Just for those skeptics, we had tacos two nights ago at Tienda Santa Cruz again. I bought some pastor [marinated pork] and chicken, and made some pastor tacos tonight. They had these super good blue corn tortillas for $1.50. Cheap! They started selling some green and red salsa for cheap, too. I cannot get enough of that place.

Since it’s so hot out [still!], and I had some leftover kale from the chorizo, potato, and kale tacos, I made hummus. That’s the next logical choice, right? Andrew’s on a hummus kick anyway, so that didn’t hurt either. We had a mini-Meditteranean feast on the balcony that night. Cool, creamy hummus, baba ganoush [bought because I didn’t want to take the time to roast eggplant], a brick of feta, a bunch of sliced cucumber [perfect for dipping!], and a bunch of fresh made pita chips. Note: Do not leave the pita chips unattended on the grill. They’ll turn into a black, charcoal mess really fast. Yum.

The taste of kale is pretty mild. You can tell it’s not just plain jane hummus, though. I started with a couple handfuls and did a few taste tests along the way. That usually works best. Funny how the idea of eating a can of beans seems daunting until you’ve killed off a whole batch of hummus. That’s so much easier for some reason, and I’m totally okay with it.

Inspiration: After Dinner Dance

Ingredients

1 15oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

Approx. a cup of washed and torn kale leaves, discard those stems

1 clove of garlic

3 tablespoons of tahini

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons cumin

1-2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

Toss everything into the food processor, starting on the low end of the spices. You can always add more later. Process until smooth, adding more olive oil or water as necessary to reach the desired consistency. Taste test a lot! I ended up adding a little more olive oil and cumin/salt to really amp up the flavor. Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready.

For pita chips — preheat oven to 400°; cut whole pitas into wedges [I was getting 12 chips per pita]; arrange them on a baking sheet; spray with olive oil [or brush it on]; sprinkle liberally with sea salt; bake for 5-10 minutes until golden brown and crispy. It’s hard for me to buy pita chips any more since these are so easy.