Fattoush Dip with Kale Hummus

Subtitle:  A Fast Farm Share Dip Dinner

Freshly chopped summer produce and preserved vegetables layered over a bed of kale hummus and topped with pita chip croutons.

The other day I shared how I can or freeze summer produce to enjoy during the winter.  Today I'm sharing how I can take the fresh farm share bounty and make a fast supper (for one) or appetizer (for two) in minutes.

I've travelled across the middle of the US recently, and many non-highway roads I've been on have had farm stands.  These stands are selling tomatoes, melons, corn, peaches, cucumbers, squash--the bulk of the summer produce is ripe and ready from Michigan to Delaware (and probably other places, but I haven't been to them this week).

A CSA farm share haul from a few weeks back.

With all this ripe fresh goodness at your fingertips, making a quick and delicious dinner is easy.  I brought home the farm share box, realized we had plenty of leftovers for the kids to scrounge dinner, and decided to treat myself to a riff on my Five Layer Mediterranean Chicken Dip.  I'd first made that dip before cucumbers and tomatoes were in season, and I'd thought the concept (base of dip topped with goodies and eaten with pita chips) was a good one. Mine started with a base of Kale and Sumac Hummus (recipe below) but any hummus will do.  I also keep a few jarred vegetables on hand (olives and artichoke hearts) to add some layers of flavor to the fresh produce.

As an aside, in my Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient (a page on the bar above) I have a category for Veggies in Jars where I index my recipes that use artichokes and olives, as well as capers and sun dried tomatoes and probably something else.

All I needed to do was grab a cucumber, a banana pepper, a couple of tomatoes, and after a few minutes of chopping I had a fresh crunchy cool zingy dinner ready to go.  When I realized that I'd unwittingly combined many elements of Fattoush into an appetizer, I decided to call this Fattoush Dip with Kale Hummus.

Only one problem--I was at the end of the bag of pita chips.  So I quickly regrouped (I am a military spouse, after all, and plan F or U or B or R is my specialty), used the pita chip crumbs as croutons, and turned this into an appetizer eaten with a spoon.

Kale and Sumac Hummus

1 1/2 cups cooked chick peas
1 cup tightly packed blanched or steamed kale (stems removed)
3 cloves garlic (here's how I roast and put up my garlic crop)
1/3 cup tahini (could go up to 1/2 cup if you like)
juice of 1 lemon (at least 1/4 cup, could use more if you like, and use the lemon zest if you're feeling zesty)
1/4 teaspoon sumac (this makes it more Fattoush-y, this recipe is why I bought some)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 to 3 Tablespoons olive oil, plus more to dribble over the top of the finished hummus

Combine all of the above ingredients in a food processor.  Pulse several times, then scrape down the sides and process until finely blended.  Allow the hummus to hang in the refrigerator for a few hours to blend the flavors, but it's best served at room temp with a dribble of olive oil over top as shown below.  Yes, I am a liberal dribbler.

Fattoush Dip with Kale Hummus (serves 2, unless it's your dinner, then it serves 1 Happy Gal)

1/4 cup Kale and Sumac Hummus

1/2 cup chopped cucumber (or more, to taste)

1/2 cup chopped tomato (or more, to taste)

1/4 cup crumbled cheese (I had goat which was fine, but I wish I'd had feta too)

1/4 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts

2 Tablespoons chopped olives (I like green olives)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh banana peppers

1/4 cup pita chip crumbs (see NOTE)

Spread hummus on a dinner plate (mine are about 8 inches across, so maybe salad or lunch plates but smaller plates help with portion size).  Top with cucumber, tomato, cheese, and the rest of the veggies.  Scatter pita chip "croutons" over top, and sprinkle a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper on top.

Dig in with a spoon.  

NOTE:  If you have whole pita chips, don't break them up--just make sure you've chopped all the veggies pretty small and scoop up the layered dip with the pita chips.  But if there's some crumbs at the end of the bag . . . you know what to do (and now I'm singing Hey Ya).

Have you ever said "fattoush-y" before?

Want more ideas for layered vegetable appetizers? Click on the photo to go to each recipe:

This post is linked up with the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up, What's Cooking Wednesday, What's In The Box, From the Farm Blog Hop,  Clever Chicks Blog Hop, and Tasty Tuesdays, Real Food Fridays, Food on Fridays