Welcome to gadget Thursday.  Or equipment Thursday.  Or stuff Thursday.  Or maybe I should just give up the attempt at a theme name and explain.  Once a week I want to talk about something I use a lot in my kitchen and why.  It might be a gadget, it might be a pot or a pan I consider essential, it might be a cookbook, it might even be a food item.

When you’re just getting started cooking, the sheer number of items that people say you “must have” can be overwhelming. I’m hoping I can help make sense of the craziness. My disclaimer is this: what you must have in your kitchen, what you need, is going to depend a lot on what you cook. What is a must have for me might be useless for you – but if you’re looking for some ideas and thoughts, hopefully you’ll find some useful information here.

The first item I want to mention is one that I honestly never thought I’d own, much less use on a daily basis.

Magic Bullet Blender Set

I know, I know – that whole “As Seen on TV” thing is scary, but I’m no longer ashamed to admit that I love the Magic Bullet. It was given to me as a gift and it sat in the box for almost a year before I even opened it. Then one day my blender died and I was desperate. I haven’t put it back in the box since and I haven’t bought a replacement blender, either. I use it for smoothies, hummus, pesto, blending soups, making remoulade, and a dozen other things I can’t think of right now.

The cups and containers come with a set of screw on lids, so you can blend things up and store them in the fridge or take them to work with you. The motor is nicely powerful and even works on ice cubes. Seriously … I love it. (I think I said that already, didn’t I?)

And here’s a bonus Thursday recipe in honor of the Magic Bullet. I make this hummus all the time to snack on with veggies or to spread on a sandwich. The Bullet makes it easy!

Navy Bean Hummus

Traditional hummus is made with garbanzo beans, but I like navy beans for the milder flavor and lighter texture – it’s especially good as a base for variations.

1 can (15 oz) navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 heaping tbsp tahini
1 clove of garlic, peeled (or 2 cloves if you like garlic – which I do)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt to taste
paprika or cayenne if you want some spice

Put all the ingredients into the largest container of the Magic Bullet (or into the bowl of your food processor or your blender) and pulse until you get a thick, creamy dip. If you need to, you can drizzle in a little olive oil and up to 1/4 cup of water in order to thin out the mixture. If you cook your own beans rather than using canned, reserve a little of the liquid from cooking to use for thinning your hummus.

Variations: Toss in a couple of sun dried tomatoes, a few marinaded artichoke hearts, or any other veg or spice you want to spice things up. Hummus is great on it’s own, or it makes a great base for other strong flavors.

Nutritional Info (basic recipe as above makes four 1/4 cup servings) Calories:136. Fat:4.4g. Sodium:377mg. Carbs:17.4g. Fiber:5.6g. Protein:5.4g.

Further disclaimers: Note that the makers of the Magic Bullet have not sponsored this post. They don’t know me. They have (probably) never heard of this blog. I got my Bullet as a gift and I’m sure the person who gave it to me paid full price for it.  He doesn’t work for the makers of Bullet either. (Although if MB wanted to send me more cup containers and lids, I wouldn’t turn them down!)