Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Super-Simple Hummus

Zap 3 or 4 whole unpeeled garlic cloves in the microwave for about 20 seconds (or you can roast them in the oven, of course). Then simply pop them out of the peels for this recipe.

Combine in blender:

Garlic cloves
A 15-oz. can of garbanzo beans, including liquid (a 16-oz. can would be fine too, if that's what you have)
1/8 cup olive oil
2 to 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Blend until smooth. You may have to pulse it and stop occasionally to stir with a spoon to release a trapped air bubble, as this is very thick. You can add a bit more olive oil, plain yogurt or water if necessary to blend it.

Serve with crackers, bread, chips, raw vegetables and/or whatever else you like to dip. :)

Feel free to tweak the amounts of seasonings, or to add your favorite flavor--sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives or fresh green herbs instead of the cumin might be tasty (though probably not all together. :) ). If your beans aren't already salted, you may want to increase the salt.

5 comments:

Karen said...

I just got a food processor and have been looking forward to making hummus in it! I've been looking for a recipe that doesn't have Tahini and this looks like a winner!!

purple_kangaroo said...

Thanks! Feel free to give feedback& suggestions or post how you tweaked a recipe.

The garlic cloves I used were pretty small, so I think if you're not a big garlic lover some may want to reduce the number to one or two cloves if they're good-sized ones. Roasting or microwaving the garlic takes off the sharp edge and brings out a sweeter, more mellow flavor.

purple_kangaroo said...

My 5-year-old said this recipe was "too spicy", so I might try less garlic and half the cumin next time. My other kids loved it, though.

Karen said...

I found the same thing, it was definitely too much cumin for me!

I posted my attempt (and adventure) on my blog.

Thanks again for the great recipes. I've always been a fan!

Claudine said...

Hummus! who couldn't love them. Can't wait to make some... thanks for sharing this.