Easy & Cheap Homemade Hummus Recipe – Its Not That Hard to Homeschool

We love homemade hummus around here, although not too long ago we didn't even know what the stuff was. Who woulda thunk that a dip made out of chick peas (or garbanzo beans, if you prefer that name) could be so yummy?

But in my constant quest for healthier food, chick peas kept coming up as a protein-packed option. So when I saw hummus on the shelf at the store, I bought some. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The next predictable step, of course, was for me to figure out how to make it by myself. I like to save money by re-creating things at home when I can, as long as I can find a fairly easy recipe. And therein lies the rub. You remember me, the one who doesn't do complicated? You can add to that that I don't do ingredients that will only get used for one recipe and are hard to find and did I mention expensive.

You see, your hummus purists will say that hummus must have tahini in it. Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. And tahini, unfortunately, is all of the things I mentioned in the last paragraph — it would never get used for anything else, it's not easy to find at the stores where I shop, and even though you only use a little bit, that purchase price is steep. Not gonna happen in this house, sorry. I tried to substitute sesame oil, which is not so horrible on the pocketbook (although I violated my true self, because now I have a bottle of something that will rarely get used sitting on my shelf), but to be really honest, I just don't like the sesame flavor that well…

So I made my own recipe, and it's easy and cheap (I was going to say “just like me”, but for some reason that doesn't sound too good… ;-) ). MY recipe for homemade hummus has no tahini or any other weird shopping list items; in fact, MY recipe only has three main ingredients and can be made in less than five minutes — you don't get much easier and cheaper than that!

Homemade Hummus à la Annie

2 cans chick peas (aka garbanzo beans), 1 drained, 1 UN-drained *very important*

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

½ – 1 tsp minced garlic (1-2 cloves)

pepper – to taste

salt to taste – we like a lot of salt in ours, maybe ½ – 1 tsp

a few drops tabasco sauce – this does NOT make it hot, just gives it a little more flavor

Throw it all in a food processor and let it process for several minutes. This is the trick to good homemade hummus – don't stop too soon, or it will be grainy. It will also be grainy if you don't use enough liquid, which is why I include the juice from one of the cans of chickpeas.

And that's it! See, I told you it was the easiest thing ever!! Taste it, and if you need to, add more salt. That usually does the trick for me if it's a little blah.

From this point on, you can add whatever other flavors you might like – pesto, artichoke hearts, spinach – the possibilities are endless. But can I tell you a secret? I like it best plain. Call me crazy.

Serve it with carrots and celery – any raw veggie, actually. Or corn chips if you're craving a salty crunch. It can also be used as a spread on bread or crackers, or in place of mayo on a sandwich or lettuce wrap.

Let me know how you like it!