A big thank you to my dear friend Gord who directed me to the recipe that inspired this meal! Also: Gord has started blogging again! Check it out!! In fact, he may be blogging about this exact recipe, which he told me he was making last night.

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When Gord posted this recipe on my wall, he captioned it with a statement regarding my tendency to inhale hummus. It’s a problem. The frequency with which I bought pita dippers with hummus on campus last year should have been recognized by some sort of award.

There were a few ingredients switch outs that made my recipe different than the original. Details:

(A) The grocery store was out of arugula (my own fault considering my time of visit – 6:45 p.m. on a Friday evening) and so I substituted that spicy green for another one of my favourites. KALE. Unpredictable, right?

(B) Tahini = not a thing in Sudbury. So I made my own out of sesame seeds and olive oil.

I was in a daze whilst lightly toasting the sesame seeds (toasting is truly one of the world’s most mind-numbing tasks), and decided to keep myself entertained by writing my name in sesame seed swirls. I got to H-I-L before realizing I was nearly burning the seeds and should probably pay more attention to cooking my food rather than playing with it.

(C) Since I use pre-minced, jarred garlic (to avoid sticky fingers, a la Pioneer Woman Cooks), I don’t quite know how much one clove is equivalent to. I know the answer to my question is just a Google search away, but that’s no fun. And so I keep guestimating the amount of garlic for every recipe. I have a sneaking suspicion that I always add too much. But I happen to really like garlic. Besides, there’s nothing like a meal whose primary ingredient produces stinky breath to scare off any potential bus beheaders (I brought the leftovers on the midnight Greyhound to Ottawa where I spent the most lovely weekend).

Oh yes, and did I mention that this was a three-course meal? Appetizer: dark chocolate with sea salt. Dessert: the same. I like walking through the grocery store aisles with a thin, 100 gram gourmet chocolate bar in hand, pretending it’s a brochure for some exotic destination. I like tearing back the crinkly silver paper and pretending that I’m Charlie Bucket about to win a trip to the land of my dreams. I also liking eating it. That’s a win-win situation, if I do say so myself.

PS: I’m really sorry for only cooking with kale, quinoa and sweet potato lately. Enough of that. I’ll make a meat-based meal soon, I swear.

Recipe: Hummus-in-a-bowl
Adapted from The Delicious Life
– 1 cup cooked quinoa (half a cup dry, cooked in a cup of water)
– 1 cup chick peas, drained and rinsed
– 1/2 cup chopped flat parsley
– 1/2 cup chopped fresh kale
– 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Cook the quinoa by bringing the 1/2 cup of quinoa and cup of water to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool for a bit.

Toss the cooked quinoa, chick peas, parsley, kale and almonds in a large bowl. Drizzle with Tahini Lemon Vinaigrette and toss.

Tahini-lemon vinaigrette 
– 1 clove garlic, very finely minced, to a paste if possible
– 1 tablespoons tahini (buy yours, or make your own using this recipe)
– Juice of 1 lemon
– 1 1/2 tablespoons water
– Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini and lemon juice. The mixture will thicken. Stir in minced garlic and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes two large servings.