Natalie Portman Made a Vegan Israeli Breakfast and It Was Perfect

It’s obvious at this point that there is no end to Natalie Portman’s talents and we mere mortals should just accept it. 

Case and point: Natalie casually whipped up a picture-perfect vegan Israeli breakfast on Instagram, adapted from her mom’s recipe.

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Here’s my take on a traditional Israeli breakfast of chickpeas, salad, and tahini, adapted from my mom’s recipe. It may seem complicated but it’s pretty much just a lot of slicing, stirring, and blending 🙂 For chickpeas: Over medium heat, add avocado oil, 2 whole peeled garlic cloves, salt, one box of whole peeled tomatoes, and one cup of pre-cooked chickpeas. Add cumin and salt to taste. For salad: Finely chop cherry tomatoes, Persian cucumbers and parsley; dress with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to taste. For bread: Slice half a baguette lengthwise, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt, throw in preheated oven to 400 F around 10 minutes or until golden brown. For hummus: In blender, add half a cup pre-cooked chickpeas, one garlic clove (peeled), juice of one lemon, 4 tbsp water, 1 tsp of salt.

A post shared by Natalie Portman (@natalieportman) on Jan 29, 2020 at 12:51pm PST

It featured chickpeas in tomato sauce flavored with cumin and fresh garlic (an inspired plant-based take on shakshuka).

Then, a zingy chopped salad — perfect in its simplicity of tomatoes, Persian cucumbers (integral to avoiding a soggy salad, BTW, garden or English cucumbers are too watery), parsley (not just a sprinkling, a generous handful, because parsley is an ingredient and not a garnish), lemon juice, and olive oil.

A quick hummus made with precooked chickpeas was the final touch, ready in a flash thanks to some blender action. After watching the video several times I can confirm that, like any self-respecting Israeli, Natalie added a good dollop of tahini to her hummus, although she did not list it in the ingredients. An attempt to keep her culinary secrets to herself? An unintentional blunder? We will never know.

Her hummus recipe, by the way, is extremely close to Nosher’s own — though, with the addition of a little cumin and cold water to ensure a silky texture, I think ours has the edge. 

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Homemade hummus: actually so easy. Here's the recipe:⁠ ⁠ 1 can chickpeas⁠ 1/2 cup olive oil⁠ 1/2 tsp cumin⁠ lemon juice (the juice from 1 lemon, or to your taste)⁠ 2 garlic cloves⁠ 1/4 cup tahini⁠ 1/2 tsp salt⁠ 3 Tbsp cold water⁠ ⁠ Make it: Combine all ingredients except the water in a food processor fitted with blade and pulse a few times. Drizzle cold water and pulse until smooth. Serve with…well, anything. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #hummus #easyrecipes #snacktime #noshthis #jewishfood #mediterraneanfood #healthyish #hummusislife #instagood

A post shared by The Nosher (@jewishfood) on Jan 11, 2020 at 5:15pm PST

Of course, her celeb pals were all over the post — they obviously know good food when they see it. “You look like a pro!” correctly stated Padma Lakshmi. “Pls invite me over for this,” begged comedian and stylist Chelsea Peretti. “Mmmm,” said Ilana Glazer, echoed by Rashida Jones’ “Yummmmm.” 

This isn’t the first time Natalie has taken to Instagram to share recipes or dishes she’s made. Her kids’ school lunches are brimming with fresh veggies and vegan goodies, though their favorite is peanut butter and jelly oatmeal. With homemade nut milk. Oh, and there was also the time she made vegan latkes for Hanukkah. Natalie, you are a goddess.