Classic Hummus

I think it’s Saturday, but I could be wrong. Minnesota’s shelter-in-place order went into effect yesterday at midnight, but Matt and I haven’t really left for anything other than grocery pickups and doctors appointments for the past two weeks.

All this time around the house has me reaching for snacks around the clock, not to mention this baby must be having a serious growth spurt- I woke up for a toasted bagel with peanut butter at 2 am last week. In need of some healthy, satisfying snacks to keep on hand, I realized I had a big bag of dried chickpeas in the pantry that I had been neglecting. My first thought was “Hummus!”

This hummus recipe is incredibly easy, like – spend 5 minutes dirtying your food processor and voila it’s done – easy. The texture is smoother and creamier, and doesn’t have the weird after-taste that I recently started noticing with some of the popular brands you find at the store. The result is homemade hummus that tastes so much better than store-bought, I promise you’ll never spend $4 on Sabra hummus again.

Cooking your own chickpeas: if you have dried chickpeas in the pantry and have some time to kill (who doesn’t right now), I highly recommend cooking your own chickpeas. I used Alton Brown’s slow cooker method: add 7 cups water, 1 pound dried chickpeas (about 2 cups), and 1 teaspoon baking soda to slow cooker. Set on low for 7-8 hours, until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. This yielded enough chickpeas to make a double batch of hummus and still have some leftover chickpeas for topping salads.

Depending on how spicy you like your hummus, feel free to scale back the Sriracha, or load it up. I top my hummus with more extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika, but you can get creative with whatever you have in the fridge- chopped fresh herbs, olive tapenade, etc. Hope you enjoy!

Classic Hummus

Total time: 5 minutes

Makes about 8 servings

1 1/2 C chickpeas, cooked and drained (or 1 15oz can, drained and rinsed)
1/4 C tahini
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
Juice from 1 lemon
1 t cumin
1 T Sriracha
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

For chunkier hummus, add all ingredients to food processor and pulse a few times, scraping down the sides with rubber spatula to make sure all ingredients are incorporated. For smoother hummus, continue to process until all chickpeas are blended.

Serve alongside fresh vegetables, warmed pita bread, on top of salad, on your avocado toast…enjoy!

Store leftovers in airtight container in fridge for up to 1 week, or top with generous layer of olive oil and freeze in airtight container for up to 6 months.