Fresh

Hummus…Hummus…Hummus. Where do I even begin with this one? It’s really simple to make, yet packed with so much great intense flavor. I know many of you might be tempted to buy this dip/spread at the market, like at Trader Joe’s. You know who you are. Now I don’t have a problem with the hummus at Joe’s, I actually think its pretty good, but I definitely would choose the homemade one any time. I think the hardest part about this recipe is trying to figure out how to put the lid on the food processor right, and turn it on. Seriously, it’s a challenge for me at times. I’ll spend 10 minutes struggling with the lid and trying to turn it on, before I realize that the bowl isn’t locked in properly. Its actually a funny sight. But this one is extremely easy. Just dump it all into the food processor and pulse it until creamy and smooth. Make sure the bowl and blade are locked in properly. Easy right?

This actually happens to be one of The Canadian’s favorite snacks. He eats it at work, on breaks. So here’s another vegetarian one for him, and all you out there who don’t eat meat, and want a healthy snack packed with protein. Make it for yourselves just once, and you wont go back to Joe. Want to make it even healthier? Skip the pita bread that I served it with, and place carrot and celery sticks around instead. But come on….you have to give me a break here. I’m already not having meat, you gotta let me still have my bread. I need my carbs.

I thought, for some weird reason, that it would be cool if I shot this one entirely in vertical shots. So that’s what I did, all for except two, other than the first one and one of the very last, each shot is vertical and from up high. It was a nice change, I’m usually stuck with a horizontal mindset.

Okay enough of my yapping:

Once you have all your ingredients ready, grab your food processor.

Again, make sure its locked properly before you pour in the ingredients. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve placed all the stuff inside and then tried turning it on, only to find out the blade isn’t hooked properly. Which then forces me to empty all my ingredients and fix the blade. And pour everything back in.

Me and electric gadgets and gizmos don’t always see eye to eye.  They like to mess with me.

Open your canned garbanzo beans, drain and rinse under cold water in a sieve.

Reserve some of the liquid of the beans, for later.

Dump them into the food processor bowl.

Throw in some Tahini paste. Which is just ground up sesame seeds. This is a classic hummus ingredient, you can find it anywhere now.

Next, peel three garlic cloves and add them to the mix.

You need garlic, another level of great flavor. Don’t skip it, if you’re not a big fan of raw garlic, just use less.

Grate in some lemon zest.

Only the yellow part of the skin, once you start going into the white pithy part, it gets bitter, and we don’t want bitter hummus. So only grate the yellow part.

Now juice some lemons and throw it in.

Please, please, please, DO NOT use that already juiced “lemon” product in a bottle. Squeeze out some fresh lemon juice. You’ll see, it provides much better flavor than that supposed lemon juice from the green bottle.

Season with Salt and Pepper, Paprika, and Cumin.

Throw in some Parsley, olive oil and a little bit of Rosemary.

My sister and her friend would be happy campers right about now. One is obsessed with garlic, and the other is addicted to rosemary. It’s in everything they make.

No kidding.

Everything.

Place the lid over the food processor.

Now turn it on and blend until everything is smooth and combined and the hummus is creamy.

It might take a bit for it all to come together, especially if you packed it up to high heaven like I did.

If you find that it isn’t blending, grab that reserved garbanzo bean liquid we saved earlier.

Add it to the hummus, slowly, while the processor is on. Stream it in, until it’s creamy and smooth. You don’t have to use the garbanzo bean liquid. If you’d like, you can use water instead.

I like that little bit of added flavor, so I just use that reserved liquid.

Take off the lid and scrape down the sides of the bowl, with a spatula, to make sure everything gets well blended.

Oh and look at that. What do you know…..

He’s baaaaaaaack!!!

I think it’s my duty, now, to feature him in some way, shape or form, in every post….or at least until you guys get bored of seeing him.

Let me know if his little precious face starts to bug you. I’ll stop.

What?!? I can stop. But why would you want me to? Just look at him.

Once he scrapes down the sides, replace the lid.

Pulse once again until smooth and creamy.

Look how much fresher this looks rather than the store bought one.

No artificial flavors, additives or preservatives, thank you very much. Just pure, fresh, and simple ingredients that we can all pronounce.

Try a spoonful, no one will know. And if they do catch you, just tell them you’re head of quality control.

You’re doing them a favor. Tasting it to make sure it’s good enough for them to eat.

Pour it into a bowl and make it presentable for your guests.

Even if you’re the only one eating it, make it presentable for yourself. You count. You deserve it.

I sprinkled it with a little paprika, just for color. And put a sprig of parsley. Go all out. Be fancy.

I couldn’t resist having at least two horizontal shots. Oops.

Make yourself a little plate. I served it with warmed pita bread. You can toast them in the oven as well and make them into Pita Chips.

Or like I said earlier, you can serve it with fresh cut veggies.

Although I do have to pass on something to you all. The Canadian shared with me his secret way of eating hummus. Apparently I was eating it wrong. He gave me some useful tips. Even photographed it for me so I wouldn’t get lost.

I’ll reenact it for you, and share his secrets. Don’t tell him I told you though.

The Canadian prefers eating it with a cracker. Triscuits to be exact.

**This is a reenactment**

Grab yourself a cracker, like a triscuit or a wheat thin will do just fine.

This was my first mistake, I ate it with pita bread. What was I thinking?

You then schmear it with the hummus. Don’t dip it, spread it. That is very important. You want to make sure to coat the entire cracker.

That was my second mistake, I’m a dipper from way back.

And then you eat it. Take a bite.

So there you have it, The Canadian’s secret. It’s genius. That’s the only way I’m eating hummus from now on.

Go on and make it, it’s great for parties and family get togethers. Your guests will love it.

Enjoy.

Hummus

Ingredients:

• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 2 cups canned Garbanzo Beans, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 8 tablespoons freshly squeezed Lemon Juice (3 lemons)
• 4 tablespoons water or liquid from the garbanzo beans
• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 Paprika, plus more for garnish
• 2 tbs Parsley
• 1 tsp chopped Rosemary

Preparation:

Drop in all the ingredients into the food processor, fitted with a steel blade. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, with a rubber spatula, periodically to make sure you get all the ingredients well incorporated. Taste seasoning and adjust accordingly.

Serve chilled or at room temperature with warmed pita, crunchy pita chips, or fresh veggies.

Enjoy.