Some days are like that

[cjsmith]

Happy Hour in the office today is nachos and beer. In terms of progress, my day so far has pretty much been like yesterday, and things aren't exactly speeding up while I listen to everybody else party. Did I mention that the music is loud?

I realize I have really turned into a whiner lately. I do not like being a whiner. There must be things I can do to improve this situation. So far, I can think of three dramatic changes I might be able to make, any one of which would help in the short term:
1) Get off this diet
2) Get off this project
3) Find a job at a less food-oriented company, or at least one that isn't militantly carbohydrate-only

Maybe other things would help too. It is now my job to think of them.

But damn, it sure would be nice to be like everybody else once in a while. I took years to accept the fact that I would never again be fully able-bodied. I thought I was done with this "suck it up, everyone around you can enjoy things you will never enjoy again, get used to it and learn to shut up" kind of mental adjustment crap. Now I have the relentless tyranny of food in addition to being a gimp.

Some days just suck.

And now I need to think of ways I could make life suck less.

Comments

[inflectionpoint.livejournal.com]

Roasted chickpeas are just that.

Take chickpeas (be lazy, buy a can, and rinse those suckers like craaaazy.) Then drain em, toss em in olive oil till they are wet but not dripping. Bake in single layer on a cookie sheet at 375 till they are roasted. Soooo good.

Hummus is different. Basic hummus recipie is chickpeas, some kind of oil, lemon juice, and salt. After that, one starts adding things and tweaking things and it is best to either purchase or find a recipie. You can add olives, red peppers, chili, paprika, tahini (tahini is my best friend. It is a ground up sesame paste that adds flavor, smokieness, and body to foodz.), some folks add eggplant, I don't. Hummus is a good base recipie.

Another fun one is olivada. The simplest version is take olives, chop them hella fine, or run through the food processor till it is a smooth happy paste. Then eat on lettuce roll ups, or on celery or whatever.

You can do a chunky olivada with sun dried tomatoes if that is allowed.

[gekko.livejournal.com]

Tahini is a great thing to have around the house anyways. You can mix it with a little bit of lemon and make a fantastic sauce for a light fish too.

My hummus is simply chickpeas, tahini, garlic (very important!), lemon, and salt. Salsa and hummus is also a lovely combination of flavors. I make them seperately and serve them together (ie, put a layer of salsa on top of the hummus and serve with chips).

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

How long is "till they are roasted"? Should they turn a darker color, become crunchy, ...?

I totally want to learn to make -- Never mind, I'm lying. What I want is to EAT hummus. I can buy hummus, in fact a particular favorite of mine is stocked regularly at TJ's, and I'm allowed to have it "in moderation", so now I just need to figure out what to scoop it up with. A spoon seems a little boring. :-)

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

My cousin's hummus recipe:

1 can chickpeas.
1 big tablespoon tahini.
1 or 2 cloves minced garlic.
2 tbsp. olive oil.
Juice of 1 or 1/2 lemon.

Blend with hand blender, add water till texture is appealing.

Simple, tasty. I add extra tahini.

[tiger-spot.livejournal.com]

now I just need to figure out what to scoop it up with

Celery, lettuce, raw spinach. Hm, carrots are out; are red bell peppers okay? They make lovely scooping sticks. Cucumber slices, raw zucchini in sticks or slices. You don't like broccoli, so that's out; how do you feel about cauliflower? Lightly steamed might be tastier than raw, in which case I would thin the hummus out with lemon juice or olive oil or in a pinch water and use it as a dressing instead of a dip.

Or a spoon! If you are going to use a spoon, I say cover it in chopped fresh herbs (parsley comes to mind) and maybe olives and paprika first. Mmmm. Not boring at all.