Making our favorite: Hummus

Hummus

“A Vegetarian’s Delight”
Garbanzo Bean Purée with Tahini
I adapted a recipe out of “Alice’s Kitchen” cookbook, to mimic our favorite restaurant’s version.

2 cans garbanzo beans (Name Brand only, it does make a difference. We use Bush Brand.)
2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
1 cup liquid (½ cup broth and ½ cup water)
4 Tablespoons Tahini (sesame seed paste)
4 Cloves Garlic (crushed or minced)
2 Lemons or Mexican Limes (juiced)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Drain beans saving the liquid. Keep beans in can and fill can with cold water and one tablespoon of baking soda in each can. Let sit until ready to use. (Rinse beans thoroughly before using.)
2. Mix ½ cup broth from the beans with ½ cup water and set aside until needed.
3. Rinse beans and put in blender with 1 cup liquid, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil.
4. Blend on chop, then puree, and then liquefy, until smooth.
5. Spread into a thin layer on a plate with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with paprika or cayenne. Garnish with parsley and serve with pita bread.

This goes great with cherry tomatoes, olives, green onions, and radishes.

Note: Depending on your blender, you might blend one can of beans at a time. I burned up a brand new blender last year. Only used it a couple of times to make hummus, and then it burned out. My new one has a feature that turns itself off before it gets too hot. This feature kicks in every time I make this recipe.