In our household, we don’t rely on measuring cups or precise ingredient weights—we cook with our eyes and our tongues.  This is why I often find it hard to explain recipes, nevertheless here is my best attempt at sharing how my family makes hummus, cheese bread, kafta and lupin. 

Hummus 

Ingredients 

• 250g Dry Chickpeas 
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• Lemon
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Tahini

1. Soak 250g of chickpeas overnight submerged in warm water with 1 tsp of bicarbonate soda and cover with a lid 
2. The next morning, strain the chickpeas and resubmerge in water bringing the pot to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to low heat, cover the pot ¾ of the way to prevent the white foam from overflowing
3. Let this simmer for 30 minutes or until chickpeas are tender. To test if they are done, try to crush a chickpea with your fingers, if it crushes easily and feels smooth then it’s done.
4. If using canned chickpeas, drain the chickpeas and reserve the water for later use
5. In a blender or food processor, add the chickpeas, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth, adding chickpea water until desired consistency is reached
6. Once the desired consistency is reached add in the juice of one lemon and 2 Tbsp of Tahini and blend 
7. The lemon juice will thicken the hummus, so adjust the consistency by adding more chickpea water if necessary
8. This is where you come in, have a taste and adjust to your taste buds here is your chance to add more lemon, garlic, tahini or salt to your liking 
9. If using a small blender, work in batches to avoid overfilling making sure to not fill the blender more the ⅔ of the way full
10. Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with chili powder. Enjoy with some veggies, bread or on a sandwich

Cheese Bread (Gluten free)

Ingredients 

• 1 cup tapioca flour 
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup whole milk or unsweetened almond/oat milk 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup grated cheese 
• ¼ cup olive oil 

1. Preheat the oven to 250°
2. Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until a smooth, the consistency is quite runny this is totally normal
3. Brush a cupcake tin with olive oil and add the batter into the mould
4. Pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown 
5. The key to making sure they dont deflate is to let them cool in the oven for about 30 minutes so turn of the oven and crack the door open otherwise they will sink pretty fast 
6. These are so good and even better the next day on a flat press dipped in some zaatar (Oregano) and olive oil

Kafta

Ingredients

• 500g ground beef or lamb
• 1 small onion
• ½ cup fresh parsley
• 1 small capsicum (optional)
• 1.5 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp 7 spice

1. Finely chop the onion, capsicum, parsley either in a food processor or by hand
2. Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and knead together until everything is evenly distributed
3. You can shape these onto a skewer and cook on the bbq or shape into flat circle and cook on the grill enjoy in a sandwich or next to a salad 

Lupin (Lebanese Termos)

This is one of my favourite snacks with 19g of dietary fibre and 36g of protein for a 100g serve. 

1. In a pot, add 1 cup lupin beans, 1 Tsp bicarbonate soda and submerged the beans in water and soak overnight
2. Strain the beans and resubmerge the lupin in boiling water
3. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 1 hour or until tender they should still have a bit of bite to it 
4. Strain the beans, and give them a rinse in cold water
5. To store the lupin keep in a container with the beans submerged in water making sure to change the water daily and keep in the fridge
6. Serve in a bowl with a generous sprinkle of salt

Batool, Beyond Self