~Hummus Soup~

Tonight for dinner, I made Hummus Surprise Soup, following Michelle's recipe. The only change to the recipe I made was to leave out the teaspoon of salt. I figured that it would have enough salt in it from the canned beans and chicken broth (and it did).

This soup was oh-so-tasty! It hinted of the soup I enjoyed as a teenager at my next door neighbors, who were from India. It wasn't quite the same, but very similar. I served it with the cilantro and lime juice on top. If you make it, definitely make sure to serve it with cilantro and lime juice! We had pita bread on the side.

Mmmmm, mmmmm, good! I've been looking for some good vegetarian meals to serve every once in a while, and this will be on my menu again! (You can also make the soup with meat if you wish.)

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On another note, I had to run out to the store tonight specifically for the cilantro. I never have any luck with storing cilantro for any length of time, so I try to either have the dish with cilantro in it at the beginning of the week (right after I do my shopping), or if it is at the end of the week, just plan on running out for cilantro. Tonight it crossed my mind to check on the proper storage, and see if I could get it to last longer. Here is what I found, according to www.IndiaCurry.com:

How to store fresh Cilantro (Coriander Leafs)?

Short term (5 to 10 days)
Store Cilantro same as if you would store flowers. Collect Cilantro in a bundle where the stems are facing in the same direction. Tie the bundle with a thread. Cut the end of the bundle with a sharp knife. Find a short vase. Fill the vase with plain water. Put the Cilantro bundle in the vase. Now find a brown paper bag. The paper bag should be big enough to cover the bundle and the vase. Invert the paper bag over the the cilantro. This will provide appropriate humidity around the leafs. The open portion of the bag will provide room for enough air circulation. Put the contraption in the refrigerator.

Mid term (Up to 60 days)
Pick and collect all the leafs. Get an ice cube tray. Stuff every ice cube cavity with the cilantro leafs. Add just enough water. Freeze for two days.

After two days, removes the cilantro cubes and transfer them into a freezer zip-lock bag. Store the Zip-lock bag in the freezer. Use as needed.

Long term (Up to six months)
Collect Cilantro in a bundle where the stems are facing in the same direction. Tie the bundle with a rubber band. Find a medium size brown paper bag. Poke holes every two inches. These holes will provide air circulation. Put the bundle in the paper bag. Gather the the paper bag opening around the end of the bundle. Put a rubber band around the paper bag opening so it is holding the bundle inside. Let the paper bag sit in the basement for about a week. After the leafs are dry, just shaking will let all the leafs lose from the stems. Store the dried leafs in an air tight glass jar.

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