Savory Hummus

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of soaked, cooked, and drained garbanzo beans (preferably organic and cooked with ajwain (you can read my post on it here) to aid w/ digestibility added to pot: 3/4 tsp per 2 cups dried beans – See my post on How to De-Gas Beans.) 2 cloves garlic (See The Easiest Way to Peel Garlic) 10 Tbsp water 4 Tbsp olive oil (may substitute tahini if you prefer) 4 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh squeezed, if possible. Otherwise, I highly recommend Dream Foods) 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (aleppo is wonderful, but hard to find) 1 1/2 tsp salt (I recommend Real Salt)

Method:

1. Put all ingredients in a heavy duty blender (aka Vitamix) and/ or food processor.

2. Blend until of desired consistency. A typical food processor will need approximately 4 minutes to get it really smooth. My Viking Processor takes about 1-2 minutes. Oh, do I love my food processor.

3. Serve with chips, vegetables, Focaccia Flax Bread, or even “Gotta Have the Recipe” Seasoned Popcorn. Use your imagination!

Option:

– Substitute tahini for the olive oil. My eldest has a life-threatening allergy to sesame seeds, so we don’t use tahini in our hummus.

Time Saving Notes:

1. Make extra batches! Hummus may be frozen for a future quick and easy meal. The smooth texture can be restored by adding and stirring in some extra olive oil before serving. We always at least double this recipe and eat it over several days, especially when there is a potluck or other gathering where we will be sharing a dish to pass. One cup of dried beans equals approximately 3 cups of cooked, so you can judge how many cups of beans to start with.

2. Keep extra soaked and cooked beans stored in your freezer so that you can whip this up at a moment’s notice without needing to depend upon canned beans.