Homemade Hummus

My husband is a huge fan of hummus, and so I decided in an effort to keep healthier options around our house that I would give it a try.  Besides, it's so expensive to buy even a small container of pre-made hummus at the grocery.

I picked up a can of garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) for less than $1 at the grocery and checked out a few different recipes before settling on highly rated option that sounded delicious.  The only unique ingredient I found that was consistent across most recipes was tahini, which is a puree of sesame seeds.  I was not up for toasting and attempting to puree my own sesame seeds, so I splurged and spent a few bucks on a container at the store.

First I drained the liquid from the garbanzo beans into a measuring cup, then poured the beans into the magic bullet cup.  I added back 1/4 cup of the drained liquid, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic and pepper and blended the mixture until it reaches the desired smoothness.  I have seen chunkier hummus varieties, but personally prefer a smoother texture so I blended the hummus until it was creamy.

And perfect hummus made at home was born!  This recipe is a plain flavor, but the choices of seasonings to add to the dip are limitless.  I've seen all kinds of choices at the store from garlic to nuts.  I tossed in some crushed red pepper and added a bit more olive oil and couldn't believe how good it was (and that says a lot because I don't usually even eat the pre-made kind).  My husband was also surprised at how great it tasted compared to the store bought kind, and I'm glad I found an easy, healthy snack.

Hummus Recipe

Ingredients:

1 15.5 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained into a measuring cup
1/4 cup liquid from garbanzo beans
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper


Instructions:

Drain garbanzo beans, saving 1/4 cup of the liquid in a small cup.  In a blender or food processor, add the beans, leftover liquid, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, minced garlic, and pepper.  Blend for 1-2 minutes, until it reaches the desired consistency, using a spoon to scoop any clumps off the edges so that the mixture blends evenly.  Store refrigerated in an airtight container.