Ah, hummus.... it seems lots of people love it. Commercial hummus is ok.. it does it's job but homemade is always better and so much more affordable.
I'm a bit of an odd one when it comes to hummus. I'll buy it with good intentions of using it and I usually end up tossing it out. I don't know why. It's great as a wrap spread or with veggies, pita wedges or crackers and it's the best snack - - - low fat, lots of protein and fiber and it's something you can dig into without guilt.
We have a local Mediterranean restaurant that makes the best hummus... I can eat an entire plate of it by myself but if I bring leftovers home, I don't eat it... I don't know why. I really don't.
Anyway ... I learned from Ellen Degeneres's chef, Roberto Martin, that adding water was the key to perfect hummus and he's right! He has a great cookbook called Vegan Cooking for Carnivores and while his recipe was fine... I needed to make my own with more seasonings and flavor.
I wanted to replicate the one made by our local place. Roberto doesn't use tahini and I don't either .. it's high in fat and I'm not a big fan of the flavor and why add oil and fat if it tastes great without it? Turns out, my local place doesn't use Tahini either .... they use toasted sesame oil!
You'll need a food processor for this. Side note about the plum vinegar ... that is a staple in my kitchen and I like it for the tang it gives the hummus but you can skip it if you don't want to buy it or can't find it. I'm not sure I'd sub anything else tho.
Shelly's Perfect Hummus (base version)
(1) 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed.
1/4 to 1/2 c water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp plum vinegar
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
dash pepper
Put everything into your food processor and blend for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and whipped. Start with the 1/4 water and add more util you get it the thickness/thiness you'd prefer.
Now, if you want some variety..... punch of the flavor and add in other goodies!
Garlic Hummus (shown) .... just add a spoonful of minced garlic on top and stir in! Adding in roasted garlic is really good too!
Basil Hummus ... toss in some fresh basil leaves.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus .. you can top the basic hummus with minced pepper or toss it in to blend it up. I like to buy the roasted peppers in the jar and use those.
Sun Dried Tomato Hummus ... toss in some pre-soaked tomatoes. Choose the oil free ones if you can.
Olive Tapenade Hummus ... top with a spoon full of jarred or homemade tapenade.. or just use minced black and green olives.
Chipotle Hummus ... add in one chipotle in adobo and blend it in.
You can also thin it with water and use it as a salad dressing.
