Hummus makes a nice dip that can be eaten with Pita bread, vegetables or as a side dish with middle eastern food.
Have you ever wondered what’s in Hummus? Well, it’s just Chickpeas, Tahini, (which is ground sesame paste), garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. The Chickpeas are a great source of protein, along with iron, vitamin C and B vitamins. The Tahini is high in calcium.
If you can get your children to eat it, it’s a win win situation. It’s completely vegan and a high source of fiber. Heck, it’s hard to find something that’s tasty and healthy.
This recipe comes from my brother. He has always made the best Hummus. After bugging him for a week, he finally upped and gave me his recipe. What he has found is that it is better to drain the chickpeas, instead of reserving the liquid from the can, as is stated in so many recipes. You can replace the liquid with water, as you are blending it.
Here are your basic ingredients to Hummus. You can find the Tahini at Whole Foods or any ethnic grocery stores.
Open can of chickpeas and drain. (Chickpeas are the same as Garbanzo beans).
Drop 2 cloves of peeled garlic into food processor.
Blend the garlic cloves for a minute or so, before adding the other ingredients.
Now add the chickpeas…….
2 level tablespoons of Tahini. You don’t want to add more than that.
And the juice of 1 whole lemon. You can actually squeeze the lemon juice in a measuring cup and make sure to remove any seeds. I just thought that this looked prettier! I like it lemony. If you don’t, then just use about 4 – 5 tablespoons of lemon.
Now that you have all the basic ingredients in the food processor, start blending.
As soon as you start blending, start adding extra virgin olive oil, about a 1/4 cup.
Add some water while blending, to replace the moisture lost by draining the chickpeas. This will thin out the hummus to the desired consistency. You shouldn’t need more than a 1/4 cup. I think I used 1/8th of a cup, which is about 2 tablespoons of water.
Now blend till super smooth. This should take about 4 -5 minutes of blending. Add salt, to taste.
Place in a plate for serving. It tastes even better after being refrigerated for a few hours. That way all the ingredients start to meld with each other.
Right before serving, sprinkle with paprika, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. This is all optional, of course. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, (also known as garbanzo beans)
1 – 2 cloves garlic (depending on how much garlic flavor you want)
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 whole lemon
2 – 4 tablespoons water
Salt to taste
Paprika or parsley for garnish (optional)
Method:
Open can of chickpeas and drain. Add 2 peeled cloves of garlic to food processor and blend for 1 minute or so. Now add the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of Tahini and the juice of 1 whole lemon. Start blending. As the blending starts, add 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil. Now add 2 – 4 tablespoons of water, until you reach the desired consistency. Blend for 4 -5 minutes until smooth. At this point, you can refrigerate the hummus in a container with a lid, and serve later. It will taste better if the ingredients meld together. Once served, garnish with paprika or chopped parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy!
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