Integrity

Wisdom is knowing the right path to take. Integrity is taking it.

A New Look at Hummus

I'd never been interested in, nor enjoyed, dips whether for fruits, vegetables, chips, or anything else people dip, until I tried hummus. 

Hummus originates from the middle east and is traditionally a mix of cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. 
The main ingredients, chickpeas, are also known as garbanzo beans. Chickpeas are low fat, high protein and fiber. They also have lots of zinc and other good nutrients.
Usually we purchase hummus ready made at the grocery store, and usually I end up dipping low fat tortilla chips, pita chips, or pita slices in the hummus. 
In my quest to lose some weight and be healthier I've been changing my eating habits. Hummus is still good for me in terms of content, and as long as I remember everything in moderation. 
I've also decided to have less carbs and have switched the chips for carrots, snap peas, cucumber slices, etc. A pretty obvious move for most, but since I've never been a 'big dipper' it wasn't a logical leap for me. 
Recently, I had an avocado that needed to be used, but a strong urge for hummus. I made a compromise. Soon the avocado was smashed into the hummus. I set aside some for my husband and then I pulled out some veggies to dip. Avocados are also a high source of protein, and their fats are the healthy mono-unsaturated type. 
This weekend, while doing some work at home I got hungry and decided to actually make the hummus.
The following recipe is adapted from one I found online. It didn't call for tahini (sesame seed paste), which I really wanted to include. I also smashed in an avocado. I put a quarter of it into a small bowl, dipped some veggies, and put the rest in the fridge.  It is supposed to stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days, or can be frozen. We'll use it up sooner, because I'm not sure how long the avocado will last.
Ingredients:

• 1 can (15oz/540ml) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained 
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1½ Tbsp of Tahini
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ripe avocado (optional)
• 1 - 2 Tbsp of water
• salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

Preparation:

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor. Mix it until it is creamy and smooth.

* I reserved some of the lemon juice and water, then added it according to taste and to thin out the paste.

* I also prefer cooked garlic, to raw, so I crushed the garlic and put it in a small dish with the olive oil. I microwaved it for about 30 seconds, to sweeten it up. Then I added it to the processor ingredients. 

You can also make hummus without the tahini. You use more olive oil. The recipe I found suggested 1/4 of a cup. That seems like a lot, to me, so I think I would probably add only a bit at a time until I get the texture I want.

Some recipes I've found also suggest that when serving humus you can dish it into a bowl and then make a small well in the middle of the hummus. In the well you put a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Then you can garnish it with parsley. I think I would just use the garnish and not add more oil, even if it is a healthy one.

As I mentioned above, most people dip pita chips or slices in their hummus. If you want to do that, you can warm your pita slices, first. 

Other options:

• Add a bit of cayenne pepper, finely chopped roasted or raw red pepper, or other spicy tasting roasted vegetables.

I recognize that hummus isn't the first thing people might choose when they are trying to lose weight, but it is healthy and a little bit goes a long way to filling you up. Hummus with avocado has double the protein and filling fiber. 

The Butterfly Effect

Simple Truths has some nice short books with great messages. They also have a number of books that include short movies. The Butterfly Effect is just one of their movies, and a nice look at purposeful lives....enjoy!

Humility

"Humility leads to strength and not to weakness. It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them." ~ John J. McCloy

GPS or an Old Fashioned Map?

I live in a small city, compared to most; but when I visit other cities, especially larger ones, I enjoy driving in them. 

Now my mom would probably disagree with this statement. A few years ago, when we travelled through Spain, we rented a car and drove from Granada down the Mediteranean coast toward Alicante. I have to admit I got pretty frustrated with the whole event. But frankly, it wasn't about not liking the driving. It was arriving in Alicante, Spain without a city map and trying to navigate a foreign city, without said map.

