Sabra Adventure [part 2]

How cruel of me to leave off with such a tasty teaser…but before I get to the new flavors, let me continue with the day’s happenings…

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After our photography session we headed into the test-kitchen (slash science lab?) to meet with Sabra’s Executive Chef MaryDawn Wright.

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Seriously, check out the nerdy equipment!?!  Anyone need to centrifuge something while whipping something else up on the stove?  I wonder how often they put hummus in test tubes…

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It was extremely cool to see the behind the scenes where hummus is sampled, new flavors are developed, recipes are tested, and the quality of each batch is checked and re-checked.

As I was taking everything in, my mind was racing and my stomach was doing somersaults.  So excited! 

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I got to try fresh off the line chickpea paste and tahini. 

Let me say, they are definitely better once combined!  No offense to the tahini lovers out there, but it’s not my fave on it’s own.  MaryDawn pointed out how it has such a mouth drying quality, which I immediately recognized.

Apparently that’s one of it’s key properties that plays a role in how it interacts with the chickpea paste…sucking all the liquid up to create Sabra’s signature thick creamy texture.

On their own, the chickpeas were very meaty (and in desperate need of some fat!).  It was really neat to try the two main ingredients separately before trying the final product because it made me realize how Sabra really has perfected the combination.

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BRAND NEW HUMMUS.

You guys!!  I was the. first. person. to try this.  Fresh off the line.  My life is complete. 

Side note: because they are a certified green facility, we were using paper spoons made from recycled materials for the samplings.  No plastic spoons!  You can read more about Sabra’s eco-friendly facility, packaging, and more here.  [They have been certified as such since 2010 under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification program]

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Back to the hummus…next we learned about how crazy high their standards are.  In addition to the flavor, they rate every thing from the “nipple” (that pointy part in the center) to the ridges to the scattering of spices.  And boy are they picky!  Now I know why I’ve never had a lemon of a tub!!

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Compare the flat guy on the right with it’s pathetic excuse for a nipple to the curvaceous Scarlet Johansen of a figure on the left.  They must feel so objectified! 😛

Next up was the best part of the whole day (in my opinion).  NEW FLAVORS!!!

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Ladies and Gentlemen, May I present to you the brand new Sabra flavor…Asian Fusion!

Truth be told, I was kinda skeptical of the idea of infusing Asian flavors in hummus.  It seemed odd – but then I’ve been known to put Sabra on every single thing I can get my hands on – so I’m not one to judge hummus pairings. 

Anyway, after MaryDawn pointed out the thought process (sesame seeds being a major component of both hummus and Asian food), I totally got it.  And then I tried it.  And then I REALLY got it. 

It was so complex!  And really different from anything I’d tried before, while still maintaining that signature Sabra taste.  The most notable were the ginger flavors, which danced around my tongue.  Definitely a uniquely awesome  hummus.  I truly loved it and immediately imagined it as a great ingredient for stir-frys.  The top part has a veggie medley with carrots (my favorite thing to dip in hummus).  Carrots and ginger?  It’s like they made it for me!

The Asian Fusion flavor is being shipped out to stores now, so keep your eye out for it.

The real highlight for me was the Seasonal flavor.  At first, I was told it was still a secret and I couldn’t share it with you guys, but I’m no good with secrets.

Drumroll please…

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Sabra’s Seasons Finest Rosemary and Olive Oil!!

I honestly don’t know where to begin with this one because it blew. my. mind.  It was herb-y and authentic and creamy.  100% delicious.  Like silky smooth, melt in your mouth, delicious. 

I was so in love with it, I had many many more tastes of it over the rest of the day.  Sad part is, it’s not hitting the shelves until the holiday season.  Come November, I’ll have to stock up!

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After that we tried the new Garden hummus flavors, including the Tuscan and the Southwest varieties. 

Being a Sabra fiend, I’d already taste tested them and (over)analyzed them.  Tex-Mex flavors just go so naturally with hummus.  Chickpeas + beans + salsa + avocado is like magic, am I right?  It’s definitely Kyle’s favorite.

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Then MaryDawn wanted us to try hummus in a warm dish, so she cooked up an eggplant and hummus combo.  She had charred the eggplant on the stove top the previous day and left it overnight so the smoky flavor would penetrate the flesh.  For us, she simply tossed it in a paella pan with oil and hummus and voila!

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My eggplant definitely never tastes like that!  It was so so soft and rich. 

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Served with warm pita bread…mmm…

You’d think we’d have been hummused out by then, but we were just getting started!

Our make-your-own sandwich adventure was very overwhelming for me. 

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I had every flavor in front of me just begging to be devoured!

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I went a little overboard and needed a second plate for the bread!

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Sandwich making extravaganza!

I paired my newest obsession (the seasonal SECRET flavor) hummus with the guacamole, and some arugula tossed in olive oil and sea salt, as well as sliced tomatoes.

Little did we know this wasn’t even our lunch!  Ummm, oops?

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We were all pretty stuffed when they announced the arrival of our “real” lunch, a sampling of local restaurant specialties. 

