The chickpea challenge has been an interesting one. I tried 3 different recipes and had different opinions on each of them. First up: hummus.
(psssst! Can you spot the fake, plastic lemon?)
Did not like it. Not even a little bit.
This week was the first time when my true pickiness came into play. The smell and texture completely freaked me out. It was cold and lumpy and that last thing I wanted to do was put it in my mouth (that's what she said).
Perhaps if we had simply bought hummus instead of making it ourselves, I would feel differently. Lucky for you, Sean decided this was the perfect opportunity to capture a video of me trying it for the first time. There are a couple of things you need to know before watching the video though:
1. It is the weekend. Make-up is not mandatory on weekends. Don't be scared by what you're about to see. I'm just keepin' it real, yo.
2. I swear WAY too much. I swore without even realizing it. Swearing is not classy or ladylike kids. Don't do it.
3. In times of turmoil, chocolate is never the answer. Turn to your faith or a friend/family member for help. (Just kidding. Chocolate is always the answer. duh.)
Moving on, recipe #2 was Channa Masala and it was delicious.
Due to my newfound obsession with Indian food, I knew this wouldn't be a problem for me. I used Jenna from Eat, Live, Run's recipe as a starter but made a few changes. I omitted the jalapenos and added spinach. I also used curry powder instead of separate spices.
Earlier this week, there was a slight, errr complication, as a result of it though. Being new to the Indian food scene, I didn't realize the exact effect eating 2 giant bowls of fiber-filled beans and spices before a run would have on me. Oops.
The final recipe came from Angela over at Oh She Glows and it was a sweet potato "salad" of sorts.
The recipe calls for cinnamon, onions, sea salt and coconut oil to be mixed with sweet potato and chick peas. Recipe #3 was just okay. I think next time I'd use this recipe as a base but mix it up a bit. It had a nice flavor to it with the cinnamon and coconut oil, but it was a little dry. I usually roast my sweet potato with garlic, cinnamon and olive oil and I like that more.
It was my first time using Coconut Oil which was exciting, although I had to pry the jar out of Sean's hands on more than one occasion.
(He used to live in Hawaii and misses it terribly. I found him cradling the jar and sniffing it like a crack addict, mumbling something about floral-printed board shorts) This week with chickpeas has been a good one. It's certainly better for my waistline and sugar levels than last week's dive into the deep end of dessert land. But I can't end the week without taking a minute to talk about this:
This is water that the chickpeas come in. Am I the only one who finds it to be the most disgusting and repulsive thing in the world? A couple of the hummus recipes I found called for adding the drained water from the can into the mixture and it made me want to vomit on the spot.
Ew. Ew. Ew. EW! Please tell me I'm not alone in this. Someone else out there finds that water to be straight up nasty right?
God I hope so.
Next week's flavor: Kale! I won't lie to you, I'm not terribly excited for this one. To me, cooking with kale is like shopping for shampoo. It's not something you really look forward to buying and using, but you know you need to and that it'll be good for you in the end. So to save me from greasy hair and thunder thighs, please send me any and all kale recipes you have!!!
52 Flavors Tally:
Foods I like: 4 (Fennel, Indian, British desserts, Chickpeas)
Foods I dislike: 3 (Figs, Quinoa, Hummus)