Alicante's population is 334,757. Certainly not one of Spain's largest cities. But add in a few turnabouts and no map, that definitely creates confusion. I also learned that when it comes to visiting places I may never have the opportunity to visit again, I want to take in the scenery. This is much harder to do when you're speeding along the freeway.
On the other hand, when I travel to a city closer to home, am spending a few days there, and am likely to return, I love navigating the city. This past summer I spent almost a week in Edmonton and another week in Calgary. In Edmonton, when I arrived, we also had a hillarious phone call as she gave me directions to her house.
I was referencing my map as she gave directions. Unfortunately, she lives on a street that is in two parts. She lives on the newer part, a few blocks away, which wasn't on my map. As I looked at the older part of the street, on the map, she gave me directions to a location that wasn't on my map. I think we both doubted each other's sanity at some points. Our references were completely off. It did make for a funny reunion, though!
This week I travelled to Calgary by plane, and a friend drove me where I needed to go. She had a GPS. Maps are fun, but this was better. I know I probably shouldn't admit it, but I had never used a GPS, nor had I actually seen one at work, until this week.
It's still nice to reference a map and have a visual of where you are going, but that GPS could create a new freedom. No referencing a map at a stop light, no need to write out abbreviated directions on a note paper, just type in the address and follow the directions.
I don't know if a GPS would have had my Edmonton friend's address, for her newer street, but I expect it would. I'll have to find out one of these days....On the other hand, I could just go without and keep some slapstick humour in my life.... 

Blogs about Crafts

I've been checking out a lot of blogs, lately, now that I have my own. There are so many blogs out there, especially ones about crafting. I used to spend a lot of time with crafts.

My craft of choice, when I do craft, is stitching...I just haven't done it for a long time. When I spent more time stitching, I meandered into different types of this handiwork. I learned hardanger, a stitchery style that involves creating blocks of stitches for a strong base and then cutting out certain threads, with tiny scissors, and using a finer thread to weave and stitch on the remaining threads.

Hardanger is named after the Hardanger region of the western part of Norway.
I taught myself how to stitch Hardanger, from a book. Over time, as I got better at it, I began designing my own pieces and teaching classes for beginners.

The thing I like the best about Hardanger is the creativity that I get to explore, when I am able to choose the stitches I am going to use, to fill in the spaces left behind.

Traditional Hardanger uses white thread on white cloth. The cloth is of a thicker variety...about 20 threads per inch. The thread for stitching is usually Pearle Cotton...about size 5 and sometimes 8. This stitching was used to decorate traditional wear.
Nowadays, Hardanger is done on a wide variety of fabrics, with all sorts of types of threads. The small picture above was stitched on 40 count linen, with a single strand of silk thread. It was very fine. I don't know if my eyes will ever let me do such fine work again. The entire piece now hangs in our living room. At least I can remember the time when I was able to accomplish such a feat! This piece is only 2 x 7 inches. If I had used the fabric that was suggested, in the traditional style, it would have been about 5 x 15 inches.
Over the years I've created a number of Hardanger pieces. Some are lacy confections that sit on tables and in china cabinets, but those aren't really all that desired by many, so when I do stitch, I stick to pieces that could be framed in cards or for hanging.

Perhaps I'll pull out the silk threads and the linen again some time soon.

Doorways and Archways

I've always been fascinated by doors. In my brief travels I've begun taking pictures of doors. European doors are especially beautiful.

The doors I especially like, are found off to the side of buildings, obscure and not imposing. However, I do have pictures of doors and arches, from some of my travels. They may be large and definitely not obscure, but they are beautiful.

The doors to the left grace a cathedral in Avilla, Spain.The archway, on the right, with ornate carvings leads into a private space in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.

In Barcelona, the doorways to buildings designed by Gaudi, are absolutely fantastic. Casa Batllo, in Barcelona is one of his famous designs has some interesting doors and archways. The doorway surrounded by blue tiles are both from Casa Batllo. 
The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Cordoba, Spain was once known as the Mezquita maintains its archways from the time when the it was a muslim mosque.

However, the archways and doorways that I like the best (as I mentioned above) are the less famous, yet unusual spaces.  

I`ll have to find some of my pictures of doorways in France.

Here are some from my travels in Spain. I'll try to find some that are the kind I really like...the out of the way places and spaces. For now, there are these...