Make it Yourself: Wicked Lemony Hummus

If you're like me, you spend altogether too much money on store-bought hummus. You shell out your hard-earned dollars for often-mediocre tubs of the stuff, or perhaps if you're feeling flush you pick up some delicious Sabra.

There is, however, a better way. That way is homemade. 

BEHOLD: Tasty, savory, easy, and inexpensive Lemon Sesame Hummus! 

The key to this recipe, as for all hummus, is the tahini. Tahini is nothing more complex or exotic than a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds, yet it is a critical component of all hummus recipes. It adds a rich depth of flavor and undergirds the creamy consistency so prized in excellent hummus. When one tastes a "hummus" that, despite its pretensions, tastes merely like ground up chickpeas, the missing piece is nearly always tahini.

For my thrifty readers: Tahini is a tad pricey but stretches far; each batch of hummus, for example, only requires about two heaping tablespoons. The sum of the remaining ingredients in the recipe below might reach as high as two dollars.

Finally, I warn you--this is a wicked lemony hummus. Feel free to crank things back as you see fit. You're the chef!

Click through for the recipe!

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Garlic-Thyme Sweet Potato Fries -- Baked, Not Fried

I know, I know; I have long been absent from your RSS reader, Facebook feeds, and Twitter thingies. What can I say? I'm traveling a great deal, often without a computer (and blogging from the iPad is nigh insanity-inducing), including on the weekends. I did eat spectacular food in San Francisco -- including, quite literally, the most sublime Thai food ever -- but did not take too many pictures. Hungry Sam Fail.

HOWEVER! To appease and appeal to you, dear readers, I'm including a recipe and some semi-sweet photos of one of my favorite side dishes: Baked Garlic-Thyme Sweet Potato Fries!

Loyal, long-time readers of mine know that I've mentioned my propensity to whip up fast and easy baked sweet potato fries in the past, but this here is a different recipe (after the jump).

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This is What Way Too Many Latkes Looks Like; and Maybe I Should Buy a Food Processor

BEHOLD:

This is, by weight, approximately ten pounds of latkes, and making them entailed the grueling and forearm-building process of hand-grating every last ounce of potato. That's just how much I like my friends (who needs a Jewish mother for guilt when there's Hungry Sam?).

The following is a list of things I learned last Saturday in the context of the Chanukah get-together I was hosting and feeding (after the break):

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For the Vegans: Lemon-Nutmeg Acorn Squash

This one is for all the vegans out there.

Cue the Barry White. Probably something like "You're the First, the Last, My Everything."

Hey there. I know you don't eat meat, and you don't consume animal byproducts at all. I know that sometimes, it feels like Hungry Sam doesn't care. But I do. And I want to make it up to you.

I've been trying, you see. I showed you who to make a pretty super brussels sprouts salad recently -- but that had cheese. I gave you my recipe for shakshuka, but that has cheese AND eggs. I know you, as a vegan, need something else, something special.

So here's an easy, simple, tasty recipe I whipped up last night -- literally. Adapted from a recipe in this month's Everyday Food, here's Lemon-Nutmeg Whipped Acorn Squash:

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How to Make Brussels Sprouts Not Taste Terrible

Caught on film: Brussels sprouts tasting...decent.

I like most food. Some readers have noted that it seems as though I'm positive and excited about almost everything I eat, which I am; in fact, I tend to be positive and excited about most things. I'm just an enthusiastic sort of guy. (Epic tale AND recipe continues after the break!)

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