! Pictured here are the AIP Pita Wedges from p.222 of The Paleo Healing Cookbook.
Equipment
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Preservative Free Bottled Lemon Juice
Buy Now →Notes
- Black pepper & cumin are Stage 1 AIP reintroductions.
- Tahini is a Stage 2 AIP reintroduction.
- Cashews are a Stage 3 AIP reintroduction.
- Tomatoes are a Stage 4 AIP reintroduction.
I, for one, am really enjoying your writing. In fact, after I read the post about your mother I thought, ‘This woman needs to be writing books in addition to recipes!’ Kudos to you for having the courage to step out from behind the food and best wishes on wherever the journey takes you!
And this hummus and Mediterranean salad sound like the bomb! Definitely putting it on my ‘try next’ list.