Broccoli Bonsai

OK, so my picture is not so great, and the idea is not "mine", but I wanted to pass this on as a way to make a fun treat for kids that also happens to be ... um, well... it's ahh .... good for them (broccoli is a great cancer fighter; hummus is high in fiber and protein).  The main point to make with the kiddies is that this is a way to play with your food (and eat it, too).  My sister sent me this idea from the October issue of Family Fun Magazine (connect to the original entry by clicking here).  I wanted to add a simple recipe for hummus, so that you can make your own.  In the picture, I am demonstrating what it would look like if your 5-year-old designed her own little, friendly broccoli bonsai garden, rather than the graveyard looking one from the magazine (plus, I just don't have the time/patience to put something THAT elaborate together today...), since that is where my food-art skills find themselves these days.  I would like to issue a challenge to my cousin, David-the special effects wizzard, who inspired this months kid-treats-oriented recipes, to come up with a neat display using hummus as a base on which to build (come on, David, I know you would LOVE to do this...just think of it as an edible movie set...) and send me a picture.  He was, after all, able to craft my Barbie a kitchen sink (with running water) and cabinets from an empty tissue box and plastic medicine cup when we were kids.

Hummus:

1 can chickpeas (garbonzo beans), rinsed and drained

2 Tablespoons tahini (or peanut butter)

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon (more or less to taste)

water (enough to make a thick hummus consistency)

1/2 cup cooked spinach (optional)

Directions:

In large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients and about 1/4 cup of water.  Using a hand blender, begin to puree the mixture.  Every 30 seconds, or so, add a little more water until the desired consistency is achieved.  I prefer really smooth hummus, so I tend to add more water than would support the broccoli "trees", but the consistency is up to you.  According to Family Fun Magazine, you can add about 1/2 cup cooked spinach that has been throughly drained in order to get a green hummus.  Do this before adding the extra water so that you don't end up with something too watery.  I would use frozen spinach, microwaved (then drained) for about 2 minutes for this.