Jun62012

Homemade Hummus

Homemade Hummus

I love love love hummus, and it was a happy day indeed when I discovered that you could make it at home!

However, I’ve had a hell of a time trying to find tahini, one of the main ingredients, at the grocery store, and I’m not willing to spend $20+ at a specialty shop. So I filed it away in the back of my mind and just bought the tiny, expensive little tubs when I needed it.

But I was on Amazon the other day looking for something completely unrelated, when one of the related search suggestions (seriously) showed a jar of tahini. And it was affordable! And Prime shipping! So I bought it.

It arrived today (along with the unrelated item I needed in the first place), and I picked up several cans of garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas) while I was at the store this morning.

I hunted around online for a good recipe, and they’re all pretty standard. However, the issue that I had with them is that they all call for two cups of beans. One can of garbanzo beans is 1-1/2 cups, so you need two cans, but you’re not using over half of the second one. I didn’t want it taking up space in the fridge (yesterday was yogurt-making day and salad jarring day), so I dumped both cans into the food processor.

I used this recipe for my jumping off point, and here’s what I did instead:

Homemade Hummus

2 cans garbanzo beans (about 3 cups), drained (reserve some of the liquid)
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, halved
1 tsp ground cumin

In a food processor, combine garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt, garlic and cumin until smooth. Add some of the drained garbanzo bean liquid if it’s too thick. Test for taste and adjust as needed, pulsing after each addition.

Place in a dish and sprinkle with paprika and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with sliced veggies and baked pita chips.

Homemade Hummus

I could literally just eat this with a spoon. It’s a thousand times better than store bought, and it makes a ton so you’ve got plenty for some healthy snacking. I tested it out with baby carrots, and my oldest had some with Wheat Thins. I know it’s traditional to serve with pita chips, but I’m trying to lay off the processed carbs for summer, and carrots were perfect (and so were the Wheat Thins).

Store it in a regular plastic container in the fridge, which works well when you have to smooth out the top after a few sneaks.