What else can I pulverize?

I’m obsessed with my food processor lately. I have an 11 cup Cuisinart, and I am madly in love with it. You might catch me whispering sweet nothings to it while I’m making hummus and saving myself lots of money. I was given this as a gift from my parents for xmas one year. It might be the best money they’ve ever spent on a gift for me.

Anything in paste form, or pureed or chopped — damn straight, I’m going to make it myself.

For hummus, I use a 15oz can of chickpeas, the juice of 1 lemon, one clove of garlic, 2 or 3 tablespoons of tahini, and some olive oil added slowly until it’s the right consistency.

I’ve also made different flavors of hummus by adding kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, chipotle peppers, etc… You really can’t mess up hummus.

I’ve also made baba ghanouj: Roast an eggplant at 450 degrees (sliced in half lengthwise) until it starts to get blackened on the top, throw in a bulb of garlic wrapped in aluminum foil too while you’re at it. Drain as much water from the eggplant as possible, and puree it with some olive oil, tahini, and lemon juice. Very similar to hummus, but so delicious. You can get a whole dinner out of these two recipes: throw in some whole wheat pita bread and a mixed green salad and you’re set. Add some goat cheese or yogurt on the side and you’ve got a complete meal.

One last food processor recipe, and I’ll stop with the Cuisinart love-fest for the day: the sofrito from Daisy Cooks! on PBS. This is a chopped mixture of garlic, onion, pepper, and cilantro that you can use in so many dishes for flavoring. I used plain jalapeno peppers, in place of the ajices dulces, since I like a little more heat. I made a batch of this and stored it in a tupperware container in my refrigerator. It kept for a couple weeks, and since I used it almost every day, none of it went to waste. Throw a couple tablespoons of this magical stuff in a pan with a little oil whenever you saute some veggies or make a stew or soup. It really adds a nice flavor and it’s so much easier than trying to get cilantro to keep from wilting in your refrigerator. Plus you won’t have to bother peeling and chopping garlic each time you cook! This stuff calls for 16-20 cloves! I remember thinking, “The entire world is going to smell my breath after this” but it’s actually a good amount of garlic, I promise!

Anyway, try it. You’ll want to keep some in your fridge at all times. Alright, I’m going to go hug my food processor again — it looks lonely! I’m coming, my pretty!