We have been learning to enjoy hummus over this past year. Knowing it is a great source of protein, is cheap and is great for cleaning your liver (as all legumes are), I've had to learn to make it myself lately. When I first started buying it, the kids stuck up their noses at it, but over time have gotten used to it after repeated exposures. Their favorite (and mine) store brand/flavor Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and they now can devour a family size container in mere minutes. That led me to learning how to make it from scratch from purely a practical standpoint.
Since my food processor is rather underpowered and had very dull blades (that's what you get for $5 at a yard sale), my best attempts at hummus proved chunky and bumpy. I did acquire a high quality blender for my birthday last year and now I'm in business. Smooth, creamy and flavorful! I can now make hummus to my heart's content. We often use it for an easy snack or lunch with either tortilla chips or raw veggies. I did bribe my kids by using their favorite chips as the medium to get the hummus down for quite a while as they got used to the flavor. "You can have a chip if you dip it in hummus" (in a sweet sing-songy voice). It slowly worked. The little kids have always had it in their life, so they were a much easier sell. If we're fighting sickness, I add a few extra garlic cloves as this is a great way to get a bunch of fresh garlic into everyone.
This is the basic recipe I use, add variations as desired. I now have ventured into soaking dry garbanzo beans, as they are even cheaper than the canned. The only drawback with them is they don't have any liquid in them, so you have to add a bit more oil to make it smooth. A bit of water works too. The Tahini is a bit expensive to buy, but a bottle will last through many, many batches.
Hummus
2 T. olive or avocado oil
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. Tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 clove garlic, quartered
1/2 t. sea salt
15 oz. chickpeas, drained and 1/4 c. liquid reserved
touch of honey or sweetener
Add all ingredients to blender, including reserved liquid. Blend on low until smooth and creamy. You may have to scrape down sides if it gets stuck. Add more liquid if necessary. Enjoy!
I've also added an avocado (turns it bright green) and yesterday added a roasted beet as recommended in the latest Sunset magazine (it turns it hot pink and makes the kids think you're making frosting) and they were both very good. In my recipe book it also suggests adding kalamata olives (reduce salt), roasted garlic, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, lime/cilantro, roasted red pepper with cumin and cayenne pepper, and using black beans rather than garbanzos (add cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne). I'm excited to try them too!
