Girl vs. Lebanon

With scant knowledge and even less preparation, I signed up to thru-hike the Lebanese Mountain Trail (LMT), a 30-day, 292-mile trek that traverses the length of the country.  Thru-hiking, the end-to-end hike of a trail, has a well-earned reputation as a fulfilling, yet challenging, endeavor.  As CleverHiker’s Dave Collins describes it, “Completing a thru-hike will be one of the most profoundly rewarding achievements of your life … it’ll also be tough as hell and you’ll wish you were dead.”  That pretty much sums it up. 

The photo above is the cedar tree on the Lebanese flag. It was taken on April 23 which gives you a sense of the weather we encountered. It was one of the best, and most challenging, things I’ve ever done. One of the highlights was the amazing food we were served in guest houses, hotels, and monasteries. In honor of one of my favorite countries in the world, here’s a recipe for Lebanese roasted garlic hummus from my book.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

2 c. chickpeas, cooked or canned, rinsed and drained

1 head garlic, roasted and pureed

1/4 c. warm water

2 tbsp tahini

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 c. Extra-virgin olive oil, to serve

Chopped parsley for garnish

Paprika, for garnish

Za’atar, for garnish

Combine the chickpeas, garlic, warm water, tahini, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor.  Puree until the mixture is smooth and light.  Adjust the consistency bu adding either a little water or lemon juice.  The hummus can be stored at this point in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 day

To serve:  Allow the hummus to come to room temperature.  Spoon it into a bowl, drizzle it with olive oil, and sprinkle with parsley, paprika, and/or za’atar.  Accompany the hummus with crudités, pita or other flatbreads, or crackers.

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Fortuna Dies Natalis Cicero!

The great Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero whose treatise De Republica I struggled with in High School Latin, was born on this day in 106 BC. According to Plutarch, Cicero got his surname from “cicer,” the Latin name for the chickpea. The name came from one of his ancestors who had a “faint dent in the end of his nose like the cleft of a chickpea.” (I wish I was clever enough to make this up.)

Chickpeas … garlic … hmmm … okay, here’s a delicious recipe for hummus with an entire head of roasted garlic. Bonum appetitionem!

Roasted Garlic Hummus
2 c. canned chickpeas
2 T. tahini
4 T. olive oil
1/4 c. warm water
1 large head of garlic
1 lemon, juice of
1/4 t. sea salt


Preheat oven to 375°F Cut off the very top of the head of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap securely in tin foil. Roast garlic in oven for 1 hour. Remove and allow to cool.


Squeeze the soft, roasted garlic out of each clove into food processor. Rinse and drain cooked or canned chickpeas. Add chickpeas and other ingredients and blend until completely smooth.


Turn into a bowl, drizzle hummus with olive oil and sprinkle with za’atar (a Middle eastern blend of dried herbs, sesame seeds, and salt), parsley, or paprika.

Serve at room temperature with crudites, warm pita or crackers.