deconstructed hummus platter or salad

Take it apart to put it back together!

Sometimes taking things apart helps us reinvent how we put them back together.

All the usual suspects were lined up on my counter, ready to be whipped into hummus.

But I stalled.

What else could I do? How could I come up with something new?

Hummus is made and enjoyed regularly in our house, usually as a snack or smeared onto a sandwich for a quick lunch. On this particular evening, I had planned on making hummus a key part of dinner but I wasn’t feeling it.

And then I had a thought.

Do you remember the deconstructed food trend that became uber-popular in the early 2000s? The basic idea was simple: present a meal in its separate parts rather than all together. It allowed for creative plating and interesting flavor profiles. Popular menu items were deconstructed lasagna, burgers, and desserts. The trend sometimes took it too far (deconstructed pancakes anyone?), but overall the concept was innovative and sparked new ways of constructing — or rather deconstructing — a meal.

While staring at my chickpeas this trend came to mind.

I took that hummus apart.