Heavenly Hummus

Homemade Hummus.  There is nothing quite like it.  I have found a few brands of packaged hummus that are decent, but when you put them next to homemade hummus there is no competition.  When I crave hummus, I am craving a specific flavor.  Freshly made hummus should contain nothing but fresh garbanzo beans, tahini, good quality extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and sea salt.  With a good drizzle of EVOO and a sprinkle of paprika on top, it is really hard to resist!

This past weekend, I was on a boat trip in Maryland and got really excited when I saw a package of hummus in the fridge.  I greedily ripped it open and dug in, only to be stopped in my hummus - craving tracks because it was pretty bad.  Not that it was rancid or anything, just not good.  It was labeled "classic hummus", however it was made with canola oil and some other weird ingredients that should never make it into hummus.  To satisfy my craving I decided it was necessary to make my own when I got home. 

Monday morning I cooked up a big batch of garbanzo beans and got to work with my food processor; five minutes later I had some of the best hummus I have ever tasted.  Check out my post on how to cook your own garbanzo beans here.

The trick to good homemade hummus is the order you add the ingredients to the food processor. You start by adding the tahini, lemon, and orange juice and processing it for about a minute. Make sure you have a fluffy paste before adding the rest of the ingredients. 

Next, add half of the garbanzo beans and process for about another minute.  Then add the spices and the rest of the garbanzo beans.  While processing, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.  The whole process only takes about 5 minutes and the end result is amazing! I think this hummus speaks for itself...it is really good!  

Heavenly Hummus

1 3/4 cups fresh cooked garbanzo beans (one can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed)

1/4 cup tahini

2 Tbsps fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbsps orange juice

1/2 tsp lemon zest

3 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

pinch of paprika

2-3 Tbsps water

Directions:

1.  Add the tahini, lemon juice and orange juice to the base of a food processor.  Process for a minute, or until it turns into a fluffy paste.

2.  Add half the garbanzo beans and process for another minute.

3.  Add the other half of the garbanzo beans and the rest of the ingredients.  While the processor is running, add the water one tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached.