Garlic Hummus & Homemade Meatballs

Making hummus is easier than you think; the most necessary item is not actually the ingredients. It's a high quality food processor or blender such as a Vita-Mix. You can make this in a non-commercial grade blender, but just be warned that it's going to be a bit of a process: periodically starting & stopping the blender, scraping down the sides of the blender to help it puree this thick mixture. The result is smooth, creamy fresh hummus. This recipe does not call for tahini, the typcial ingredient found in most hummus dips. I found that I didn't make hummus enough to merit purchasing a jar of tahini. It would usually go bad before I could get through it. I found raw cashews to be an exellent substitute.

Hummus
1 can organic garbanzo beans; reserve the bean juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup raw cashews
2 garlic cloves
6-9 tablespoons of the bean juice; use as much as needed to attain a smooth dip texture

Place all ingredients in blender/food processor and process until smooth & creamy.

Chop a tomato, and put it atop your fresh hummus dip, then drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
Serve with pita wedges, carrot sticks & bell pepper strips.

Add these pan-roasted meatballs for well-rounded meal!

Lish's pan-roasted meatballs
1 egg
1 slice of bread; blended into small, but not fine bread crumbs
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons parsely
1/2 teaspoon each salt & pepper
2 garlic cloves; fresh pressed
1/2 small yellow onion; finely chopped (abou 1/4 cup)
1 lb of  ground beef or bison
Sauce:
1 28 oz can tomatoes; blended to a slightly chunky sauce
1 bay leaf

In medium bowl; beat egg, add bread crumbs, spices, onion, garlic, & meat. Work ingredients together thoroughly with your hands, and then form mixture into 1" balls.

Get a large frying pan heating on the stove top with a generous amount of olive oil.

Fry in batches, do not crowd the pan, on stove top over medium-high heat.

Turn the meatballs to brown each side, and remove them once they are browned but not fully cooked.
Remove to a plate and let rest while you cook all meatballs.

Once all meatballs are browned, add them all back to the frying pan.

Pour the tomato sauce over top, add the bay leaf, and let the mixture cook & bubble away to finish cooking the meatballs.