Hummus - yum yum

Good Morning!

Many of you asked for the hummus recipe that we served at church yesterday. Keep in mind that I have altered the recipe to suit my taste. As you are adding your ingredients, do a taste test yourself and see what works best for you and your family. The hummus yesterday was plain, but you can add things like sun-dried tomato or red pepper - whatever you think sounds good will generally work.

Hummus:

Two 15.5 oz cans of garbanzo beans, drained (Costco)

1-1/2 cups tahini paste [Fresno Deli; Southwest corner of Fresno and Gettysburg]

2/3 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic

1/8 cup olive oil

1 heaping Tbls kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 can water (add as needed)

Place all ingredients in food processor; run until smooth. If too stiff, add water until the hummus is the consistency you want.

If you like garlic, add more, especially as the original recipe calls for 4 cloves. If you want to cut down on fat, use only 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. If you want low salt, the recipe actually calls for 1 tablespoon. Again, do what tastes best to you.

Hummus is actually a good protein source, and you can keep all of the ingredients in your short-term storage. The garbanzo beans that I purchased about 6 months ago are good until 2014. Tahini paste stores for approximately one year (per Fresno Deli), but remember after you open the jar, you must refrigerate!