Hummus - Another food-buddy!

What is Hummus?

According to Wikipedia,  it is a Levantine Arab food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini (sesame paste), olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is popular throughout the Middle East and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe.

There are varied versions around the web, but its base is made of chickpeas and olive oil. 

It is good with pita breads, tortilla chips, crackers, dips for vegetables like carrots, celery, and cucumbers.  The possibilities are endless. Some served it with falafel as a spread with salad on the side.

Here are some home-made recipes to explore and enjoy.

Homemade Greek Hummus

By Momables

Ingredients:

2 cups canned chickpeas,drained

1/3 cup tahini or sesame paste

2-4 garlic gloves

1/4 cup water

6 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons)

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsps kosher salt

Directions

Place the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of water, the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, olive oil, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until coarsely pureed. The hummus should be moist and thick; add more lemon juice and water slowly to make it creamier.  Repeat if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for several hours for the flavors to blend. Taste for seasonings. Yield: 2 cups.

This Extra Easy Hummus by allrecipes.com has no tahini at all.  So for those, who are not a big fan of tahini, this might be a good bet.  Take time to read on the reviews to discover some tricks, tips or some modifications that would make it extra yummy for your tummy.

Hummus without Tahini recipe by Food.com.  I noticed that there were several recipes without Tahini.  I bet a lot of people didn't like their hummus with tahinis.  I assume it must be linked to peanut allergies.

Here's another one by Edible Garden.  I had a great time reading her post, as she blogged about her discovery of our best food buddy.  Honestly, as I write and research about this, I am actually craving for one now.  And I might end up making my very first home-made hummus after all.  And let the kids taste it for the very first time too.

And of course with my search, I also came across of a blog that is dedicated solely to humus.  The Humus Blog which gave chickpeas a chance to stardom.  The chickpeas that once just a supporting ingredient, is now the main ingredient of the dish.

I encourage you to try hummus.  It is not only healthy, but scrumptious as well.  Now that I have discovered the home-made version of hummus, I believe this will be a regular in our household as we devour tortilla chips with hummus on our weekend movie nights at home.

Explore your kind of hummus!