The birds get up really early in these parts, even before the sun rises around 4:15am! Has no one told them about daylight savings???? The robins are the noisiest, but I don’t mind; it’s just so nice to have the windows open.
When I made the chick pea béchamel, I got to thinking about thickeners, and I thought if chick peas thickened the cheese sauce so well, would there be another bean that would work better? Navy beans came to mind, plus I could control the sodium (yes, I used canned chick peas! Shame on me!). I made the White Bean Paste and kept it in the fridge all week, using it in this and that (recipe for Quinoa Risotto turned out extremely well) but I had a bit left over and on Saturday I needed an appi for cocktails, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
While torturing myself on the elliptical at the club I watch TV (actually, I listen to my tunes and have the closed captioning on) and most days I can catch Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals. While most of his recipes inspire me, I virtually never make them verbatim; on top of that I’m told that there is a secret club who swear one is unable to make any of the recipes in 30 minutes! The other day he was making a Mediterranean dinner with all sorts of things, but what struck me was his presentation of a store bought Baba ghanoush. I’d never seen it presented as such before and I loved it. It was casual and approachable. He simply spread it on a plate and drizzled EVOO on it. Well, I knew I just had to use this technique and soon!
Fast forward to Saturday, we had spent the day downtown doing errands, and were at Yonge/Dundas Square (our Times Square) at 3pm to watch a flash mob promoting What to do Toronto (a relatively new web site highlighting current events in Toronto. The video isn’t up yet, but there are a couple of photos in the link; I’ll post the video when it’s up). The flash mob wasn’t an actual mob…not enough people to count as one, but they did dance in a lively choreographed manner which was entertaining. Sadly, it took place across the street from the Square, which meant JT and I missed the first half, by the time we noticed it was all the way over the other side of the busy street. It was close to 5 when we got home; we were cranky, tired and thirsty (did I mention that cocktails are held at 4pm in our household, drop by anytime, we always have lots!) It was also No Car Saturday, so we ran around using our Metro (I wore my hot pink patent leather stiletto BCBGs, I told you I wear inappropriate footwear, why are you surprised?). I needed an appi for cocktails, pronto. Back to the navy bean paste sitting in the fridge…hmmmm, so I put my Jamie inspiration together with a quick recipe and we were enjoying our cocktails with a lovely appetizer in no time. Cheers!
White Bean Hummus
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup navy bean paste
- 1 tsp tahini (or peanut butter)
- 2-4 tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)
- 1 small clove garlic finely minced (I use my handy microplane)
- 2-4 tbsp Chipotle Olive Oil
- 1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
- Put everything into a small bowl except the olive oil and mix. Since the bean paste is already processed into a smooth paste, you need not mess up your processor for this recipe, just mix well.
- Spread on a pretty plate and drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with crackers such as these: Gluten Free Almond Sesame Crackers or my Whole Wheat Flat Breads
This is one recipe I just know I will love. I make something very similar with red beans. I think white beans will be creamier and richer mmm
Looking forward to trying it out
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I agree that sounds times hearing birds chirp early in the morning can be nice, but then there are times when this man needs a little more sleep. 🙂
Thx for sharing an alternative hummus recipe Eva. Sounds delish.
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Thanks Jed, it’s been a bit of a roller coaster re weather here, not sure how the birds are reconciling it, but perhaps that’s what all the chatter is at 4:15!
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Chipotle olive oil?? Never tried that but I can guarantee I’d love it…especially in hummus! Love this, Eva. x
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I got it at the Filling Station in New York City. We’ll be going there for sure in May when I visit the Big Apple.
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This hummus looks delicious and the picture is very elegant! I love beans so this one is quite the stuff for me!
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Welcome to my blog Katrina, very nice of you to comment. The Navy Bean Hummus was indeed quite tasty.
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I think the only thing I could make in 30 minutes is a fried egg with beans or something – I’m incapable of cooking quickly. Things which take my wife 15 minutes can take me 45 minutes or more. I think it’s one of the reasons why we eat out a fair bit. When I’m due to be cooking and we suddenly realise we’re really hungry – me cooking would mean a huge wait 😀
Love the look of the hummus – I need to learn the benefits of portion control – I always make way too much so as a result there’s way too much to serve on a plate 😀 That chipotle oil sounds wonderful too! A perfect accompaniment…! 🙂
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That’s so nice, Charles, it sounds like you take turns cooking! I can take a long time in the kitchen too..depending on how hungry we are! Portion control is really something I have to keep my eye on all the time; if I make too much, I generally freeze it for another time!
