From Scratch - - Hummus!

With just a few short weeks of summer left (*sob!*), I've been trying to find as many ways as possible to really take advantage of the season.  Like most of my ideas, this one involves food!  I thought it would be fun to try and find as many tasty ways as possible to use up the veggies from my garden and branch out into making things I've never made from scratch.  So I opened my refrigerator in search of some inspiration, and lo and behold I saw one of my "go to" condiments and favorite dips, and I just knew it would be the perfect challenge - - Hummus!  

I love the stuff.  I usually buy different varieties depending on my particular craving, but I've never tried to make it myself.   I've heard everyone say it is easy to make, and that the store bought stuff doesn't hold a candle to the versions made from scratch...but still I reverted to the grab and go containers full of preservatives and artificial, well, everything.

Just a few ingredients is all you need!  I kept double
checking when I  took the photo because it seemed so empty! 

So back to my challenge!

I decided to try my hand at making hummus from scratch to give me something to dip my fresh veggies in.  I'm happy to report that it really is super easy, and now I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a new food addiction on my hands as I try out every possible recipe and variation I can think of.  But considering how my garden keeps on gifting me with cucumbers and peppers, I will have no shortage of tasty vessels with which to eat it up!

Just pile it all into your food
processor and give it a whirl!

For this first attempt though, I stuck to the basics and made a plain variety.  I wanted to test run the original before I went and got all fancy.  I know, I even surprised myself with that decision!  So first things first, I had to find myself some Tahini.  The local grocer didn't have it, (or at least didn't have it in the 3 or 4 different spots I tried to find it) so I ended up at a higher-end grocery store before I located a jar. Tahini is a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds.   

In my hunt to research various recipes for this challenge, I found a few that claim you can make hummus without tahini.  The flavor profile is so delicious though that it might just be worth the hunt.  And while I don't usually like to buy speciality items or things that are only used in one type of preparation I learned that you don't have to refrigerate the open container and it seems to have a pretty decent shelf life so I will be able to use it up before it goes bad on me.   [Note to self: Find other tasty uses for tahini!]  If you can't find tahini and you still want to give making the recipe a try, you can substitute peanut butter to get some similar nutty flavor.  The consistency isn't quite the same so you will need more liquid from the beans but it will certainly still be tasty!

When I say the recipe is super simple, I'm not exaggerating.  When I lined up the ingredient picture above, I kept having to double check my ingredients because it seemed like I had to be missing something.  The first step is draining the can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) and putting them into your food processor or blender.  You want to save the liquid from the can, so set that aside for now.  Then, throw all the rest of the ingredients into the blender with the beans and puree it together.  Once blended, check the consistency and then add in just enough of the liquid from the can to make it a thick and smooth consistency that suits your taste.  The end.

No, seriously.

Other than spooning it into a serving bowl and drizzling it with a little bit of olive oil and a few sprinkles of paprika to make it look extra "gourmet", you are staring at the finished product ready to eat.

Mini wheat pita bread and fresh cucumbers made great dippers
for this quick and tasty hummus!

You can serve it with your favorite pita, chips or veggies.  As I mentioned when I started this whole entry, I had a serious overflow of cucumbers to devour so I sliced them up and got to snacking.  Another really great way to use hummus is as a spread on sandwiches.

Since it is a dish you are eating raw the real flavors of the ingredients will come through so be sure and use a good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Oh, and you absolutely, positively have to promise me that you will use a real lemon.  Not the one that comes in a bottle!!  I know you might be thinking you can get away with it and it will taste the same, but you would be SO wrong!

Overall, I think my food challenge was a grand success.  For the next phase I'm going to start experimenting with different varieties of flavors and toppings, so let me know what your favorite hummus combination is and I will give it a try!  I just finished harvesting and making the most delicious oven-dried tomatoes last night.  The entire time I was making them I just kept thinking about how delicious they would be mixed into this hummus.  I will definitely be mixing up a batch of Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus this weekend. And, of course there are all my other favorite versions - - Roasted Garlic, Roasted Red Pepper, ....oh, I could mix in some homemade pesto and use it as a spread on a sandwich ....  the possibilities are endless!

Happy Snacking!

Close up shot of the finished creamy hummus drizzled with Olive Oil and just
a sprinkle of Paprika!  So tasty! 

Homemade Hummus
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
1/4 cup (or more to taste) liquid reserved from chickpeas
Juice and zest of one lemon
2 Tablespoons tahini
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
Paprika (optional)