Recipe: Busy Girl Hummus

*So nothing profound or even too terribly creative from me today. Just a recipe. I know, right? Maybe next week I'll have time for thoughtful reflection.

I love hummus. It reminds me of a little Mediterranean restaurant in a shopping center on the corner of Maryland Parkway and Flamingo in Las Vegas, and anything that reminds me of our time living in Vegas is kept close to my heart.

A few years ago, tired of trying to find good, store-bought hummus, I decided to make my own. The recipe I found called for tahini, which is a ground sesame seed paste. It was an expensive ingredient that I used once and finally tossed a year later when I found it shoved to the back of the pantry.

I've been limited in my meal/snack ideas because I am trying my hardest to eat clean and avoid processed foods. Store bought hummus is expensive for what you get, it doesn't taste as fresh as home made (obviously), and there is some amount of processing involved in its production. Now, my first attempt at hummus didn't go so well. Honestly, all I remember about the experience is I didn't eat what I made and I didn't try it again.

But I've been using the Crock Pot for beans a lot recently, so, on a whim, I grabbed some chickpeas the other day. Why not try again, right?

Now, this attempt is already different from the first because I used both tahini and canned chickpeas, then. To simplify and avoid buying tahini I will never use again, I cut it. And for the purpose of avoiding canned beans, I boiled my own. I call it Busy Girl Hummus because it is easy to make and full of protein to keep me satisfied longer than most other go-to snacks will.

So I soaked the chickpeas overnight in enough water to cover them, just like pintos or black beans. I threw them in the Crock Pot with some water yesterday morning and forgot about them. And I mean I really did forget about them. By the time I got home from work last night, most of the water was gone, but, luckily, they weren't burnt. I was too tired to do anything with them last night, plus my little kitchen helper was fast asleep, so I stuck them in the fridge to finish today.

Cooked and drained chickpeas

A friend of mine a while back made some hummus that was awesome. I didn't get her recipe, but I know it had lemon in it, so I just threw a few things together - lemon juice, olive oil, chickpeas - and ground it all up in my food processor. (You will laugh when you see my baby food processor, by the way. I have only just recently discovered the food processor's magic, so it may be time to invest in a new one.) Anyway, first attempt? No good. I wish I had captured the look on Aleigh's face when she tried it! It was way too lemony and the bitter flavor of the beans was overwhelming.

I knew something was missing, but I couldn't figure out what until I turned to the spice cabinet. Ah ha! While I loved that little Mediterranean restaurant, I certainly did not like the fire ignited in my belly and throat by the overwhelming garlic in the dishes I ordered. So... a clove of garlic (yes, just one!) and a dash of cumin later, my second attempt was a success. Even Aleigh said, "Mmmm!"

1 tbsp. olive oil, 1/4 tsp. cumin, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 clove of garlic

Ingredients after processing in my baby food processor

(Forgive me, but I am awful with recipes. I don't follow them. I look at them once, try to remember the measurements and ingredients, and end up changing much of what the original recipe calls for anyway... nonsensical, right, when you are trying to share a recipe with others?)

Busy Girl Hummus

1/4 lb. chickpeas, cooked and drained

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 clove of garlic

1/4 tsp. cumin powder

juice from half a lemon

*My recipe calls for about a quarter of a one pound bag of chickpeas, so adjust as necessary if you plan to use the entire bag.

1. Cook the beans per the package directions (I used the slow cooking method).
2. Give the garlic clove a few good pulses in the food processor before adding the beans.
3. Add beans and pulse away to break the beans down just a bit.

Hummus ice cubes!

4. Add oil and lemon juice and pulse until a smooth paste forms.
5. Add cumin powder and pulse until blended.

Now, just a quarter of a pound of beans makes a ton of hummus, so unless you plan to eat it all within three days or so, consider freezing some. I pop mine into ice cube trays, just like you would homemade baby food, and then pop it out into a freezer bag when it is frozen through. You'll have little individual servings for a quick snack with pita chips, carrot sticks, or celery.

And hummus is a super adaptable food! You can add different flavors and spices to it with great success. I use it on wraps in place of mayo... yum!