Info-poetic-mercial-blog-gone-bad

Let me paint a picture for you: It's 8:00 on a Thursday afternoon, and the day couldn't be more perfect... for Philadelphia. It's not too hot, not too cold, and the traffic had just about subsided. It was a dusk for biking. Down the long stretch of deserted Washington, across the bricks of Broad street, I gently bumped along at a clip that's only possible on the main through-ways of the city. In case you didn't know, the front man from Sigur Ros just came out with a solo album. More spunky than the usual pastel soundscapes of his band, Jonsi's Icelandic slightly hip tunes of rejuvenation propelled me through the spring evening. Hitting a deeper cadence as I hit Front street, I sailed past the patchwork riverfront of old ports and new condominiums. The sparked sky and distinct smell of water somehow coexisted with the doppler drone of cars on the Columbus freeway. Jonsi's incoherent verbiage and ascending tempo seemed to dictate the spin of my wheels. I planned to go north into unknown territory today, but veered at the last second at Penn Treaty Park, succumbing to its river vista and soft grass, a rare thing in the city. As the faded, reverberating tones of Icelandic hymns lapped at my ears, I pedaled silently into a scene that surely could've been from any era. Old people discussed drivel with fervor in thick foreign tongues, young mothers with leftover belly-fat wandered around their children in a placid trance, kids jumped and shouted in tiny voices over a phantom shark sighting, couples walked and lay on blankets in the grass that was just starting to sprout summer gnats, small planes noiselessly crossed behind the Ben Frank bridge to someplace else, and the soft buzz of a boat faded in the distance. The sky was soft and light, and the river mirrored its hue. Turning west to weave my way back through dense urbanity, I noticed that the fading light on the city buildings gave them the color of the tiniest seashells that you find just where the ocean laps the shore.

Ok, with that kind of intro, I should be telling you that I came home and made a giant fruit cake. It's not true. I drizzled honey on a tart grapefruit, but didn't take any pictures. HOWEVER, I did feel relaxed enough to take the time out to blog about my new food creation.

And it is: Hummus Egg Salad!
The idea was born out of necessity and curiosity, as usual. I had a dozen hard-boiled eggs. (They make great hiking snacks.) I had a tub of hummus. I had no utensil. I wanted to eat both. In goes the egg for the scoop, and ta da! hummus egg salad was born. Taking the taste of this idea home with me, I tried a last attempt at hummus. Fortunately, it worked this time.

LONG STORY SHORT: you make -or buy- hummus (any kind you like). Then you slice and dice a couple of hardboiled eggs, and you mix together. Garnish with some fresh basil or cilantro and you're golden.



Here's the more detailed breakdown:

For the Hummus (if you don't buy it):

• Can of garbanzo beans
• 2 tbs olive oil (I skipped on the tahini because it hurts my stomach)
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 pinches sea salt
• 4ish sprigs of fresh cilantro

Puree or finely dice the garlic. Mix with the oil, lime juice, and sea salt. Puree or vigorously mix them together till a bit frothy. Add garbanzo beans and blend. A food processor works best of course.

For the egg:

Don't laugh, hard-boiling eggs can be a tricky and much debated subject. Do your own internet research if you wish, but I've found this way to be low-maintenance and delicious.

• Put however many eggs into a big pot
• Add cold water to cover the eggs
• Bring to a gentle boil, and let boil for 1-2 minutes
• Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let stand for 12 minutes
• After the time is up, run cold water through the pot
• Stick the whole pot in the fridge, or dry them off and put back in their carton and then into the fridge... you're just trying to ensure they're not going to cook anymore

That's it. You should get easy to peel eggs that aren't cracked, and don't have greenish yolks.

After that, you can follow the directions in orange up above. I warmed a corn tortilla on the gas stove and piled the egg salad on top. Not pictured: a sprinkle of shredded white cheddar cheese.

It's that simple! The egg and hummus combination tastes great, and you can avoid eating the strange substance that is mayonnaise and/or miracle whip! And it's healthy! And... I sound like an infomercial.

Just don't eat any more eggs for the day and it'll be part of a complete lunch. (1.5 egg yolks is about your daily cholesterol intake... however, this study says that the body doesn't absorb all the cholesterol in the egg anyway. Also, the yolk houses all the nutrients of the egg. So make your own decisions... everything in moderation, including moderation, yada yada yada.)

Alright, the info-poetic-mercial-blog-gone-bad is over. Thanks for reading!