Hummus

Hummus is a favorite of mine. This basic recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks "Moosewood". I made some small changes to the recipe. Hummus is an Arabic and Middle Eastern dish that is very versatile. You can use it as a spread on sandwiches instead of meat, or it can be used as a dip for fresh vegetables. Hummus is an ancient food. The earliest known recipes similar to hummus were written in cookbooks published in Cairo in the 13th century. Hummus is not only delish, but it is also very healthy. It is high in iron, vitamin C, folate and vitamin B6.  Here is my simple recipe. Feel free to experiment with different seasonings. I have included two of my favorites. You can use canned chick peas as well, but I prefer the dry beans. Just remember to soak the dry beans the night before. This recipe makes a lot. I use 2 containers, and put half in the fridge and the other half in the freezer for a later time.

Ingredients:

1 bag dry chick peas (makes approximately 3 cups cooked)

6 cloves of garlic

medium bunch of parsley

1/2 sweet onion

6 tbsp. tahini (I have made this without tahini and it is still very good)

3 lemons or limes 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne

Seasonings: fenugreek or cumin (1 tbsp)

Directions:

Soak dry beans over night in large bowl of cold water. In a large pot, boil the chick peas until tender (1-2 hours).  Stir the peas every 20 minutes because there can be a foamy mixture that appears while they are boiling. Drain the cooked chick peas in a strainer. In a food processor blend the garlic, onion, parsley, tahini, salt, cayenne, and fenugreek or cumin. Squeeze in the juice of 3 lemons or limes into the mixture.  Add the chick peas 1 cup at a time to the food processor and blend everything together. Enjoy!