I can't begin to tell you how many cans of tuna fish I consumed as a child. Truly, I kept half of Samoa employed at the starkist factory cranking out can after can. As a kid I loved the stuff. Forget PB&J - in my lunch box it was either sushi made with tuna fish or a tuna sandwich. I've loved tuna all my life...that was until IT happened. That fateful day still haunts my memory. It started out heavenly. My gorgeous hubby who should have tried out for Baywatch as a hunky life guard showed up on campus to bring me a surprise picnic lunch. We sat under a plumaria tree with the faint sound of waves crashing on the beach a block a way. He laid out a nice mat and pulled out some crackers, an avocado, and a can of tuna fish, what more could I want? Well, perhaps not having a worm in my can of tuna would be a good start...I haven't touched the stuff since! This salad is a sufficient substitute. I even took it to a carnivorous family gathering and the one person there who was brave enough to try it said she loved it!
Tuna Salad
1 can garbanzo beans mashed
pickle relish
1 green onion chopped
1thingy celery chopped
dill weed
Smash your garbanzos with a fork and add the rest of the ingredients. Season with dill weed to taste. This is great as a sandwich or scoop some in the middle of an avocado and serve on mixed greens for a beautiful light dinner.
Anyone who knows me knows I AM NOT a baker! This comes from despising exact measurements. This is why I failed math....1/4 is close to 1/3.....1,that's just 1 away from 2, that's close...what's the difference? I also can't stand following recipes exactly. It cramps my creative flowage. For most recipes I just read the recipe, get a general idea what it's supposed to taste like and then I let the buds lead. I go to the fridge and see what I have that would work and wait like everyone else to see what comes out at the end. I guess you could say I like surprises. This is why I'm a cook, not a baker.
Baking requires the letter of the law....I'm more of a spirit of the law kind of gal, if you know what I mean. This of course, has gotten me in trouble from time to time. For example, we were having the LDS missionaries over for dinner. One had previously mentioned that he loved Utah scones (ya, they're actually called that. To the rest of the world scones are more of a biscuit thing...I guess Utah's just a little different...in more than one way). Having been a missionary myself, I knew what it meant to have some comfort food every once in a while so I decided to make some. Well, after adding a pinch of this and a dash of that they were flat gobs of goo....this signaled they needed more flour, which made them hard rocks of goo. I thought they would soften as they cooked in the oil, so into the pan they went where 4 "scones" quickly soaked up ruffly a 1/2 quart of oil. The missionaries had just arrive so I had no choice but to serve them. One bite and oil came squirting out. The missionaries insisted they were delicious but I quickly took them back to the kitchen vowing to never bake again!
This is why Matthew is the baker at our house. Matthew is THE baker man - I love to watch him in the kitchen! rar! He makes these great pita pockets from a no-fail recipe for wheat bread. We've had some amazing meals with these pockets. This is just one to wet your whistle.
Pita Sandwiches
1 pita per person
1 can garbanzo beans
sliced cucumber
1 carrot
sprouts
sunflower seeds
green onion
cabbage
cherry tomatoes
Slice in half, toast, and open your pitas, Lather the inside with hummus (yum, you could stop right there). Now, in a food processor place everything but the sprouts and cherry tomatoes. Pulse once or twice just to chop everything but leave it chunky. Slice the tomatoes in half. Fill your pocket with the mixture and slip in a few tomato halves and sprouts. Can you just feel the raw goodness?
Here in Amerikan Samoa they're not exactly inclined to the vegan diet. In fact, when we first moved here we had a hard time even finding beans. We asked around and one lady said, "oh ya, I had a whole box of those but I just threw them away." I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. We came to the conclusion that perhaps they just don't know what to do with them.
I was very excited when I was asked to give a presentation on how to cook and utilize beans. It came off as a success! In fact I had several people just sitting around my table eating my samples up as fast as i could get them on the table. This little brother was particularly attentive to my hummus.
My dear friend Penny was a bit surprised when I told her about it. "Hummus just sounds so angry, like, 'your such a hummus' or 'your going to tell someone to hummus off.''' I guess anything related to beans is the equivalent to a swear word in Samoan.
Basic Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans/bulk home-cooked
EVOO
1 lemon
salt
garlic powder
Drain the can of garbanzo beans but save the liquid. (We prefer to buy bulk/bagged and cook them up ourselves - it is easy and so much more affordable plus you can control the salt content). Place everything in a food processor or blender. Add lemon juice, salt and garlic powder to taste. Blend till creamy, adding the bean liquid a little at a time.
Hummus is very versatile. The possibilities for mix-in's are endless. Try bell peppers or cucumber, sun dried tomatoes or olives. You'll pay $3-$5 at a grocery store for a few ounces but you can make it at home for less then $1.......your welcome.....now, hummus off. :)
