Homemade Hummus
Hummus, people. The condiment sent from the heavens. I am not ashamed by the fact that I can devour a tub of hummus in a matter of days (or day, but let's not get into semantics). My brother is a self-proclaimed professional hummus eater, and he can put down a family sized tub in less than 24 hours. It's really not that difficult if you eat it as a snack, add it to salads/sandwiches, or eat it as an appetizer with chips before dinner. It's versatility definitely contributes to the rate at which it is consumed.
Hummus can get expensive if you are continually buying little containers. Also, most conventional brands use weird vegetable oils that are cheap and often not organic. Most brands use canola (soy) oil. Due to the fact that soy, along with corn, is the most produced crop in the USA, it is dirt cheap. That is the reason why this is the preferred oil used by restaurants and in packaged foods. Most of the time, it is not organic. Therefore, it contains harmful GMOs--yuch!
The simple solution is to make your own hummus. Trust me, I know it sounds like a lot of work. Although I am very ambitious and career-driven, I'm a lazy person in a lot of ways. I don't believe in making beds. Social events are often a burden because I have to actually make an effort with my appearance. I take forever to respond to texts/emails because I have to translate my thoughts into words. The list goes on... So believe me when I say this is actually ridiculously simple, and I wish I had tried making it sooner!
Not to mention, the homemade version tastes way better than store bought. It may just be the sweet taste of satisfaction that comes with making something yourself, but I swear it truly tastes fresher and better overall.
Ingredients:
- 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas
- 3 heaping tbsp tahini
- 1 large lemon
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp Himilayan pink salt
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Method:
Mix it all up in a high speed blender or food processor. If your machine is a little weaker, first mix the liquid ingredients (lemon, water, tahini) and then add the remaining ingredients. You may have to occasionally scrape down the sides. I simply used my Vitamix and whizzed it up in about 30 seconds flat. If that's not magic, I don't know what is.
You can get fancy and make a tons of variations! Just omit the cumin first.
Garlic Hummus: add an extra clove or two of garlic
Pumpkin hummus: add 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
Supergreens hummus: add greens of your choice
Avocado hummus: add an avocado
Pesto Hummus: add leftover hummus
Roasted red pepper: add a roasted red pepper
Spicy hummus: add cayenne, or a jalepeno pepper
Sun-dried tomato and basil: add 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes and 1/4 cup basil
There are tons more. You can always just experiment and add your favorite spices such as paprika, cumin, etc. Go crazy!