Hummus

Hummus is really easy to make from scratch and it's great as a healthy snack or appetizer.  This is a basic recipe, to which you could add ingredients if you want to give it a different flavor (like roasted red peppers).  It is delicious on it's own too.  We made this batch for a new year's party, with some homemade pita chips.  See how to make the chips in our spinach-artichoke dip recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cans of garbanzo beans

1/3 cup tahini

juice of one lemon

3 cloves garlic roughly chopped

olive oil (approximately 1/4 cup)

1 t salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 pinches of paprika (garnish)

1 t fresh chopped parsley (garnish)

Directions:

Combine garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini in a large food processor.  (Split into two batches if you only have a small one)  Pulse for 5 seconds, scrape down the sides and pulse for an additional 5 seconds.  

Begin pouring in oil as you continue to blend the mixture.  It should be pretty thick, but thin enough that you can still dip into it with a chip.  Add salt and pepper and give it a final blend.  Taste to see if you need to add more.  Put the hummus in a bowl or dish for serving.  Top with paprika, parsley, and an additional drizzle of olive oil before serving.