Hummus

A creamy dip or spread made from chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil.  Great with vegetables or pita.

Hummus makes a great snack or accompaniment to just about any meal.  It's smooth, creamy, and so tasty.  I'm disappointed I didn't even know about it until I was in college.  After I tried it for the first time, though, I was hooked.  This stuff is delicious.  It's also simple to make your own and add all kinds of different flavors.  I was making this hummus for a middle eastern type meal so I kept the flavors traditional.

Making hummus is one of the reasons I purchased my food processor.  I tried to make it in a blender once and failed miserably.  It was one of the blenders that tapers toward the bottom and things got stuck.  Maybe some people can make it in a blender but it didn't work for me and took me a while to try again.  This hummus is great with pita, vegetables, or as a main component of my Spiced Lamb and Hummus.  Store bought hummus is easy but once you try homemade there is no comparison.

Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chickpeas (or about 1 can)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt

In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the chopping blade, add the chickpeas and pulse until they are broken up and in small pieces.

Add the garlic, tahini, and lemon juice and pulse some more until well mixed (add salt to taste).

Then leave the processor on while adding up to 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Transfer to a seal-able container and refrigerate or serve right away.  I think it tastes better as it sits and the flavors have a chance to meld but sometimes I just can't wait.

To serve drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle on some smoked paprika, and serve with pita and/or vegetables.

Makes about 6 servings.  Enjoy.

Linked to:  Two Cup, LouLou Girls, Brag About It, Tasty Tuesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Wonderful Wednesday, Wednesday Roundup, Cook it Craft it Share it, Full Plate, Plant Based, Freedom Friday, Eat Create Party, Best of the Weekend, Pretty Pintastic, See Ya in the Gumbo, Much Ado, Merry Monday