Pasta Salad and Hummus

Last weekend we went over to the Seifert's house for dinner and chit chat. We offered to bring the side dish to accompany Karen's chili. I also thought it would be nice to bring an appetizer to munch on since we were heading over there at 2pm for the Packer game.

For the appetizer I thought I would make homemade hummus since I love hummus so much and it's good for you. I eat it almost every day for lunch, but I always buy it in the store. This time I thought it would be fun to make it at home. It turned out a little watery, but I know next time not to use as much water as the recipe says. Here is what the recipe called for and besides the runny factor it turned out very tasty!

Ingredients

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup water (I used the water from the chickpeas; however, I would advise to add this at the end if needed so yours does not turn out runny.)
  
• 1/2 cup tahini
• Lemon juice from 2 lemons
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and garlic and puree. While the motor is running, pour in the olive oil and process until fully incorporated. Add the water at the end if necessary. Season with pepper, to taste. Store in the refrigerator for 6 hours, for the flavors to come together.

I served the hummus with carrots, cucumbers and two different kinds of pita chips.

I also made a very light pasta salad for a side. It was my first time making pasta salad because I normally don't care for pasta salad as the dressing is usually too heavy for me. I don't care for the creamy dressing and a lot of times the clear dressing ends up being drenched on the salad that I really don't like it. I came across this recipe for the dressing in the Taste of Home Cookbook and thought it sounded light so I gave it a shot and it turned out amazing. If you are looking for a light pasta salad for a gathering I would highly suggest this one.

Ingredients

4 cups cooked spiral pasta
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 container of the tiny tomatoes
2 cups broccoli florets
Cubed cheese (as much as you prefer)
Chop a bundle of green chives

Dressing Ingredients

2/3 Cup vegetable oil
1/3 Cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil (I actually used fresh parsley)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Garlic powder to taste

Once you have mixed all the dressing ingredients together toss it in with the dry ingredients. Chill for an hour and then serve. This was so light and tasty that I could eat this almost every day.