Hummus is one of my favorite things to snack on. It is full of protein and is a great way to enjoy fresh veggies, pita bread or pretzels.
While there are plenty of delicious hummus varieties you can buy premade at your local grocery store, hummus is surprisingly easy to make using just a few simple ingredients. I like making it myself so I can control the amount of sodium and avoid unnecessary additives. To make the process go faster, I use canned garbanzo beans and boil them down with a little fresh lemon juice and garlic.
The result is a lighter, more textural hummus. I like to top this with fresh marinated vegetables and serve it on a bed of butter lettuce as an appetizer or side salad.
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Servings: 6
For the hummus:
2 16-ounce cans garbanzo beans
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
2 cups water
½ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans. Set aside.
2. In a heavy pot, heat the olive oil. Sauté 2 cloves of the garlic and the lemon zest until fragrant, about 10 to 15 seconds.
3. Add the rinsed garbanzo beans and sauté for another minute. Pour in the 2 cups of water, ¼ cup of the lemon juice and the salt. Bring everything up to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and allow the garbanzo beans to cool.
4. Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Place the garbanzo beans into a food processor.
5. Add the remaining lemon juice and the rest of the minced garlic. Begin processing. With the food processor running, pour in a little of the reserved cooking liquid a tablespoon at a time until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.
6. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed and then pour into a serving dish. Drizzle the top with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the smoked paprika.
For the fresh veggies:
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 clove minced garlic
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried mint
Pinch of salt and pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped cucumbers
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup sliced Kalamata olives
½ cup fresh chopped spinach
6 leaves butter lettuce, washed and dried
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, dried herbs, salt and pepper. Drizzle in the olive oil until all is incorporated.
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2. Add the chopped vegetables, and stir to coat.
3. Place the lettuce leaves onto 6 salad plates. Put 2 big spoonfuls of the hummus into each lettuce leaf. Top each one with a couple of spoonfuls of the vegetables. Serve.
This article was originally published in the August 2022 issue of 225 magazine.