Yes I am actually blogging today! I have been so ridiculously busy being a mom, wife, worker, that the blog has suffered.  But if you follow me on Instagram (@staciamaycooks) you will see that I have been cooking an array of foods lately. I’m so excited about today’s successful creation, that I just had to blog about it! I love hummus, but I’ve always been a little apprehensive about tackling it myself, because it just seems so daunting to get that “just right” texture and flavor.  I was shopping at Whole Foods the other day when I walked past a small display of items and a recipe card for “cooking @ home”. The recipe happened to be hummus and I thought, why not!

So with a few tweaks I made hummus for the first time and let me tell you, it is delicious!  I have had middle eastern friends tell me the secret to very smooth hummus is to shell the chickpeas.  I’ve also heard having high quality tahini is also important, but alas, I was in a hurry and bought the 365 brand organic tahini and it was just fine! Also, a little hint my mom gave me regarding buying olive oil–to ensure quality and freshness–make sure the bottle has a harvest date.

I hope all of these hints help give you the confidence to tackle hummus as well! See recipe below and enjoy!

HUMMUS-with a hint of heat

Ingredients:

1 (15.5 oz) can Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Juice of one lemon (about 3 Tbls)

3 Tbls Tahini (make sure you stir it before adding)

2 Garlic cloves

1 Dried chili pepper

3 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Instructions:

Using a mortar and pestle, smash the chili pepper and garlic cloves together until it creates a small paste.  If you do not have a mortar and pestle, mincing the chili pepper and garlic together is just fine.

Open the can of chickpeas and drain, but ensure you save the liquid from the can and set aside for later.  Shell the chickpeas.  This is tedious, but necessary. Running them under water helps.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Slowly add the leftover chickpea liquid as needed to make the hummus smoother if desired.  Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy!