Traditional Homemade Hummus

“Did you know you can buy that at the store?” he’d ask me in a teasing sort of way as he dipped carrots into my homemade hummus, sank his teeth into a warm muffin or ran his finger through health-nourishing cookie dough.

Smiling, he’d eat it all up and enjoy every homemade morsel. Sure, he teased me about my desire to create my own versions food so much more conveniently purchased from grocery stores. But I know he loved it! Kevin used to adore eating. Anyone who knew him knows that’s understatement!

Willing to try about anything, when we got hitched it wasn’t hard to convert him from white grains to whole, from sodium and processed pre-made meals to real foods with REAL flavors, and from bags of crunchy chips to snack mixes made at home. He snickered and poked fun at my obsession with feeding our bodies with clean, nourishing ingredients (or at least ones we can recognize when written down).

But, yes, I know for sure that the adventurous eater in him loved allowing his taste buds to explore what I’d come up with while he was at work. It was an interest we shared—food, flavors and exploring how to eat it WELL.

My creativity in the kitchen bumped up a notch (or three or four) when our girls were born. I wanted their precious, developing little bodies to know the nourishment of real foods, unadulterated with pesticides and dyes and free from industrial harm. I made their baby food. They both ate avocado first and they still love it today! Next came all kinds of fruits and veggies pureed to perfection. Followed by tiny bits of organic tofu rolled in wheat germ or flax meal.

Oh, I could go on and on! But my point is, over the years I’ve learned how and actually enjoy making my OWN foods that are more commonly bought. It occurred in steps. Baby steps. I remember the first time I made homemade hummus. I felt so satisfied with myself! Then, almond butter, bread and finally I even branched out to baking my own crackers from time to time!

I won’t lie. It takes time. So I still buy bread and crackers containing contents that meet my health standards sometimes. You’ll find boxes (cereal, crackers, sometimes granola bars) and cans (organic beans, mercury-free tuna) in my pantry…all as unprocessed as possible and primarily organic. I keep meals simple so, in ALL honesty, I’m not cooking for an hour each evening!

But, the time I take to prepare our own staples like muffins, breads, crackers, hummus, and the list goes on is so well worth it. My kids are often in the kitchen with me, which makes for fun family time as they learn early how to prepare foods for themselves.

Plus, I know what goes into our bodies and the effects those foods will have. I understand, time is a precious commodity. But I also know the time I take is transferred to my family as love in the form of food. Yeah, food has always been a love language of mine…it’s fine, right?

So, when Kevin looked at me adoringly (sometimes with a sweet little smack for my bottom!) while he ate a homemade something he might have thought odd earlier in life, I know he felt the love. Right from my heart into the food I create, filling the people I feed with love and nourishment.

Try it. Truly. Dive right in with this homemade hummus. It’s a great, easy place to start testing your hand at creating a homemade kitchen! While you make it, put some love into the recipe from your heart into your hands because this will surely nourish your loved ones.

Homemade hummus is where it’s at! You can flavor this traditional recipe any way you want. But, these basic ingredients offer loads of plant protein, fiber and good fats.I consider the main ingredient, chickpeas, a super food with their heart healthy, cancer preventing properties. We eat this on veggies, crackers or simply by the spoonful!

Ingredients

2 15.5 ounce cans chickpeas (or a heaping 3 cups soaked dried chickpeas)*
2 cloves garlic (I sometimes use 3 because I LUUUV garlic.)
½ cup water
¼ cup tahini**
3 tablespoons lemon juice (I use fresh squeezed)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon Celtic Sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
You can stop there or some people like to add a little cayenne pepper or garnish with fresh parsley.

Recipe Instructions

Put the chickpeas and garlic into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
Add the water and remaining ingredients.
Process until smooth. I process it for at least a few minutes, sample for texture and then process more if I want it smoother.
Serve with pitas, crackers or veggies or refrigerate. Hummus will keep for about 5 to 7 days in the fridge.

Recipe Notes

*I almost always buy dried, organic chick peas and soak them overnight. Then, the next day, I drain and rinse them. Then, pressure cook them for about an hour (or until desired softness). It's cheaper and less processed to buy dried beans of any kind.

**Tahini can be found an almost any grocery store in teh natural food section. It's sesame seed 'butter'.

Buy Tahini here.

***Take it up a notch--it requires another step. But on occasion, I roast the garlic cloves in the oven first for a slightly roasted garlic flavor. To do that, just drizzle the garlic (unpeeled) with olive oil, wrap with foil or parchment paper and set in a 325 degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes until slightly soft. remove the 'meat' of the cloves with a narrow spoon or knife.