Hummus...make your own!! (Oil-free)

Have you ever gone through a phase where you eat the same meal every day? Not because you have to, because you want to?

I usually get into a breakfast rut habit, usually it's yogurt/berries/granola in the summer and oatmeal/raisins/cinnamon in the winter.

Lately,  it's been veggies & hummus for lunch.

Here's the batch of hummus I made today...my third batch this month.  

Today's Playlist

• "Original Prankster"...The Offspring
• "Welcome to Paradise"...Green Day
• "Here Comes the Sun"...The Beatles
• "Last Night"...The Strokes

Basic Hummus

Printable recipe

• 1 15-oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 1  clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice*
• 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt*
• 1 tablespoon roasted tahini (sesame paste)*
•  water *

*all of these ingredient amounts are a starting point...you will want to adjust, to taste!

Gather your ingredients.  Do your prep work.

Juice half of the lemon.  You will probably have more juice than you need.

Drain and rinse your chick peas.  Also known as garbanzo beans.  

For the record, I grew up calling them ceci beans!

I use a (4-cup) mini food processor to blend all of the ingredients, but a blender would work just as well.

Put the chick peas into the bowl of your food processor (or your blender).  Add the garlic, 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Because it has a tendency to separate, I stir up the tahini before I use it.

Then I plop a huge spoonful (about a tablespoon, maybe a teeny bit more) into the food processor.

Add about 2 tablespoons of water.  The measurements that I've given you are just a jumping off point.  After you blend the hummus you should taste it and adjust your seasonings, if necessary. 

Pulse the ingredients for about 30 seconds.  Here it is, and it's a bit thicker than it should be, so I added another tablespoon of water.

Ahh, that's more like it!  Taste your hummus at this point, and if you feel the need to add more seasonings, go ahead.  I did add a bit more salt, taking into consideration that I would be serving this with fresh vegetables for dipping and I didn't want it to be bland.  

If you are serving your hummus with salty crackers, tortilla chips or anything that would have a bit of seasoning to it, you wouldn't need the hummus to pack such a punch.  Or maybe you would!  Go ahead and make the call, you're the boss so feel free to punch up the seasoning as you see fit.

I sprinkled a bit more of the smoked paprika on top as well as some chopped parsley. 

Can we talk for a minute about this little bowl that I use to refrigerate my hummus in?  It's from the 1950's, I believe.  Packaging sure was cute back then, wasn't it?  Can you imagine buying a product today and having such a sweet little container to reuse?

Thanks for listening to my digression.

Serve with veggies, crackers or chips for dipping.

Enjoy.