One of my favorite meals
Hummus is a refrigerator staple in my household. Besides being one of my favorite foods, it’s easy to make and stays good for a long time. Served with sliced veggies and pita wedges, it’s is a quick and healthy weekday lunch or light dinner. It’s great to have on hand this time of year, when it can get too hot to cook. And it’s awesome with the fresh, in-season and locally grown tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers that are currently available.
I’ve been eating and making hummus since high school when it was an important source of protein for my then-vegetarian diet. My mom refused to cook me vegetarian food, which meant I had to learn to do it if I wanted to live on more than salads and grilled cheese sandwiches. So I subscribed to Vegetarian Times and bought a copy of their cookbook. I actually keep meaning to get that cookbook back from my mom’s house because it has so many great recipes. Anyway, the first hummus I made used a recipe similar to this one. I’ve been playing with it since then and finally got around to writing it down last week after I made a particularly good batch. This is a fairly classic hummus recipe. There’s no spinach or roasted red peppers, just chickpeas accented with tahini, garlic and lemon.
Lemon-Garlic Hummus
Makes 3 cups
Ingredients
1 15 oz. can chick peas
scant 1/2 c. juice from the chick peas
3 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. tahini
1 lemon, juiced
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and combine until smooth.
2. Enjoy immediately with fresh veggies and pita wedges, or cover and refrigerate.
My Thoughts & Suggestions
- I usually eat my hummus with pita wedges, tomatoes, cucumbers and red bell peppers. Other veggies that go well with it are cauliflower, broccoli, celery and green bell peppers. While I’m not a fan of hummus on carrots, a lot of people do enjoy it.
- My other favorite way to use hummus is as a sandwich topping. Spread the hummus on a pita, then add lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, bell pepper and feta cheese. Yum yum!
- This recipe is fine to double. I usually make a big batch of it and eat it for lunch all week. As long as it’s kept cold, it stays good for 5-7 days.
