Lemon Poppy Seed Hummus

I knew Tuesday was going to be crazy and it has been. After talking to our vet we decided that Masi needs to be thoroughly checked out tomorrow. Unfortunately he isn’t the most cooperative little angel when he is at the vet’s office. The only time they can draw blood is when he is knocked out. This evening the feline population at our house will be fasting so that Masi can spending much of the day at the doc getting blood drawn, having x-rays and getting subcutaneous fluids. We need to rule out as many things as we can since he is a very loved little precious. Needless to say I have been lamenting Masi’s trip to the vet because I am a very concerned cat mommy, otherwise known as moderately neurotic. ;-)

Today I have been running around trying to get things done today that were on my calendar for tomorrow since I know that I won’t have time. Not to mention I will be too worried about Masi to remain focused. Good thing I held back on the second hummus recipe from Monday so I had something quick to blog about.  :-)

For my morning snack today I had sliced peaches spread with lemon poppy seed hummus and loved it. I had never thought of sweet hummus until I saw so many varieties of it at the hummus stand at the farmers’ market. However I must say hummus really is a blank canvas just waiting for any flavor combinations you can think of to add to it. One thing I have learned is that almost anything seems to work with hummus. Expect to see many more hummus variations now that my eyes have been opened.

Yesterday I took some freshly cooked and drained chickpeas and pureed them with a little of the cooking liquid. I have learned that hot or at least warm chickpeas get creamier when you process them. To the pureed chickpeas I added lemon zest, lemon juice and a small amount of stevia. I incorporated poppy seeds at the end of the processing. What I had at the end was a smooth lemony spread which is lightly sweet with poppy seeds. This works perfectly with fruit and reminds me of lemon poppy seed muffins which I used to love but wouldn’t eat now.

Great Quote:

I read a phenomenal quote today that spoke to me so I wanted to share it with you.

"Only she who attempts the absurd can achieve the impossible." - Claire Goldberg Moses

The moment I read this I felt as though the writer could have been me. I have always been someone who didn’t take no for an answer and thought anything was possible with enough hard work and practice and the writer certainly seems to agree. In fact I think that willingness to take on the impossible is what separates people. To be clear what I am speaking of is the unwillingness to give up.

Specifically when oncologists said there were no lifestyle changes that would impact health I refused to believe that and dove into research. Thankfully I was that type of person and decided that no change was too drastic if it had science behind it. However I know many cancer patients who listen to their doctors as though they are demi-gods. My heart goes out to these people since I have the feeling that by them continuing to do what they have always done they will continue to get what they always got, in other words more cancer is likely in their future.  *sigh*  Maybe one day lifestyle changes will be prescribed for disease before drugs and surgery.

What are some of your favorite quotes?

Happy Thoughts:

Today has been a rough day for me with Masi being sick. I am unnerved by the thought of Masi going under anesthesia tomorrow because he didn’t handle it well when he got his teeth cleaned in the fall. However I am going to force myself to look on the bright side. Here goes:

• I am thankful that I have a caring veterinarian who I have known for almost 30 years. It is comforting knowing that Masi will be in the hands of someone who cares about his welfare as much as I do.

• I am also grateful that we have the financial ability to pay for whatever services Masi needs to recover. There really isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my fur children but at least this I don't need to worry about how to pay for his care.

• I had to cancel cooking class this week to be home with Masi. However I fortunate that Donna (our cooking teacher) understood that my precious baby needed to come first. She even sent me an email saying “she would miss me and that I was a good mamma”. Awww, wasn’t that sweet?

• This week have tickets to a jazz concert with Peter White and Gerald Albright which I am really looking forward to attending. I love modern jazz and it is even better when it is live. With all the worry over Masi an evening to relax will be very welcome.

• Dan was in Richmond today but he will be home earlier than normal so that is also something that makes me very happy.

• At the moment I am grateful for Pandora and my husband who insisted that we needed a new TV last summer. The Sting channel is playing on the TV now and that always makes me want to move around which in turns makes me feel happy even when I am down before the music starts.

Signing Out:

It is time for me to get ready for Dan to get home. We are going downtown to listen to a little Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs. This is music that I grew up on, because yes I am that old. ;-)

Enjoy the rest of you evening. I should be back tomorrow with a Masi update and a Middle Eastern flavored eggplant soup with sumac, clove and cinnamon that I made on Sunday. Talk with you again soon.