The First Food Prep: Hummus, Burgers and Pasta

Last night I went to to grocery store to pickup what foods I needed that did not come with my Door-2-Door Organics delivery this week. As I was shopping, I soon realized how much easier grocery shopping would become... you stick to the produce area, meat counter and eggs - simple!

My neighbor helped me prepare a few foods that could be made in bulk then frozen and easily eaten throughout the week. Today, the menu included:
* Homemade Hummus
* Lentil-Vegi Burgers
* Whole Wheat Pasta
* Whole Wheat Ravioli filled with a Garlic-Vegi Mash


I snagged multiple Homemade Hummus recipes online, but this is really a food you can mix ingredients to taste. I like to use dried chickpeas, over canned - which requires an overnight soak and an additional 60-90 minutes of boiling time. My preference for a creamier hummus is to blend olive oil with the rest of the standard ingredients (Tahini, Garlic, Lemon Juice, Salt). I also do not use baking soda in the boiling water, because I use that water to blend with the mixture.

The Lentil-Vegi Burgers were based on a recipe I found online (MyRecipes.com), but slightly modified because I was missing the an ingredient. I replaced the barley with a few chickpeas used for the hummus, and we added more garlic & spices. Honestly, I was surprised how delish these turned out to be eaten hot off the skillet, plain, with no bun, toppings or condiments.



The Whole-Wheat Pasta/Ravioli Dough was slightly tricky, since whole-wheat flour is harder to work with. I had to add more egg to the dough, that I did using all-purpose flour. I won't lie, whole-wheat flour does not taste the best... I think I am going to allow myself to try unbleached flour next time instead.




The Garlic-Vegi Mash Ravioli Filling was not from any recipe, I just sorta tossed a bunch of things that I had into the blender and went from there. It ended up looking like mashed sweet potato's because of the carrots, but it tasted pretty darn good! If I had to guess, I would say I blended together:
- Garlic
- Onion
- Red Pepper
- Carrots
- Celery
- Olive Oil
- Bread Crumbs (to thicken)
- Salt & Pepper to taste

I think next, I will try Homemade Naan's, Crockpot Soups and Black Bean Burger.