Hummus

Growing up in Israel I refused to eat Hummus.  I told my parents I hated it and that I would never eat it.  Well as I got older I ate my words.  I love Hummus! And my children have grown up eating and loving it also.

For those of you who don't know, Hummus is a Middle Eastern food  made of Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), sesame seed paste (Tahiti), garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.  It is most often eaten as a dip and scooped with pita (a flat bread). 

It is high in iron and vitamin C, and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The Garbanzo beans make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the Tahiti consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the Garbanzo beans. Depending on the recipe, hummus carries varying amounts of monounsaturated fat. Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets and like other combinations of grains and legumes, when eaten with bread it serves as a complete protein.

Okay, enough of that.  Let's be honest, it doesn't matter what it is made of or how good it is for you, if it doesn't taste good we aren't going to eat it.  This is not the case with Hummus.  There is a basic recipe ,but it can be changed in many ways to suit your personal taste.  I love it to have a lemony-garlicky (are these words?) taste.  Feel free to use more or less garlic and lemon, add sun dried tomatoes or  roasted peppers.  Garnish with your choice of chopped tomato, cucumber, cilantro, parsley, caramelized onions, whole Garbanzo beans, pine nuts, olive oil, paprika and cumin.

Hummus

1 - 15.5 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained, reserve liquid

1/4 cup reserved liquid from garbanzo beans

3 Tablespoons lemon juice (adjust if needed to your liking)

1-1/2 tablespoons tahini

3 cloves garlic, crushed (I threw in whole cloves in the Cuisinart while it was empty and running)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Drain garbanzo beans and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in food processor (or blender).  Add 1/4 cup of liquid from garbanzo beans.  Process for 3-5 minutes (stop and scrape down sides after 2 minutes) until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in a bowl and create a shallow well in the center of hummus or a shallow trench through the hummus.  Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  I usually sprinkle with paprika or cumin.

Cover and refrigerate.

Nathan and I made some quick sandwiches. Warm your pita bread, spread it with Hummus, add sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion and feta cheese (we wanted cucumber slices also but unfortunately we were out). Fold up and enjoy.

Note: Pita recipe can be found HERE