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But in the spirit of adventure, I added some bites to my plate to try out.

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As good as they were on their own, I went back to the other room’s sandwich station to (yup, you guessed it) add more hummus.  🙂

The green sauce on the eggplant was really good (no idea what it was), but the potatoes were definitely better once I added the Season’s Best Rosemary and Olive Oil to it.

After lunch, the owner of Spice Station, Bronwen Tawse spoke to us.  Having chatted with her throughout the day, I was already enamored, but her presentation was fabulous! 

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And she brought presents!

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I am so so excited to try out all these new-to-me spices!  She went over each one, describing where they are from and how to use them…I found the entire presentation fascinating.

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This is Urea Biber, which I sampled straight up – it tastes like raisin skins!

For those interested, Spice Station has a location in LA and two in Montreal.  If you go to the LA location, you’ll probably get to meet Bronwen.  GO!  She’s a fountain of knowledge.

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The last person we heard from was Sabra’s Chief Technology Officer, Tulin Tunzel. 

My favorite part of her presentation was when she talked about their efforts in sustainability.  I never even considered technology in farming, but if you think about the chickpea plants (they are like peas with 1 or 2 chickpeas per pod), it must take A TON of them to make any reasonable amount of hummus.   My own personal chickpea consumption is probably pretty sizeable.  Fortunately, they have professional agrologists telling them how to maintain the land and the crop – so people like me can enjoy tub after tub while still being Earth friendly.

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I never thought I’d learn so much about chickpeas!  Honestly, the main thing I took away from Tulin was how dedicated Sabra is to making their hummus the best without compromising the land or their Gold Standards.

Finally it was time for the tour!

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Geared up from head to toe!  Hair nets, eye goggles, and gloves, oh my!

[The poor men had to wear hair nets over their heads AND their chins!!]

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We couldn’t take photos inside, but it was really something.  I saw each ingredient at each stage – from the raw chickpeas, to the cooked chickpeas, to the garlic churning, to the spices. 

I could have stood and stared at the machines squirting the hummus into the tubs all day long.  It was SO. FRIGGIN. COOL. 

I kept thinking about how crazy it was that I have been eating this for so long and now I was seeing it being made.  In real life.  So awesome. 

They had so many people at each stage, checking and rechecking the hummus, I thought they must be the luckiest people ever.  I asked if they got free hummus for life, but never got an answer.  Sticker not on straight?  I’ll handle that…

I practiced MAJOR self control, and didn’t try to put my mouth under the nozzle (they were super strict about safety and contamination and my sarcastic joking nature wasn’t exactly winning them over). 

And just like that, the day was over!

I left with more gifts from Sabra (as if the adventure wasn’t enough already!!!), including an apron, a shirt, coupons, a zip drive, and a loose left tea tumbler. 

Plus some treats for the flight home 🙂

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I’m still in shock that I was lucky enough to have this opportunity.  Aside from very garlicky clothes, I came home with a completely renewed infatuation for this company.  I cannot sing their praises enough. 

I never thought anyone analyzed the various flavors of hummus and how they play out over each bite as much as I do – but Sabra does!  And that’s what makes them the best.

This was, for sure, one of the most memorable trips of my life.

And now I have a few questions for you that we debated ourselves:

Do you stir in the toppings at the beginning or do you leave it to dip into slowly over the course of consumption?  No mixing allowed in this house! Keep the middle part together.

Favorite hummus dip in?  Carrots.

Favorite non-Mediterranean cuisine to infuse with hummus?  Mexican.

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Comments (30)

  1. carol

    O – M – G!!!!!!! What an awesome visit you had. Jealous am I? I cannot wait for the rosemary and olive oil to come to my store. YUM! Mixing – tsk! tsk! – n.e.v.e.r! As for dipping into the divine mixture – carrots. And you came home with some very nice gifts from them. Enjoy!

  2. carol

    O – M – G!!!!!!! What an awesome visit you had. Jealous am I? I cannot wait for the rosemary and olive oil to come to my store. YUM! Mixing – tsk! tsk! – n.e.v.e.r! As for dipping into the divine mixture – carrots. And you came home with some very nice gifts from them. Enjoy!!!

  3. Minerva

    Rosemary and olive oil! I need fresh pita and that flavor stat! So hungry now 🙂

  4. Emily C

    Yum!! What an awesome opportunity!!

    So happy for you, have been reading for a while but never commented, and you always have such enthusiasm and optimism that shines through, you deserve all the good things that come your way!!

    xx

  5. Sarah

    1. No mixing. Also, no taking all of the middle goodness when there is still hummus left.
    2. Pita chips
    3. I love mixing sriracha, tapatio, and cholula with hummus and making a sauce.

    That eggplant mix looks AMAZING. I’m guessing it tastes like babaganoush? I’m going to attempt to make some this weekend after reading this post. I live in WV, so I cant get babaganoush anywhere 🙁 Our household only eats Sabra!! (supremely spicy, plain, and pinenut) I’m excited to try the new flavors!

