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There were so many things I learned through the #SNAP4aWeek Challenge, but one was that it is so much easier to fit in vegetables when you can buy them washed and ready to eat. Certainly not all vegetables take a long time to clean or prepare, but having a bag of cleaned greens in the fridge means I have absolutely no reason to not eat them for lunch. Having a bag of baby carrots means I have no reason to eat saltines instead of carrots.

It’s definitely something I take for granted.

Here are my favorite convenience vegetables that make fitting in fresh produce SO easy!

• washed lettuce, salad mix, greens, etc.
• baby carrots – I actually prefer to peel and cut my own, and I often do, but if I’m short on time, baby carrots do the trick!
• frozen vegetables – typically they just need a quick saute (green beans are my favorite)
• bag of washed  broccoli or cauliflower florets, green beans, etc. – you can steam them in the bag, toss them in oil and roast or saute with other vegetables
• asparagus – a quick rinse and snap of the ends make asparagus on the speedy side

What convenient vegetables do you rely on?

Adding butter to hummus seems wrong.

But definitely not wrong enough to not try it! In addition to seeming wrong, it also seems brilliant.

Food & Wine recently had an article dedicated to the food scene in Minneapolis and finally the food world seems to be giving Minneapolis/St. Paul the credit it deserves. In the article, they featured a recipe for hummus with smoked paprika butter and za’atar from the chef at Saffron, a modern Mediterranean restaurant. I only visited Saffron once, and don’t recall seeing hummus with butter on the menu, but I know I was impressed with everything we had.

I’m always up for a new twist on hummus and was pretty excited to try this one out. I love hummus as much as the next person but sometimes I need a bit of flair, something special! In addition to the beautiful color, the smoked paprika butter adds a smoky, rich flavor that is a wonderful addition to hummus.

If you don’t have any za’atar seasoning, don’t worry, it can be left out. If you don’t have smoked paprika…you need some.

PS. I tried making this with earth balance, but it was not as good as the real butter version. If you are vegan, you are probably used to the difference and wouldn’t mind, but if you aren’t, use real butter!

Please make your own hummus, it makes a world of difference!