Jacaranda In Bloom & Eggplant Hummus - Video

Emblematic
to LA are its grand boulevards lined with palm trees. This month a lavender blue upstart enters the scene -- the blossoming Jacaranda tree. Stand under its branches at full bloom and the perfume is overwhelming. May is the month that launches millions of blossoms carpeting large swaths of sidewalk; drive along 6th Street towards LACMA and it's blue for blocks.

Sidewalk at 1845 N. Edgemont in Los Feliz

However, this beauty comes with a price: the decomposing flower secretes oils to stain auto body finishes and anything else it lays on -- gray sidewalks dye almost black (read the negatives here, and where to find blocks of Jacarandas).

To celebrate this month of blossoms, The 99 Cent Chef serves up a blue video montage of Jacarandas with a purple vegetarian delight -- 99 cent Eggplant Hummus.

Jacaranda & Hummus Video

Play it here. The video runs 2 minutes 55 seconds.

Ingredients

• 1 small (7 oz.) 99 cent jar marinated grilled eggplant
• 1 16 oz. can garbanzo beans
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
  1 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 tablespoons garlic - fresh or from jar
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, fresh or concentrate from a 99 cent plastic lemon
• Serve on 99 cent pita bread or as a dip for raw veggies

Directions
Add all ingredients (including oil from marinated eggplant) to blender or food processor and blend for
10 - 20 seconds until hummus is creamy. Serve with sliced pita bread triangles and/or fresh chopped veggies (carrots, celery, red/yellow bell pepper, etc.) 99c only Stores also sell roasted red bell pepper in a jar, so try that sometime instead of eggplant. If your local 99c only Store is out of bottled roasted veggies make a plain one with the above mentioned ingredients, and the addition of a 1/4 cup of 99c olive oil blend.

To view or embed video from youtube click here.