Hummus

If all good food says: "I love you", hummus says: "I love you more!"

I've eaten hummus made with chickpeas (garbanzo beans), black beans, white beans (cannellini), and edamame (soybeans). I've tasted hummus made with roasted red pepper, green chilies, pumpkin, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil pesto. Hummus with lemon, hummus with lime. Cumin and paprika. Pine nuts and sesame seeds. Sometimes blended, sometimes chunky. Made with beans from a can and made with reconstituted beans.

And I've loved each. and. every. different. kind.

 
I've recently learned two things about making hummus: it is ridiculously forgiving and you don't need a machine to make it. That's right Sara Janzen, your $6 blender is totally superfluous. Harken back to the days of old when mashed potatoes were mashed by hand using a metal.....potato masher? That's right, a potato masher. I like the square-ish metal kind, not the round-ish plastic kind. And certainly not this kind. Yikes.

If you have a good potato masher and five minutes, you can make hummus. Here's one way I do it:

Open one can of chickpeas (think: any generic brand, reduced sodium) and drain, reserving 3 T liquid. Pour the chickpeas into a sturdy mixing bowl (not plastic). Add the reserved 3 T of liquid along with 1/2 T olive oil, 2 t lemon juice, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 T minced onion, and 1/2 t salt. Then, using your potato masher, mash mixture until it's smooth-ish. At first you'll see the skins coming off the beans. But then they'll get all smashed up. Don't worry. Keep mashing. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups or 8 servings, 3 T each.

I can hear some of you now, "But what about the tahini?" Here's the deal: tahini is expensive. Yes, it is delicious. Yes, it gives hummus that signature smoky flavor. But I can't afford it. This means that most of the time I just make hummus without it. Sometimes I try to compensate by adding toasted sesame seeds or a little sesame oil (also expensive). Other times I just let it be. So, if hummus just isn't hummus to you without the tahini, then I suggest you buy some in bulk and give me half. Seriously. 

While pitas everywhere are just waiting to to be stuffed with hummus, there is really no limit. I like hummus on just about anything: tortilla chips (think: blue ones), veggies (think: peppers, carrots, broccoli, radishes, etc.), sandwiches (think: toasted bread, spinach, tomato, cucumber), crackers, rice cakes, and my Greek flashcards (apparently).

Here's the skinny (per 3 T hummus):

About 72 calories
About 2g fat
About 6g carbohydrates
About 2g protein

  

Eat well, love well, cook together. Change the world with food on your shirt and garlic on your breath. ♥ hthr