Creamy Mediterranean Hummus

by Donna Jacobs

I will never forget the very first time I tried hummus. It was my Sophomore year of college at my BFF’s childhood home. I went to an out of state University for my undergraduate degree, and it was difficult for me to get home for the holidays, so one of the girls I be-friended Sophomore year, took me under her wing and hosted me at the home she grew up in, whenever we had a holiday that I couldn’t get home for. Her family moved there from Israel when she was 7 years old and I was lucky enough to experience homemade, authentic, Israeli hummus for the very first time. I had no idea what it was or what it was made from, but I fell in love with it! Thanks Miriam!

Believe it or not, with so few ingredients, there are actually many ways to create a delicious hummus dish and I have tried many of them.  The method that I will describe below is one of my favorites. One of the reasons I like it is because by pressure-cooking the garbonzo beans, you retain more nutrients and remove the anti-nutrients, making it easier to absorb the nutrients into your body. In addition, pressure-cooking them can break down some of the complex carbohydrates which also make it easier for your body to digest.

I also love this recipe because of my love / love relationship with garlic. And my final reason is because it is just so darn delicious and nutritious and easy to prepare!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 15 oz can of organic garbonzo beans
• 1 Tbsp garbonzo bean liquid
• 2 small cloves garlic
• juice from 1 large lemon or 2 small lemons (approximately 3-4 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp of Tahini
• 2-3 ice cubes
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• paprika to taste (optional)
• red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
• parsely flakes to taste (optional)
• Kosher salt to taste (optional)
• Splash of olive oil (optional)

Optional Veggies

• Cucumbers, sliced
• Cherry tomatoes
• Kalamata olives
• Red, yellow, and/or orange peppers, sliced
• Celery Stalks, sliced
• Baby Carrots

DIRECTIONS

Remove one tablespoon of liquid from the garbanzo beans and add it to the blender.

Add 1 cup water, baking soda and drained garbanzo beans to a pressure cooker and cook for 15 minutes. ** If you don’t have a pressure cooker, boil on the stove for 10-12 minutes.

Drain the beans in colander and rinse in cold water until most of the skins are at the bottom of the colander. Scrape the beans (trying to leave most of the skins at the base of the colander) into the blender and add the lemon juice, tahini, ice cubes, salt, and garlic. Blend until creamy.

Transfer from blender to bowl and use a spoon to create a circular indent. Pour a bit of olive oil into the indent, and sprinkle with paprika, red pepper flakes, parsely flakes.

Notes : If you prefer your hummus to be a bit on the rougher side, just throw the drained garbanzo beans into the blender without cooking them first!

If you are not a huge fan of garlic, you can cut down or eliminate the garlic altogether. If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can use minced from a jar or even garlic powder. (1/4 – 1/2 tsp for either option)

Enjoy!!!