Simple, Cold, Delicious

I was going to sling a pretty hefty rant about technology your way this week, along with a recipe for a slow-cooked meal to pry any cook away from his or her computer in order to appease the beckoning stove-top... however, fatigue reared its ugly, creativity-stomping head, so I thought I'd do something else.

Instead, I thought it'd be best to share a couple of recipes with you that I absolutely love to make. What I like about these two things is that they both a) require the use of a blender (which is fun in itself, right?) and b) taste quite amazing after one hour of refrigeration. In fact, the refrigeration process improves the taste of both items, making them that much more refreshing on a hot day like today.

So here they are: hummus and salsa verde!

Hummus
Shamelessly stolen (and slightly adapted) from Paula Wolfitz

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (but save the liquid in a glass if you can)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
3/4 cup tahini*
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
pinch of cayenne
2 tbs. chopped parsley

* Available at most stores now I believe- it's worth it! Otherwise, try a smaller amount of olive oil

Basically, put the garlic, lemon juice, and tahini in a blender or Cuisinart and pulse until well-blended. Then add the chickpeas and Cayenne.... now if the mixture isn't very smooth then add some of that reserved chickpea liquid. It really helps. Slide that mess in the fridge for an hour or two and then top with parsley and possibly a couple of drops of olive oil to serve.

Salsa Verde
I'm super excited to preview this baby- I took a pretty basic recipe from Rancho Gordo and added a couple of things to smooth it out. It actually turned out pretty great! Not too time-consuming, but slightly more so than the hummus.

5 medium-sized tomatillos
1/4 of a white onion, roughly chopped
2 red tomatoes, also roughly chopped
2 serrano chiles, roughly chopped into small-ish pieces
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/4 of an avocado
Juice of 1/2 lime

Heat the tomatillos (whole) on a dry skillet over medium heat- you want them to be slightly charred on the outside. When done, roughly chop and set aside.
Place onion, garlic, chiles, and lime juice in the blender or Cuisanart and pulse until well-blended. Then add the tomatillos, blend away. Finally, add the two red tomatoes and 1/4 of avocado and blend again. You'll definitely want to throw this mixture in the fridge for an hour or two and enjoy with tortilla chips.