This post was sponsored by Way Better Snacks. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep The Kitchen Paper up and running!
Summer in Portland: A DREAM. Except when it’s 100+ degrees, BUT that rarely happens so I maintain: summer in Portland = A DREAM. It’s been a while since I’ve popped in here, so I should update you on life a little bit — I got the job at the company I did my internship with! Woop! I’m in my fourth week as a honest-to-goodness developer, and really enjoying the entire thing. It’s a huge change, to be sure, after the last three years of bouncing around the world and blogging full-time — but I’m really glad I pulled the trigger on code school and the job, and am excited to see where it goes!
But back to summer in Portland. PICNICS! Is there a better way to do dinner than packing up (easy-to-make) food and getting outside? Uuuh no, I maintain that there is not. Luckily, our apartment is mere blocks from a few parks! PERFECT for casual, easy, last-minute, no-fuss picnics. With a bunch of Way Better Snacks in hand, Marc and I set out to do just that last weekend: enjoy the beautiful weather and eat on a blanket in the park.
I’ll be sharing three recipes this week — this basil hummus, a corn/tomato/quinoa salad, and an heirloom tomato/stone fruit salad with mozzarella. GET EXCITED! All three of these utilize late-summer produce, are delicious eaten cold or at room temp, can be prepared ahead of time AND prepared with very little fuss (we made all three recipes in less than an hour). Picnic this weekend, anyone?
One of my priorities for this particular picnic was EASE OF EATING. Like, can I eat it on a chip? Can I scoop it with a cracker? Can I leave my utensils at home? I definitely *could* have done just that (although, as you can see, we did bring some forks)! I packed some of my favorite Way Better flavors — multigrain and blue corn tortilla chips. Who needs spoons when you have chips? #srsly One of my favorite things about these chips, besides having a huge range of flavors (Sriracha? Sweet potato? BLACK BEAN!? I love ’em), is that they have a bunch of sprouted grains — flax, chia, and quinoa, to name a few. Sprouted grains = healthy boost!
I’ll share the basil hummus recipe today (it’s based off of my classic creamy hummus recipe!), but check back Wednesday and Friday for the other two recipes — then get ready for a weekend picnic!!
- 1 ¼ cups dried chickpeas
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp tahini
- 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ⅓ cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1½ tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp ice water
- Way Better Snacks corn tortilla chips
- Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. The next day, drain them.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the drained chickpeas and the baking soda. Cook for three minutes, stirring the entire time. Add 6.5 cups of fresh water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20-40 minutes (will depend on your chickpeas), until the chickpeas are very soft to the touch. Drain.
- Process the chickpeas (alone) in a food processor until very smooth and thick. With the processor running, add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic cloves, basil, and salt. Once that is smooth, slowly drizzle in the ice water (processor is still running) and continue processing for 5 more minutes. It should be extremely smooth!
- Serve with Way Better Snacks chips of your choice.
- Remove the hummus from the processor, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
In case you’re impatient… here’s a sneak peak of the recipes to come later this week!
Mary,
Your photography is excellent! You just keep getting better all the time. I enjoy your site.
Congratulations on your new job.
Miss you.
Kathy Krieg
Walla Walla
Kathy! Thanks so much for the kind words — I hope you and Chris are both well! I miss you both, too. I can only imagine how wonderful your garden looks right now! Congratulations on the newest granddaughter!! xoxo