urbanfoodie

Holy Hummus

It’s been documented elsewhere on the Internet that everyone loves hummus, especially poor graduate students and anyone who want to step up their potluck game above a bag of chips and a jar of organic salsa. Yesterday, City Pages even ran a little head-to-head competition between two Minneapolis hummus giants - Holy Land and Emily’s Lebanese Deli. Coincidentally, I’ve gone through no less than 2 packages of Holy Land hummus in the last week (with 1 left to go in my fridge cause the 2-for-1 package was on sale at Kowalski’s). I’m getting a bit of hummus fatigue, but I think that’s also because I am not too jazzed about the plain Holy Land Tahini Hummus. Like City Pages notes, it’s bland and has a thin, watery consistency. Meh. I like my hummus like I like my men - with a bit more personality and bite.

The fact is that I always feel slightly ashamed when I buy hummus from the store because it is so darn easy and cheap to make. Plus, it’s really hard to screw this up (unless you go overboard on the garlic - remember you can always add, but you can’t take away). Eat w/ pita bread, veggies, or my recent obsession - Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips.

Hummus

All measurements are approximate. Adjust to taste and texture preference.

1 can chick peas/garbanzo beans (or use 1 c. dried/soaked/boiled chick peas to avoid BPAs)
2 Tbsp. tahini sesame paste (I prefer it roasted, another frugal tip: I buy small amounts in bulk at my co-op)
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c. olive oil
salt
optional: cumin, jalapenos, spinach, roasted red peppers, etc.

Use food processor or blender to process all ingredients into desired texture. If it’s too thick, stream in more oil or thin with water. Adjust salt as you see fit.

Note: if you want to be super cost-efficient and use dried chick peas, be sure to allow time to let them soak overnight before boiling them (Confession: I have the same problem as this lady).