If you love to munch on dip and veggies or chips, here is the most deelish and EASY HUMMUS recipe. If you're not familiar with hummus, its a bean dip made from chickpeas. It is GREAT with a veggie plate, whole grain pita chips, spread on wraps, and yes, corn chips or tortilla chips. You can also add a variety of things to season/flavor your hummus to match your tastes. I like to make a basic recipe that goes with everything, but am beginning to experiment with flavors!
I used to buy hummus at the store in the little plastic containers but was always bugged by that funny aftertaste it had. Now, I am NOT a huge freak about preservatives, although I do watch for them, I just am not one that can always "taste" the preservatives in foods. BUT Hummus, to me, is different. Also, you will pay about $3.00 for a small container while this will cost you less than a dollar a can for the chickpeas (non-organic) and most of the other ingredients you may have in your pantry or refrigerator. Either way, this is a less expensive option that yields much better tasting and healthier hummus.
Here is an easy way to make fresh, hummus that will keep in your fridge all week (if it doesn't get eaten first!) and I would be willing to bet once you try this recipe you will not EVER want to buy store made hummus again. The best part about this recipe is that, I think, the flavor gets even better as it sits in the fridge!
First of all, you need relatively FEW basic ingredients to make hummus.
2 cans chickpeas
6 tbsp Olive oil (flavored varieties can also be used)
1/4 cup mayonnaise made with olive oil (a healthier version of mayo)
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
2-4 tsp fresh squeezed lemon (or 2 tbsp lemon olive oil)
1/2 cup fresh basil (or 2 tbsp basil olive oil)
1 tsp kosher salt
(You can also be creative and add fresh chopped spinach, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, etc.!)
In a food processor, combine chickpeas, olive oil, chopped basil leaves, salt and garlic. Process until the mixture is fairly smooth. Then add the mayo. You will see it now takes on a creamier texture, which I prefer. (I don't really "measure" my olive oil/mayo...just being honest here...comes from my artistic mom who never measured anything, BUT I started slow here...add olive oil/mayo to your liking. The goal is to have a smooth bean dip like texture.) Many recipes do not use the mayo, so it IS optional, but I like how it smooths out the chickpeas. Once all the ingredients are completely mixed together and the texture is to YOUR liking, taste and add any other things you like to the mix. Today I am adding roast red pepper and toasted walnuts to mine, a recipe a friend shared with me. When you have the flavor profile you like, put in a bowl and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to let the flavors all fuse together.
In the picture above, I do NOT show the fresh basil but do show one of my other FAVORITE things, The Texas Olive Ranch Sweet Basil and Lemon infused olive oils. These I use ALL the time and are GREAT in a pinch for fresh items. The flavor is so full and rich, you will think you have used the fresh ingredients. I buy mine from the local farmers market (how fun is this?)
Even though I buy at the local famers market, you could either ask your local grocery store to start carrying them for you OR their products are available to order online from their website and they ship directly to you!
They have a large selection of olive oils (infused and plain) and delicious vinegars to pair them with for marinades and salad dressings. In fact, this is a picture of the collection I have in my pantry...
I rarely used bottled salad dressings any more because I pair the olive oils/vinegars and whisk them together for a much healthier and fresher tasting salad dressing! My next post I will highlight some of the ways I pair and use them!
If you are interested in purchasing any of the oils, I would recommend you start with the Lemon Olive Oil and the Basil olive oil and the Orange and White infused Basalmic Vinegar as basics.
(small pictures, sorry!) These three are perfect to combine for basic marinades and a fresh salad dressing! They run $10.00 a bottle, plus $10.00 for shipping!
Here is the link to their website...
http://texasoliveranch.com/
And, as always, these make PERFECT gifts for friends (or for YOU) who love to cook, or just want a few shortcuts in their cooking that make a big difference!
Happy Super Bowl, hope the hummus recipe comes in handy as a QUICK fix for an appetizer to take or make for your party! Enjoy!
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