Heavenly Hummus

If you are interested in making your own hummus (and you should be)... use this recipe. Seriously. At the very least you should follow the beginning instructions and soak your dried chickpeas in water and baking soda. I've made hummus from canned chickpeas and it doesn't even compare to this. According to Alton Brown on Good Eats, the outer skin of the chickpeas soften better in a slightly alkali environment, and the baking soda provides this environment. Softer chickpeas = creamier hummus.

This recipe has endless possibilities for flavors. You could add a slew of spices, roasted garlic, roasted peppers, pine nuts... anything! For my next batch I'm going to try adding a little olive oil (1-2 tablespoons maybe?), because the hummus tightens up a bit in the fridge.

(Good) Warning: This recipe makes A TON. I had two medium-large containers full of hummus. It freezes surprisingly well though, so you could either do what I did, which is make it all and then divide it into two portions - one for the fridge and one for the freezer, or you could just cut the ingredients in half.

Recipe from The Healthy Foodie

Ingredients:

2 cups dried chickpeas *I used a 1 lb. bag - it was basically 2 cups
2 tbs. baking soda for soaking + 1/2 tsp. for cooking
1/2 cup tahini
Juice of 1 lemon *I probably used about 2 lemons-worth, but it's all up to your taste buds
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp cumin *I used about 1 1/2 tsp. of cumin
1/2 - 1 cup of water  *Start with 1/2 and work your way up. Runny hummus could get weird

Instructions:

1. Soak chickpeas in water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda over night
2. Drain, rinse, and soak again in water for a few more hours. The chickpeas need to get nice and plump - almost doubling their volume
3. Drain and rinse the chickpeas once more and put them in a large pot 
4. Cover the chickpeas with water and add 1/2 tsp. baking soda to the pot
5. Cook on low heat about 30-45 minutes until they are very soft. Regularly skim the surface of the water while the chickpeas cook to remove any foam or floating chickpea skins (They really do foam... it's kind of weird)
6. Once tender, drain the chickpeas and then transfer them to a food processor. Grind them into a thick puree, occasionally stopping the processor to scrape down the sides
7. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cumin and process the mixture
8. Add the water slowly until you get the desired texture. You probably want to make the hummus thinner than your actual desired texture, because it firms up in the fridge a little.

In a week and a half, I managed to eat all of this single-handedly.