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Looks awesome and I love how you exercise to food. Makes sense!
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Thank you kindly Greg. It makes the time go by a lot quicker watching Food Network!
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okay love the hummus, the simplicity of it and the fact its made with navy beans- so creative. I always am hearting that knife in the pic!
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Thanks Jessica, it was very creamy and delicious! Thank you for the compliment about the knife!
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I wonder why I have never had a hummus made with navy beans…it looks so tasty!
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Thanks Angie, I will certainly do it again, it was a winner.
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Hahaha, maybe Jamie means his show is only 30 minutes long.. I bet if we took a video of ourselves and cut out bits we could make his dish in only 5 minutes;) This looks fantastic.. and quick to make!
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You’re right Barbara! Plus he’s got a hundred or more munchkins helping him out behind the scenes!
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Instead of a few munchkins getting in the way in our kitchens;)
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The hummus make with beans looks great and very nice picture well presented, thanks to share:)
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Thanks Katy, so weet of you to say. It was mighty tasty!
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Such a bundle of contradictions. Who would have thought that someone who wears hot pink patent leather stilettos would be eating white bean dip? You are shattering my stereotypes.
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I also went vegetarian for a week, Sharyn! I like to surprise every now and then.
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4:15 am? Oh dear; that does sound a little on the early side ;-). I love that you put together a healthy and delicious looking appi even when tired and cranky… how inspiring. I have certainly used my share of canned beans in a pinch – the chipotle olive oil in this recipe has got me all excited… I have to look for some!
p.s. Love the No Car Saturday!! Good on you two.
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Thanks Kelly! It’s so nice to hear ‘the guys’ this time of year because it is a sure sign of spring! But then again, 4:15?
The no car day is relatively easy to do in Toronto, our transit is reasonably good, particularly on the subways! And it’s fun too!
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Using the chipotle oil in this caught my attention right away as I love chipotles so much. Never seen the oil, though…any ideas on where to find some? This hummus looks terrific, and yes, my experience with Jamie’s meal of any kind is that they take me longer than it takes him…but I love watching him.
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I love Jamie too, he is incredibly approachable and his food is so clean. I picked up our chipotle oil in NYC in Chelsie at a store called The Filling Station. You could probably make your own by dropping sliced chipotles into a bottle of EVOO and allowing them to soak into the EVOO for a couple of days, then strain the EVOO.
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You’ve inspired me to try this as well – I like the idea of keeping white bean paste to use as a roux to eat healthier – and your picture is great. The hummus looks delicious!
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Thank you kindly Bill. The paste is a nice alternative to flour and butter. I froze leftovers in an ice cube tray! And the hummus was incredibly delicious!
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I’ve made a few of Jaime’s recipes and I just ignore the 30 minute “feature”. Your humus does look good, Eva, and would be perfect for cocktail hour. Easy to prepare, serve, and munch. Perfect!
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Thanks John, Jamie must have a hundred little munchkins supporting him behind the scenes! This recipe is a keeper and I loved the presentation!
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I too use canned chickpeas, but at least we’re eating chickpeas is the way I look at it. 🙂 And this recipe is awesome. We’ll be making this one ASAP! And you know I love your inappropriate footwear. I bought myself a pair of hot pink and orange stilettos last week. So much fun! To say Miss A was jealous is an understatement. I have no doubt as soon as she’s old enough she’ll be in the same inappropriate footwear club too. 😉
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Thanks Kristy. I love chick peas too and use canned ones all the time; I tried the dried sort but the are just too dense and take way too long to rehydrate.
Pink and orange? They wouldn’t happen to be Nine West? I’ve got my eye on a pair so adorable! But they are just above my tolerance for shoes here; I’m hoping to get them in NYC in May!
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I think the only way your could make meals in 30 minutes is if you had a prep crew to do all the mincing and dicing ahead of time. It sounds like you had a lovely appetizer to go with your perfectly chilled martini.
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Thanks Karen, you are probably right!
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Your photo is fine. It was just missing the parsley garnish! I’m a member of that Jamie Oliver club where we swear you can’t make those meals in 30 minutes. That club is alive and well in Sydney and growing by the minute. To make those meals in 30 minutes you would first need to take a large supply of amphetamines. But I’m glad you were able to make this appetiser in time to enjoy with a pre-dinner drink. That’s a great recipe. And I use chick peas all the time and they’re always from a can and I never feel any shame at all! xx
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Thanks Charlie! I remembered that you had mentioned the 30-minute meals cookbook to me a while ago! I may have actually try one of his meals and time it myself. Thank you for your kind words re the photo.
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