I buy the Tajin Classico. It is a spice blend. When I don’t feel like cooking spice blends come in handy to put on chicken breasts and pop them in the oven or on the grill. I also like the Galena blend from Penney for the same reason.
@GoatGirl19 sounds like a delicious meal. Homemade hummus would be a breeze compared to making homemade pita.
Agree about not baking! I do have a bunch of sour cherries to pit - they are going in the freezer until I feel like making a pie. (Already made one a couple of weeks ago.)
@GoatGirl19 I was thinking of making hummus from scratch. I assume you use the dried chick peas and soak them? We have an Instapot and I was thinking it would be easy and certainly faster to cook the beans in it. Do you have a favorite hummus recipe?
I’m reading about making preserved lemons. Trying to decide whether to do that with the ones from my moms tree, or dehydrate them in thin slices just plain…has anyone made preserved lemons?
I am thinking Tajin is not hard to make at home? Will give it a try this weekend.
I love the Lebanese lemon garlic sauce (toum), easy to make and I use it for roast meat/fish often.
@Bromfield2 I was taught to use canned (already cooked) chickpeas because there’s a step where you add some of the juice from the can to the blender. You might be able to get the same texture from chickpeas cooked in an InstantPot, and reserve some of the cooking water for that step. I use my father’s recipe which he learned when my family lived in the Middle East, and is so simple it’s a family secret. I might have to ask my Israeli colleague for his recipe before he leaves though… completely different texture from what I grew up eating at home. If you like soft, soupy hummus, go for an Arabic recipe. If you want it stand-up-on-the-pita thick, go for Israeli.
made homemade peach/blueberry mini-pies today for my 78 yr old dad. (and family)
tomorrow: chicken pasta salad to see an old cousin in town. Easy and fresh.
Tajin is a staple here for eggs, avocados, chicken, Mac and cheese - hamburgers - everything almost. It’s all over our grocery stores and not expensive at all. Hope you can all find some!
@Bromfield2
I make hummus from scratch, soak the dried chickpea over night, instant pot “pressure cook” setting for 5 min, rinse (I remove the skins after rinse but it is really not necessary to do so), then add it to the blender, add EVOO, cumin powder, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, and salt (these are the basic ingredients), then you can add other things to make it different flavor. I generally add olives (any flavor, I like the oil-soaked kind, red pepper, etc. the liquid (oil, lemon juice, water) level control the texture, more smooth vs more crunchy (which I prefer). They are so simple and healthy. And I use all organic ingredients too. As a dip or eat it by itself ?
I’ve been making this - it’s a really nice cold supper on a hot day. If you’re a rice eater, you’d probably want rice on the side.
COLD SESAME CHICKEN (from the NYT)
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHICKEN:
6 bone-in chicken legs, drumettes or boneless thighs (about 4 pounds)
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon five-spice powder
2 whole scallions
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, cut into 4 thick slices
2 star anise pods
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
FOR THE GLAZE:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cayenne
½ teaspoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon grated ginger
FOR THE GARNISH:
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons crushed roasted, unsalted peanuts
1 or 2 thinly sliced serrano chiles (optional)
Cilantro sprigs
3 or 4 scallions, thinly sliced
Tender mustard greens or lettuce leaves (optional)
PREPARATION
Season chicken with salt and sprinkle with five-spice powder, rubbing seasoning into the flesh.
Transfer chicken to a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add 4 to 6 cups water, just to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a bare simmer. Add scallions, ginger slices, star anise and turmeric. Simmer very gently until tender, about 45 minutes.
Remove chicken to cool on a baking sheet. (For faster cooling, submerge chicken in ice water.) Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
Make the glaze: Put soy sauce, sugar, cayenne, garlic, toasted sesame oil, ginger and 1/2 cup cooking liquid in a shallow saucepan or small skillet over medium-high heat. Simmer rapidly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Chop bone-in chicken into 1-inch chunks with a sharp cleaver or large chef’s knife. (Remove bones before chopping, if preferred. If using drumettes or boneless thighs, leave whole.) Arrange chicken on a serving platter.
