Hummus

I was surprised to find that I like hummus - I never cared for the taste of chickpeas on their own.  In fact, it has become one of my favorite foods.  I enjoy the taste; I enjoy the fact that it is so good for you; and I enjoy that it stays with me til the next meal.  I hate being distracted by hunger before it is time to legitimately do something about it.

This is how I usually make my hummus:

1 can chickpeas plus 1/4 cup of the liquid from can

1/4 cup tahini

juice from 1 lemon (approximately 3 tblsp)

1 tblsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

2 tblsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Put all ingredients together in food processor and puree until smooth.  I like to use the fresh parsley if I have some on hand because it is a natural diuretic but if I don’t have any on hand, I make it without.

Last week I tried a recipe for Rosemary Artichoke Hummus that I found on www.inadvertentgardener.wordpress.com/2007/08/17/ which was really tasty:

1 can chickpeas

1 can quartered artichoke hearts

2 cloves garlic

3 or 4 tbsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped (I used 1 tsp dried)

3 tblsp lemon juice (1 lemon)

3 tblsp olive oil

Put all ingredients into food processor and puree until smooth.

I have recently come across another variation that calls for roasted red pepper which I plan on trying next week.