Humidity and Hummus {Recipe}

Like many others all around the country, I was seeing shades of red (and white!) all weekend…

Without AC, I can honestly say that this has been the most miserable summer I’ve ever had!! Between my allergies and sinuses and my medications and the heat and humidity, I have been feeling SO yucky. The good news is that I lost several pounds; the bad news is that it wasn’t pleasant. This is the first time in my entire life not having an air conditioner at home and it happens to also be the hottest summer I’ve ever lived through. So, for the first time ever I know what it’s like to lose your appetite in warm weather. All I have wanted is fruit, veggies, and fish—and ice pops, of course. But since I’ve been taking all of these medications (antibiotic, Claritin, diuretic), I have also had perpetual nausea. My stomach does not like taking any type of medication on an empty stomach, but even with food I still feel sick. The warmer I get, the sicker I feel. I have a very low tolerance for heat combined with the diuretic that depletes my electrolytes, I basically feel like I have a hangover 24 hours a day. I have been eating a good amount of potassium- and calcium-rich foods like bananas, orange juice, potatoes, spinach, and fatty fish, plus salt on my veggies, but I still feel pretty crappy. We left the house on the hottest days and stayed out until it was dark, and that helped a ton. As soon as I was in air conditioning, I felt sooooo much better. But being home at night in the humidity was awful. I took 3-4 showers a day, lol! Thankfully, the past two days have been SO MUCH cooler! I can’t tell you how happy I am about that. I’m on my last day of antibiotics; I should have been done a day ago, but at times I felt so bad that I just couldn’t take it right away.

My favorite food of the past week? Veggie sandwiches. I cannot get enough! I’ve eaten them every day since Friday. Today, I decided to make homemade hummus to add to my sandwiches because it’s the greatest combo ever.

Homemade Hummus Recipe
(gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, grain-free)

Ingredients:

• Two 14oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 TBSP tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt to taste (approx. 1/2 teaspoon)

Note: If you want it creamier, add more oil and/or tahini)

1. Drain canned chickpeas; rinse with water

2. Add chickpeas, tahini, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt to food processor or high speed blender

3. Blend until desired consistency (I blended 10-12 minutes)

It came out very thick, but delicious! I had a few licks while I was transferring it from processor to bowls. I’ve heard to get it very smooth that you can remove the skin from the chickpeas, but uhh, I don’t have time to scrub 300 little beans, LOL. I like it just like this; Smooth enough to dip, but hearty enough to add to a sandwich as a protein component. Yum!

I’ve been out of the office and, for the most part, estranged from my kitchen, so I’m trying to get back to normal since it cooled off yesterday. I feel like I’ve been away on vacation even though I’ve been home most of the time. I’m so relieved to be on my last antibiotic. I don’t think I even needed it because when I don’t take Claritin, my symptoms return immediately, which indicates that it’s allergies. Sigh. Ah well, what can ya do? What’s done is done.

It’s supposed to get down to 59 degrees F tonight!! YESSSSSSSSS!

Do you like your hummus thick or thin?

Tagged as: chickpeas, gluten-free, grain-free, hummus, hummus recipe, recipes, soy-free, summer, vegan, weather