Hummus:
This is the basic recipe that I personally start with.
The traditional recipes use ½ cup to 1 cup olive oil and no
liquid from the can.
1 can of chick-peas (also called garbanzo beans)
¼ cup liquid from the chickpeas (save it all, but start with
¼ cup)
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup dried parsley
1 ½ Tablespoons tahini (or peanut butter)
1 Tablespoon garlic
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
#1. Drain chickpeas and set aside the liquid from the can.
#2. Put all remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor.
#3. Add the first ¼ cup of liquid from the chickpeas.
#4. Blend for 3 to 5 minutes until thoroughly mixed and
smooth.
#5. While you are blending everything together, if it is too
thick;
add more of the
liquid that you saved from the can. If it is still too
thick, then start
adding more olive oil or tap water.
(I use a blender,
and it needs to be a bit thinner for the blender
to work, but I
like hummus a touch thinner and fluffier for serving).
It is that easy! And that good!
Now comes the fun part.
And I am all about fun and flavor.
You gotta add garlic!
Start with a few cloves and see if you like it. Start with a
little, because you can always add more if you need to. It is hard to take it out once you put too
much in. (Not impossible, just add more of all the other ingredients.)
I personally do a Garlic overkill cause I love “way too much”
garlic.
Now, a lot of people use fresh garlic due to the better
taste, or you can use the powdered garlic. Basically use what you have in your
kitchen; and what you are accustomed to.
Do not be afraid to experiment!
Since it seems that everyone is now on a diet, make the
hummus with NO oil. Before everyone panics and flames me about no oil… no, no,
really… try it!
You will have to add more liquid, but the calories that you
save will really astound you!
Let’s do the math!
100 calories in 1 Tablespoon of oil.
200 calories in 1 ounce of oil.
My recipe calls for ¼ cup of oil…
¼ cup is 2 ounces or 400 calories!
The original recipes that call for 1 cup of oil… savings of
1,600 calories!
Your hummus will be lighter and fluffy instead of heavy with
oil.
OMG has anyone tried to find tahini (like peanut butter but
made with sesame seeds) in America Fort Wayne , Indiana Lake and North Anthony, which has
tahini for $2.99 for a 16ounce jar. If
you use a lot of tahini it is best to go buy a jar of tahini (um, well duh?)
But seriously, if you do not use a lot of tahini and you only going to make one
batch of hummus, then substitute peanut butter instead. Now here is when the cheaper peanut butter is
better because it will not have any sugars. But whatever brand peanut butter
you have on hand will work perfectly.
Tahini or peanut butter will take the “raw bite” out of the hummus. If you want to, make the hummus without the
tahini and taste it, it has a “raw bite” you just can’t explain, kind of bitter
maybe? Now add the tahini or peanut
butter and mix it real good. Now taste the hummus and it will be nice and
“smooth”, or maybe I can use the word “mellow”?
Try adding your favorite spices. If you are unsure of what is good, then make
a batch of hummus as the recipe calls for, and divide it into many different
bowls. Then add small amounts of all
different kinds of seasoning to each bowl.
Mix it, let it stand for a few minutes to soak up the spices, and then
try it and see which you like. I would
make all sorts of different flavored hummus and take it to the Campus Scouts
meetings and see which one everyone liked. Do not get your feelings hurt if nobody likes
a particular flavor. You gotta try them
to see which one you and your friends/family like! Try adding these different spices and see
which ones you think are good. I would
love to hear your comments:
Hot red pepper (either the fine ground or the flakes! Use a
little and go from there)
Chipolte (oooooh how trendy and smoky)
Liquid smoke (just a touch)
Cumin (don’t have cumin? Add taco seasoning right out of the
envelope)
Green, red, or golden curry (just yummy if you want some
spicy heat)
Mrs. Dash – Pappa Dash – Baby Dash (in place of the salt? No
way! Use with the salt)
Aaloo Bhaji (my personal favorite)
Ginger, Turmeric, or Chili Powder
Cilantro (instead of the parsley)
Now, we have all seen hummus in the stores sell for $5 for
about 8 ounces…
A can of Garbanzo beans should cost about $1. And everything
else should be cheap. . And you will
make about 2 cups of hummus with this basic recipe! And you know there is no
added BHT or that other yucky chemical stuff the stores put in. Fresh hummus is good in the fridge for about 3 or 4 days and
is good in the freezer for about 1 month!
Hey? Did I mention that you can use a can of pinto beans or
navy beans in place of the garbanzo beans?
So basically hummus is just a fabulous bean dip! Serve hummus with pita chips, celery stalks,
tortilla chips, bagels crisps, corn chips…
Fresh and flavorful hummus!
Experiment and Enjoy!
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