Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Hummus

This is a recipe that my brother and his wife taught me when they were home 2 years ago. It is ridiculously easy and you'll wonder why you spent so much money buying pre-made stuff...

Ingredients:

1 can of Garbanzo Beans (chickpeas)
Olive Oil
Salt
Garlic Powder
Lemon Juice (or fresh lemon if you prefer)
Tahini (you can also use sesame oil and some sesame seeds)
Turmeric

Directions:

Drain beans and dump into blender. Add at least 1 Tbsp olive oil, the juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 Tbsp), 1 Tbsp of tahini (or about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp sesame seeds and a couple drops of sesame oil). Add salt and garlic to taste, and a dash of turmeric. Blend until smooth. Chill for about an hour.

Serving Suggestions:

Cut up a couple pita pockets into wedges or strips and split in halves, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder and pop under the broiler until lightly toasted. Dice up some fresh tomato, cucumber, and onions. Toss veggies together. Scoop hummus onto the pita chip, top with veggies and enjoy!

You can fill a pita with about 3 Tbsp of hummus, and top with veggies of your choice.

You can dip your carrots and celery and eat it that way.

You can enjoy it with Tostitos Multi-Grain Tortilla chips, or spread it onto bagel chips.

I prefer to make mine up before bed, put it into a tightly sealed container and let it sit overnight in the fridge to blend the flavors.

The ration of ingredients is totally up to you and you can add some roasted peppers or use a flavored oil instead of plain olive oil.