Homemade Hummus! So you’re probably asking, WHY would anyone make hummus at home when there are SO many delicious brands out there? I’ll give you a few good reasons…A) It’s easy and junk…like 5 minutes easy! B) It’s cheap as chips to make and C) you control the quality of the ingredients, not to mention the overall fat/calories.
So now your thinking… “Cheap as chips?! Cyn, are you nuts?! Tahini is totally expensive!” Yes, yes it is…but MY hummus doesn’t have any tahini in it, and I promise, you won’t miss it one bit (or all of the booty lovin’ calories that comes along with it!) Save those calories on another glass of wine. You’re welcome! ;o)
As always, let’s get those ingredients ready…all 5 of them (6 if you want to add a lil’ kick, and I never count salt and pepper since they are almost a given). Garbanzo beans, fresh garlic, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, cumin and cayenne pepper.
Drain the garbanzo beans over a bowl (do NOT rinse and reserve the liquid, as you may need a little of it to create the consistency you’re looking for), then plop the beans in the blender…
I usually use 1-2 cloves of garlic, depending on the size of the clove. This bad boy was huge, so I only used one. Give it a rough chop and throw it in the blender with the beans. Quick side note, see how the inside of the garlic has a yellow core? That’s fine (it will still be a little on the strong side), but if the core were green, I would have cut that part out. Why you ask? Because if it were green, that would give my hummus a really intense garlic heat that I don’t really want.
I always just do the juice of half a lemon, sometimes it’s 1 TBS, sometimes it’s 2 TBS (just depends on how juicy my lemon was), this time, it was 2 TBS and that was perfect for me! I love my citrus press because it get’s every last bit out!
Add the remaining ingredients to the blender (or food processor) and turn it UP! You may have to scrape down the sides a couple of times if you’re using a blender. If you have a ‘tamper’ for your blender, you’ll want to give it a few bashes down to get it all going. Then let it go until it gets nice and creamy (no lumps!). If you feel like it’s too dry for your taste, just add some of the reserved liquid from the beans (about 2 tsp at a time)…or oil…or lemon juice…or water…it’s up to you. I ended up not having to use anything extra this go round.
And in as little as FIVE minutes, you have delicious homemade hummus! I like to put a little sprinkle of smoked paprika on top before serving. Also, this is a GREAT make-ahead snack! It only gets better while it sits in the fridge, letting all of the flavors develop.
So you’ve got some leftover hummus…now what?! Well, you can make one of my favorite sandwiches! It’s super healthy and SO satisfying!! Trust me, this carnivore has a hard time feeling satisfied when I’m eating an all vegetarian meal…but not this one. I actually crave it!
I peel some of an English cucumber and scoop out the seeds and slice thinly, then slice up some red bell pepper and add some type of light sprout (whatever was is cheaper. This week it was alfalfa, last time it was clover sprouts). I also like carrots, but I use a julienne peeler (see pic) that my sister gave me a million years ago from pampered chef. I use mine a ton (makes great zucchini “noodles”). Why julienne them? Because carrots, while delicious, can overpower the other veggies, so when I shred them, I get just enough. Or you can buy them already julienned or shredded.
My new favorite pita is this one (see pic). I think Samson likes it too ;o)
To assemble, I just put 2 heap TBS on the pita, then layer the red bell pepper, then carrots, sprouts, cucumber, then a light sprinkle of sugar (trust me) and then a few splashes of rice vinegar (not the seasoned kind). Done and done!!
So easy, so healthy and so satisfying!!! If I’ve had a long weekend where I overdid it on pizza, wine, hamburgers…whatever, this is always my go-to. So yummy, and I promise, you’ll never miss the tahini! Xoxo
Cyn’s Easy Peasy Hummus
– 1 – 16 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drain but reserve the liquid
– 1 to 2 garlic cloves (I used one this time)
– 1 tsp cumin
– 2 TBS fresh lemon juice (about half of a large, juicy lemon)
– 1 T extra virgin olive oil
– ¼ tsp kosher salt
– ground black pepper to taste
– pinch of cayenne (optional)
Blitz everything (minus the bean liquid) in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. Add liquid as needed (2 tsp at a time) to reach your desired consistency.
* If you miss the sesame taste of tahini, omit the evoo and add 1-2 TBS of peanut butter…yep, peanut butter! OR, omit the evoo and add 1 TBS sesame oil (NOT toasted sesame oil…too strong a flavor).
** Another of my favorite throwin’s, some jarred roasted red pepper – yum!
