Hummus

Making hummus is fun, easy, and delicious! I begin with the following ingredients (pictured above):

• Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• Tahini
• Labne
• Water (if needed)

I don't measure when I make hummus. This makes it more fun and easier to make! Once you make it a few times, you will become an expert so just keep trying. Just taste it after you've added everything, and add more of what you like! Also, be careful not to add too much liquid at first, as it is difficult to go back once it gets too watery (Unless you add more chickpeas).

Speaking of chickpeas, they are the most important ingredient in hummus! I like to cook my chickpeas myself in a crock pot opposed to using canned ones. They turn out absolutely amazing after cooking all day! All you do is soak them overnight in water, drain the next morning, and put them in the crock pot with more water (fill to the level of the chickpeas) and garlic cloves on low all day long. At the end of the day, you can whip up some yummy, healthy, fresh hummus! I always make a lot of chickpeas when I do this, so I save some in the freezer. For the recipe I am sharing here, I used chickpeas that I defrosted from a previous time that I slow cooked them. Here they are:

I add them to the blender first. You can also use a food processor; I just don't have one :)

Add a spoonfull of labne (really thick Middle Eastern yogurt/sour cream spread),

tahini...

yum!

Add salt,

pepper,

lemon juice,

and olive oil.

Blend it up until it is nice and creamy.

Beautiful!

Oh, and I almost forgot - you have to press in a clove or two of garlic!

Spread a thin layer on a plate, drizzle olive oil on top, and sprinkle some cayenne pepper on top for looks! Serve with pita bread - or my personal favorite: naan!