Easy Weeknight Hummus Bowl

by Anna Sawyer, Café Assistant Manager

In the whirlwind of modern life, finding time to prepare a wholesome meal that is both quick and satisfying can feel like a daunting task. Yet, it's precisely during these hectic moments that we crave nourishment the most. Enter the Easy Weeknight Hummus Bowl – a simple creation that perfectly balances convenience with flavor, providing a delightful solution for busy evenings. And the best part – it’s fully customizable! Use what you have or what you crave! 

The beauty of the Easy Weeknight Hummus Bowl lies in its simplicity and versatility. By layering creamy hummus and tangy Labneh as the base, you create a harmonious blend of flavors that serve as a canvas for an array of fresh ingredients. Each component contributes its unique essence to the dish. Adding some of the BFC Chickpea Salad provides a hearty boost of protein and fiber, making this bowl not only delicious but also nourishing.

The next time you find yourself strapped for time on a weeknight, consider whipping up this delightful hummus bowl. Here’s how my wife and I do it.

Ingredients:

• BFC house-made Hummus

• Labneh

• Diced cucumbers

• Diced tomatoes

• Kalamata Olives

• BFC house-made Chickpea Salad

• Crumbled Feta cheese

• Olive oil, for drizzling

• Za'atar and flaky salt, to taste

• Pita or pita chips, for serving

Instructions:

1. Begin by selecting your favorite bowl and loading the bottom with BFC Hummus

2. Next to that, spread a generous layer of Labneh

3. Arrange your cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives on top of the hummus and Labneh

4. Spoon a portion of BFC Chickpea Salad onto the bowl

5. Crumble feta cheese over the salad

6. Drizzle olive oil across the ingredients

7. Sprinkle it with za'atar and flaky salt for added flavor

8. Serve with your preferred choice of pita or pita chips for a satisfying crunch

Buying Club: What is it and how does it work?

Buying Club; what is it and how does it work? 

The Buying Club is a benefit exclusive to Owners and is worth taking advantage of. It allows us Owners to have a price break when buying cases of products we use all the time (spaghetti sauce, salad dressings, soups, etc.). The grocery catalogs and paper forms are right at the counter in the Café seating area – as you come in from the grocery cart storage area, the stuff you are looking for is exactly on the left, under the art gallery wall. I will speak from my experience, and I can show you a blank order form so we can see how the details are handled. 

I have done orders from two of our distributors – UNFI (United Natural Foods, Inc.) and CHEX. We are able to order from any distributor whose name appears on a shelf tag, but keep in mind that not every distributor delivers weekly. UNFI does deliver weekly 49 weeks out of the year – some holidays mess with schedules.

From our distributors, Owners are able to order cases of items and the prices we receive are between 10% and 30% off the shelf price. Prices from our distributors fluctuate and sometimes items are placed on promotional pricing by the distributor. The Co-op does not want to lose money on our Buying Club orders, but because of pricing changes the Co-op cannot promise a constant discount from the shelf price. Common distributors include UNFI, Frontier, CHEX and KeHe.

Take a look at this photo of a shelf tag for Annie's Organic Goddess Dressing – in the lower right-hand corner of that label is the distributor information – in this instance UNFI. My daughter and I like a certain salad dressing so I buy a case and she and I divide the bottles according to need. I also buy soups by the case for quick dinners when I come home hungry.

It is possible to buy wellness items, meat and produce through Buying Club also – just talk to the Managers of those departments. Bring them a Buying Club Order Form with all your personal information filled out, a key piece of info being the last four numbers of your Owner number. Remember, this benefit is for Owners only. Please try to come into Wellness to discuss and place orders between 10:30 AM and 4:30 PM when there are more people staffing the departments. With Wellness, you need to order 3 or 4 of an item – usually not a full case. The Produce staff come in early and leave earlier, so mornings are best for them. Meat’s best time is morning and middle of the day.

When your grocery order form is filled out, put it in the front of the file box near the distributor catalogs, labeled “new orders”. Then as your order is filled and tracked – primarily by Jeremy – you will be called or emailed when the order is in the store for you to pick up. For grocery, your order form will be filed alphabetically in the file holder – so when you come into the store, pick up the form from the folder matching your last name. As you check out, hand the form to your cashier and they will have the box(es) brought up to you during checkout and you will pay then. Meat, produce and wellness departments will contact you directly, with instructions about how to retrieve your stuff from each department. You will always pay as part of the check-out process.

Our website has a little information about Buying Club, as well as a UNFI catalog and an email address for you to use. But I would encourage you to start by coming into the store to place your first order.

Onward!

Kitty Kiefer, Board Member

From the Board President:

Welcome Spring! A time for renewal!

Longer days, warmer temperatures, purple crocus blooming in the garden and….new offerings at our Co-op! 

• Have you noticed the new smoothie menu in the cafe? I have sampled 2 so far and I highly recommend the Pineapple Paradise (it’s cool and refreshing, healthy and tasty!) and the Banana Split (it’s simply deeeeelish! A total treat!). I’m looking forward to trying out the new sandwich menu too!

• Check out the new house made salad dressing and flavored cream cheese (scallion is a favorite!) in the refrigerated case across from the hot bar, all made fresh in our kitchen.

• Take the night off from cooking and bring home the new Berkshire Food Co-op Meal Kits. They’re thoughtfully assembled kits you can take home for easy cooking without too many steps. Enough to feed at least 4 for just $29.99!

• Or check out the Hot Bar for dinner! Pack up a container of freshly made soup, serve with a salad and voila, an easy dinner is served!

Looking forward, this is what we have coming down the road:

• Produce Manager Mark shared that spring and summer will bring in more locally grown produce than ever. When the sun shines, look for produce bins outside creating a farmer’s market vibe! You can also sense a case of spring fever as he pointed out the new High Mowing seed display that greets you at the door! Ready-set-plant!

• Wait! There’s more! In the next couple of weeks, the bulk department will be getting a refresh with the addition of more personal and home products. You will have more choices for reusable containers so we can all make a difference helping to reduce plastic and individual packaging.

And finally from the Board room:

• The Board of Directors has been busy working together to help our GM, Jessica, navigate the challenges of a small business, ever increasing food costs, staffing shortages, how to best engage with our 5,500+ Owners and all shoppers, etc. We want to make the Co-op your place to shop!

Don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know how we can better serve you!

Thank you for shopping, and see you in the aisles!

Phyllis Webb