Hummus & The Secret Life of Bees

For whatever reason, chickpeas evoke a comforting taste to me and though we prefer to have them in their whole form simply blanched and tossed with some spices, I decided that I was in need of a lovely spread to go with a batch of crusty bread bought from the bakery.

Simplified Garlicky Hummus
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas (washed and drained)
1/2 cup yogurt
Two-three tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 pips roasted garlic
Freshly cracked pepper
Salt to taste

Method:
Stick everything in a blender and process until smooth. Add a bit of hot water if mix is too thick and gets stuck. Serve with bread or chips.

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The hummus was simply lovely and made for an easy eat-while-reading (today's pick was The Secret Life of the Bees by Sue Monk Kidd). Kidd has a really easy paced Southern-style of writing that I really enjoyed especially after my last few reading material has been political and humanitarian (child soldier / abuse etc) autobiographies.

The plot - Set in the American South during the civil rights movement (the time when African Americans earned the right to vote), a young girl runs away from her neglectful and abusive peach farmer father along with her "wanted" black nanny. They find refuge in the home of an eccentric beekeeper and her two sisters who slowly help her sort through some puzzling questions on love, trust and life.

The novel has been adapted into a movie starring Queen Latifah (who ranks as a personal fave for her gutsy-ness), Dakota Fanning, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson. Haven't seen the dvd around so hopefully it gets released on TV real soon.