Homemade Hummus

Do you ever get caught in a rut buying something that you really like even though it costs more than you would like to pay? Of course you do! Maybe it's good for you so you can justify spending a little extra...or maybe you just like it so much that you don't care that it's costly.  For me, that item was hummus.

For those who've never tried it, hummus is a dip/spread made from chick peas (a.k.a. "garbanzo beans").  It is often eaten with pita bread, chips, or my personal favorite, veggies such as baby carrots and cucumbers.  It's a bit tangy because it contains lemon juice and tahini (don't let that scare you, it's just a paste made from sesame seeds...sort of like peanut butter but replacing the peanuts with sesame seeds).

Store-bought hummus is fairly pricey in most places.  It can come in a variety of flavors such as roasted red pepper or garlic. I've even seen jalapeno-flavored hummus back home. (Leave it to Texas, am I right?!) However, making hummus at home requires little investment and is super easy.

Doing a quick online search (which was by no means comprehensive research), I found that most hummus brands range from $5-$10 per 10oz container. that comes to about $.50-$1.00 PER OUNCE!

If 1oz = 2 Tbsp and 2 Tbsp = one serving of hummus, then you are paying about $.50-$1.00/servings of hummus.

To make basic homemade hummus, all you need is a can of chick peas (garbanzo beans) [usually $.60-$.80 per 12oz can], lemon juice [usually around $2-4 per 4oz bottle], a can of tahini [usually $5-$6 per 15oz can...I like the Joyva brand], and olive oil [usually $4-$5 per 25.5oz bottle].

Say you use one can hummus ($.60-$.80), 2oz lemon juice ($1.00-$2.00), 1oz tahini ($.33-$.40), and 1oz olive oil ($.15-$.19). Your total yield would be $2.08-$3.39 for about 13 servings.  That equals $.16-$.26/serving.

Plus, with making your own hummus, you won't have to go back to the store just for more hummus.  Unless you only bought one can of chick peas that is...then you might have to go back to the store.  I always buy lemon juice and olive oil in big quantities because I use them for so many other things (cooking, beauty products, first aid, cleaning...) so I never have to buy those ingredients specifically for making hummus. Tahini on the other hand, I use exclusively for making hummus. However, it's not any more expensive to buy one 15oz can of tahini than it is to buy one tub of hummus, and you only use 2 Tbsp at a time making hummus yourself.

Alright, that's enough of my yapping! Here is my recipe for basic hummus:

My first attempt at making hummus...and yes,
it was the famous Mexican Hummus! :p

BASIC HUMMUS

-1 12oz can garbanzo beans/chick peas
-2 Tbsp. tahini
-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
-4 Tbsp. lemon juice

1) Drain about half of the water out of the can of chick peas, then pour peas and reserved water into a food processor/blender. (I love using my Ninja for this!)

2) Stir up your tahini as it naturally separates. Once well mixed, add tahini to food processor/blender.

3) Add lemon juice and olive oil to food processor/blender.

4) Puree mixture until there are no longer chunks of peas.

Once you have the basic humus, then you can add in extra flavors, such as garlic, roasted red pepper, or the famed jalapeno. For me, I like making a "Mexican Hummus" using my Wedding Spice Blend (See "What's in my Pantry?").

I would recommend at least adding garlic powder (or roasted garlic cloves would be tasty too!) to the basic recipe as it's a little bland without any additional flavoring.  The fun part about this is that you can get creative! Search your spice cabinet and have fun making delicious concoctions of your own!

For those who want to know what you can do with "Mexican Hummus" other than eat it with veggies, chips, or crackers, I've used it to make "Hummupas" (Chalupas with hummus rather than refried beans.) and I've spread it over a plate of tortilla chips and cheese to make some amazing "Mexican Nachos"!

Some tasty hummupas! Mmmmm!!!!