Hummus Among Us

When the 5:00 PM munchies hit, it's nice to have something in the refrigerator ready to snack on. Between 4:00 and 5:00 is my danger zone for hunger. Hummus is a good choice for us. I have made this recipe several times now and I think it's worth sharing again—with a few tips I've learned along the way. 

I have shared this same recipe before, but yesterday I used the recipe more as a guide and didn't worry quite so much about measuring ingredients, which made the process faster. I just used 2 lemons this time and did not measure the juice. We have eaten it before and I knew a little more lemon flavor or a little less would still suit our tastes.

This time I had a different brand of chick peas. I am thinking that might be the reason that I ended up adding nearly all the liquid from one can back to the mix instead of the 4 tablespoons the recipe called for. Maybe the beans were not as soft as before? The point is, for this kind of recipe, you just have to trust your own judgement. It took that much extra liquid to let the bean mix blend. That's a crazy extra amount but it needed it. Just remember to add a little at a time. You cannot "un-add" extra liquid.

I had a great thought while I was getting out ingredients. Could a  jar of minced garlic replace fresh cloves? It worked fine and cut out a couple of steps. Yeah for faster! I had been dipping fresh garlic cloves in boiling water to remove the raw taste. This is a better solution.

When you get it all blended together, taste it before you take it out of your food processor or blender. Yesterday I added some extra tahini paste, mostly because there were about two tablespoons left in the jar–not enough for another recipe and I wanted to use it up. Because I had added so much extra liquid, the hummus needed a little more seasoning. I put in a few more shakes of hot sauce and a little more salt.

When 5:00 came, I was ready. No searching for cookies or chips. (Not that there are any in the house at the moment.) This was a healthy snack that kept me from starving before dinner. That's exactly what I needed. When Baby Sister is here this summer, I'll be sure to have plenty of this on hand. She loves it, too.

HUMMUS

2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic (or to taste)
2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt (if you use table salt, you might want less)
1/3 cup Tahini paste
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 2 lemons
3-4 tablespoons liquid from beans (or amount needed to reach desired consistency)
8 dashes hot sauce

Using a food processor or blender, blend all ingredients until coarsely pureed. Taste and adjust the seasoning to suit you. Serve at room temperature or chilled.