Brush glaze onto the meat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts. Add chiles (if using), cilantro and scallions. Surround with mustard greens or lettuce leaves, if using. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
I’ve made hummus both with canned and dried beans I think they are both fine. Some purists think you should skin the chickpeas, but I don’t think it’s necessary if you are whizzing them thoroughly in a food processor. I like the recipe from Jerusalem. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014943-hummus-from-jerusalem Our farmer’s market has a guy who puts all kinds of other herbs in his hummus - the one with lemon thyme is particularly good.
This site has good recipes for hummus, toum (Lebanese lemon garlic sauce), and baba ghanouj (roasted eggplant/tahini), all are very tasty and easy to make.
https://www.mamaslebanesekitchen.com/mezza/hummus-recipe-from-scratch/amp/
Skinning the chick peas is a pain, but I do think in dishes where you keep the chickpeas whole de-skinning is worthwhile. This is my favorite chickpea dish:
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/spicy-creamy-chickpeas-with-runny-eggs-and-prosciutto
Very easy and quick! I often don’t add the prosciutto.
I need my mom on this thread! She is from Morocco and makes hummus at least once a week (she uses no tahini). She also grew up with preserved lemons always available (lemon trees in her neighborhood free for the picking) and has some in her refrig right now that she made!
I am lazy and just the thought of skinning chick peas makes me recoil with horror. But I also love smooth hummus. Luckily, you don’t need to skin chick peas to get smooth hummus. Adding baking soda to the initial soak of the dried chickpeas and then to the cooking water breaks down the cell walls of the chick pea skins so that they can be pureed completely smooth in hummus. Yay for us lazy people!!!
I do a version of the Serious Eats smooth hummus recipe. It’s very smooth and tasty, but apparently my family has a fear of vampires so we need a lot more garlic flavor… I let the garlic/lemon puree infuse for an hour or so before straining for extra bad breath. 
For those of you searching for the Tajin seasoning–I saw it at my Costco yesterday. It was on sale as well–two large 14 oz. containers for maybe $6.00 or so. I know not all Costco stores carry the same items, but it would be worth it to take a look.
^^Thanks I’m due to a Costco trip, I’ll check ours!
This morning I did a quick shakshuka (another one staple we grew up with - often eating it with just bread or crackers) with a poached egg on it - eating it for brunch. Perfect use for all the summer bounty of tomatoes, peppers, garlic.
I did a google search for Tajin seasoning at Penzey’s . It pulled up there Pico Fruta seasoning - I actually have that - do you think it’s similar? I like the Pico Fruta (on watermelon) but would something a little more pungent/heat.
I make my hummus with white beans instead of chick peas. Now THAT’S smooth hummus!
I am an equal opportunity hummus lover - chunky or smooth, there’s a hummus for every time and occasion and food pairing. BUT I don’t like store bought hummus - like the Sabra type brands - I’ll eat it in a pinch but won’t buy it.
I think some of the store bought brands taste OK, but it frustrates me that so many (Sabra included) use Soybean oil instead of Olive oil. One of the main reasons we like hummus in our house is that it’s not just tasty, it’s healthy and Olive oil is one of the reasons for its good nutritional profile. Using Soybean instead of Olive oil significantly decreases the nutrition and its appeal for me, it’s more of a faux healthy food. Not as unhealthy as something like ranch dip, but still not what I’d choose to eat large quantities of.
Making homemade hummus isn’t too difficult, so we do it. But if there were commercial brands readily available that used Olive oil instead of Soybean, I’d submit to my inner lazy more often and buy hummus premade.
I buy Cedar brand hummus for my H. We use it when making tortilla wraps with leftover vegetables. I think it uses olive oil. I’ve made hummus and my D makes hummus regularly from canned chickpeas. She doesn’t use tahini. My sister in law is from Beirut and she uses canned chickpeas and tahini in her hummus. My favorite way of serving hummus is the way I ate it 35 years ago in Israel. Spread on a plate with drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of paprika. I like to make a tahini salad dressing. I prefer Mideast brands of tahini over the organic American brands. I prefer a smooth tahini. I’m interested in what a preserved lemon tastes like. How hard are they to make?
I bought a jar of rose harissa. Any ideas as to how to use it?