I don't know about you, but for YEARS I had a fear of making hummus. A FEAR. Irrational, perhaps!? I just thought it was too complicated to make, or required expensive ingredients, or wasn't going to taste good, or...or...BAH! Most of the time I ended up either leaving the job to Sabra (at $4 a tub this wasn't frequent...and btw who the heck gets 8 servings out of one of those things?!?! Preposterous!!) or leave it all together. Such a sad thing, because after searching for a hummus recipe using white beans (aka cannellini, aka white kidney) I come to find that it's actually 1) incredibly easy to make 2) incredibly inexpensive and 3) requires some seriously humble ingredients. Thank goodness for my awesome Cuisineart food processor which makes the task of producing a tub of this filling, wholesome, Middle Eastern staple insanely easy. Good-bye, fear. Hellooooo YUM!
Serve it with crudite (the French word for veggies) for a fab appetizer, or throw in some falafel and/or pita and make it a hearty vegan meal. I typically serve it with raw or nearly-raw (ie lightly steamed/blanched) cut-up veggies like carrot, bell pepper, cucumber, celery, broccoli, cauliflower or leaves of endive or stalks of asparagus if I really want to be fancy schmancy! Hummus makes for a great filling for sandwiches/wraps, and I've been known to make a sandwich with hummus, sliced avocado, and fresh tomato. Throw in some sprouts and you got a party in your mouth!
Hummus is actually quite versatile but whatever you do, DO NOT serve it with fruit. TRUE STORY: Just days after giving birth, I asked my husband for something to eat for breakfast. He comes back with (I kid you not) a plate of hummus and... strawberries. I questioned him and he seriously had no idea why that wasn't a good breakfast. "Hummus is good, and strawberries are good. What's the problem?" Needless to say, I opted for a bowl of cereal instead. MEN! ;)
I digress. Back to the beans. So turns out, making this on your own does require a bit of money up-front. A large jar of tahini (ground sesame seeds, found in the ethnic section of the grocery store), will run you about $10 but the amount of hummus you can make with it and a bag or few cans of beans is INSANELY HUGE. WAY more than three piddly tubs of the store-bought stuff. You're welcome.
The other great thing about hummus (as if!) is that there's a lot of flexibility in the ingredients/proportions. If you find it's not garlicky or lemony enough, add more! If the consistency is too dry, add some water and/or olive oil. If you like it spicy (or not), herby, roasted red bell peppery be my guest! Below is the basic recipe, which can be adjusted as your taste buds see fit. Of course, to make classic hummus you can substitute the white beans with chick peas (aka garbanzo beans/ceci beans)
3 C cooked white beans (2, 15-oz cans or 1/2# dried beans, cooked***)
2-3 cloves garlic
handful of fresh parsley
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 C tahini
olive oil
Throw all of the ingredients in a food processor and whiz until beautifully smooth. Add olive oil (and/or water, even) if the consistency is a bit thick/dry. It should be scoop-able, neither runny nor super chunky. Now, wasn't that EASY?! Throw it in a festive bowl, swirl some olive oil on top with a shake of paprika and BAM!
***Turns out, dried beans are WAY WAY WAY cheaper and lower in sodium than canned beans (duh!) and it's actually not that much of a hassle to prepare a large quantity ahead of time and freeze small portions for later use. The general method to cooking beans that are tender and flavorful is to:
1) pick through them to remove any stones and other debris
2) give 'em a good rinse in a colander/strainer
3) throw them in a pot of cold water and let them soak 6-8 hours (ie overnight)
4) replace the soaking water with fresh water making sure they are covered by at least an inch of water and add several solid pinches of salt
5) bring pot to a boil and lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes (some beans take longer) or until tender
6) drain, cool and package into small containers/bags to be stored in the freezer
Serve it with crudite (the French word for veggies) for a fab appetizer, or throw in some falafel and/or pita and make it a hearty vegan meal. I typically serve it with raw or nearly-raw (ie lightly steamed/blanched) cut-up veggies like carrot, bell pepper, cucumber, celery, broccoli, cauliflower or leaves of endive or stalks of asparagus if I really want to be fancy schmancy! Hummus makes for a great filling for sandwiches/wraps, and I've been known to make a sandwich with hummus, sliced avocado, and fresh tomato. Throw in some sprouts and you got a party in your mouth!
Hummus is actually quite versatile but whatever you do, DO NOT serve it with fruit. TRUE STORY: Just days after giving birth, I asked my husband for something to eat for breakfast. He comes back with (I kid you not) a plate of hummus and... strawberries. I questioned him and he seriously had no idea why that wasn't a good breakfast. "Hummus is good, and strawberries are good. What's the problem?" Needless to say, I opted for a bowl of cereal instead. MEN! ;)
I digress. Back to the beans. So turns out, making this on your own does require a bit of money up-front. A large jar of tahini (ground sesame seeds, found in the ethnic section of the grocery store), will run you about $10 but the amount of hummus you can make with it and a bag or few cans of beans is INSANELY HUGE. WAY more than three piddly tubs of the store-bought stuff. You're welcome.
The other great thing about hummus (as if!) is that there's a lot of flexibility in the ingredients/proportions. If you find it's not garlicky or lemony enough, add more! If the consistency is too dry, add some water and/or olive oil. If you like it spicy (or not), herby, roasted red bell peppery be my guest! Below is the basic recipe, which can be adjusted as your taste buds see fit. Of course, to make classic hummus you can substitute the white beans with chick peas (aka garbanzo beans/ceci beans)
 |
| Hot dang this stuff is delicious! |
White Bean Hummus
(based on the recipe from foodnetwork.com)3 C cooked white beans (2, 15-oz cans or 1/2# dried beans, cooked***)
2-3 cloves garlic
handful of fresh parsley
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 C tahini
olive oil
Throw all of the ingredients in a food processor and whiz until beautifully smooth. Add olive oil (and/or water, even) if the consistency is a bit thick/dry. It should be scoop-able, neither runny nor super chunky. Now, wasn't that EASY?! Throw it in a festive bowl, swirl some olive oil on top with a shake of paprika and BAM!
***Turns out, dried beans are WAY WAY WAY cheaper and lower in sodium than canned beans (duh!) and it's actually not that much of a hassle to prepare a large quantity ahead of time and freeze small portions for later use. The general method to cooking beans that are tender and flavorful is to:
1) pick through them to remove any stones and other debris
2) give 'em a good rinse in a colander/strainer
3) throw them in a pot of cold water and let them soak 6-8 hours (ie overnight)
4) replace the soaking water with fresh water making sure they are covered by at least an inch of water and add several solid pinches of salt
5) bring pot to a boil and lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes (some beans take longer) or until tender
6) drain, cool and package into small containers/bags to be stored in the freezer
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