Homemade Creamy Hummus

A year ago, it never would have occurred to me to make hummus at home.  I learned that my dad was making hummus and after trying his hummus a couple times, I decided it was something I would have to try.  Now I know I'm a week late for Father's Day, but better late than never, right?  It's been a bit of a challenge to keep up with writing about, cooking, and taking pictures of food since going back to work full time.  Not to mention that last Sunday I had to work all day, so there was no way I was going to be able to make a father's day recipe.  So now, a week late, I've made hummus for the first time for a later Father's Day tribute.

I love hummus, but I don't eat a lot of it because the fiber can make me feel bloated.  With this recipe, you don't have to peel the chickpeas, but they're really easy to peel once they've been boiled, so I did anyways.  And guess what?  The hummus turned out SO amazingly creamy and I felt great after eating it.  By removing the fibrous shell on the outside of the chickpeas, I removed the part of the chickpea that usually upsets my stomach and created an amazing texture.

I love eating hummus with fresh veggies like baby carrots, cucumber, or bell peppers, but it's also great with crackers or chips.  These crackers are 12 grain mini crackers from Trader Joe's that are delicious on their own, but also pair really well with the hummus.  I'll say, I'm happy I finally tried making hummus from scratch and I'm definitely going to have to try some riffs on this recipe.  The flavor combinations for hummus are pretty endless.

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: Approx 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup tahini

1/2 tsp cumin

Instructions:

1. Add the chickpeas to a medium pot with baking soda and cover with 1-2 inches of water.  Bring the pot to a boil and cook at a rolling boil for 20 minutes. Drain the chickpeas and set aside.
2. While the chickpeas are boiling, combine the garlic, lemon juice and salt in a food processor.  Process until garlic is finely chopped.
3. Add the tahini to the food processor and blend until thick and creamy.
4. Add the chickpeas and cumin and blend until mixture is smooth and creamy.

I know it may look like a basic hummus, but the texture is absolutely amazing.  Once I drained the chickpeas and rinsed them with a little cold water, the skins pretty much just fell off.  I couldn't help but continue to pick away 75+% of the chickpea skins, but again it was so quick and easy, I would definitely recommenced trying it!