  6. BroccoliHut

    I have been known to mix cultures when it comes to hummus–one of my favorite flavors of hummus to make is peanut sesame with PB + sesame oil (instead of tahini + olive oil).
    All the flavors look fantastic!!

  7. Doran

    I love me some hummus! I mix mine all together to get everything distributed…mmmmmm, I love dipping red peppers, and I love mixing my hummus with salsa! I dip some hummus and then dip some chunky salsa! Sooooo good!

  8. Elise (Post author)

    such a clever idea! i like it 🙂

  9. Elise (Post author)

    yeah…it was like warm babaganoush with extra olive oil drizzled on top. so good!

  10. Elise (Post author)

    thank you emily! thats so so sweet of you to say 🙂

  11. Elise (Post author)

    thanks carol. i felt the same level of excitement!!

  12. Lou

    Sweet potato…. Mexcian – and I have never tried hummus with a ‘mix in’ (!)

    I am very jealous. You must know this. Sabra must come Down Under.

  13. Krystina (Krystina Yogini)

    Rosemary olive oil hummus sounds SO good.

    I never mix. I love scooping up the herbs and the middle as I go along. Mixing totally ruins it for me.

    It’s a tough call between Thai and Indian.

  14. Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy

    oh my gosh!!!!! what an amazing trip!!! rosemary and olive oil hummus!! ahhhhh!! that sounds so ridiculously fantastic! And the southwest one!! — i am like chomping at the bit right now!!! thanks for sharing your hummus adventure! looks like you had a blast!

  15. elaine c.

    rosemary and olive sounds perfect!!
    i bet the aroma of that whole place is amazing. i hope the employees get free hummus for life as a part of their retirement or benefits or something.
    and mixing the middle?! NO. forbidden!

  16. Jill in Chicago

    That Asian flavor sounds awesome! I’ve never seen the Tex-Mex flavor either — I will be on the lookout!

  17. hill

    Wow. Your my hero. Thanks for sharing the Sabra amazingness with us all. I throw a glob of hummus on just about everything. My favorite twist lately has been to make humus with lentils instead of chickpeas. It’s a little lighter and maybe nuttier to? There was a recipe in Martha a while back that I just can’t get enough of.

    Off to the store now because your post make me desperately need more Sabra.

  18. Lisa

    Ah. This looks sooo amazing! What a cool experience! I hate tahini on its own too!! Ick, it grosses me out, so I always thought I would hate hummus. I love that they have such high standards for their hummus, that’s awesome for a company to have. I definitely love hummus best on carrots as well! Can’t get enough of that combo.

  19. Jess

    Oh my, I shall have to cover my hummus’ modesty from now on. Hummus ‘nipples’ indeed…that really gave me a laugh!

    Do you stir in the toppings at the beginning or do you leave it to dip into slowly over the course of consumption? Given that I typically eat a whole tub in two servings, there ain’t no time for mixin’ I always pick my food apart and eat components separately, so I’d never mix up hummus!

    Favorite hummus dip in? Buckwheat crackers. Or fingers 😛

    Favorite non-Mediterranean cuisine to infuse with hummus? I can’t think of one – I’m a bit of a traditionalist with hummus. Although I had never considered where chickpeas come from either!

  20. sara

    i’m soooo jealous! sabra is the best hummus ever and their new flavors sound so awesome! can’t wait to try them.

  21. Karen

    I have been craving hummus ALL WEEKEND because of this post.

    Oh, who am I kidding. I crave hummus all the time anyway. But this looked so amazing! Super jealous!

  22. Abby @ Abz 'n' Oats

    I can’t wait for that holiday flavor to come out! 🙂 I always mix it up. My favorite hummus dip ins are blue corn tortilla chips and carrots!

  23. janetha [meals & moves]

    oh my gosh i love the outfit. sabra looks good on you! glad you were able to have this experience!

  24. Jamie

    So jealous but so happy to vicariously live through you!

    1) No mixing in the toppings, but then I get super annoyed when I’m sharing the hummus with a friend and they do a big scoop in the middle and take most of the toppings all for themselves in one bite. Boo!!! (But I can’t say anything because then I sound psychotic)

    2) Favorite shovel to get the hummus to my face: cucumber slices

    3) Favorite non Mediterranian hummus ethnicity: Geez, all of them! Mexican is a great one, and basic California cuisine rocks my hummus world too (though that’s a bit of a cheat, since CA cuisine is pretty much everything.)

  25. Beckie

    We had the Rosemary & Olive Oil flavor in grocery stores last winter. I was so sad when the season ended, the flavor is great!

  26. Carly

    Looks so fun! haha I love the nice Sabra suits for touring. Ahh I’m so excited for the rosemary and olive oil flavor! my parents used to always get rosemary and olive oil bread at our grocery store so I grew up on that flavor; yumm!

  27. ilya

    Cutest factory worker look award goes to Hungry Hippie!

  28. Elise (Post author)

    i know. i wish theyd make it a year round flavor!

  29. Elise (Post author)

    hahaha…those jumpsuits werent too different from scrubs i suppose…im just used to them!

  30. Pingback: Asian Hummus Tempeh Stir-fry

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