Yummy Homemade Hummus

Hello friends!  I have taken a long break from blogging, but I am hoping to get back into the swing of things.  My computer actually crashed back in October, and I was without one until I got a new Mac for Christmas (yay!)  So that is my first excuse for dropping the blogging ball, and my second excuse is that I have also been without wine since November.  We are expecting baby number 3 in July, and instead of sitting up in the evenings with a big glass of wine and writing (yep, I like to drink while I blog,) I have been laying in bed tired and queasy, and I am asleep not long after my kids go down.  Isn't pregnancy glamorous?  I have missed sharing recipes and mama stories, though, and I am excited to get blogging again...So, here I am, starting with an easy, yummy humus recipe!

I really feel like Martha Stewart making my own hummus over here, but it is actually super easy (and better than what you buy in the store in my opinion!)  My mother-in-law, Moira, made this hummus for us when we visited Nashville, and Phil and I and the kids LOVED it.  I have been making it every few days since we got home, and it has become a new favorite in our house.  The recipe is from an old Lebanese cookbook from Phil's grandmother, and Moira made a couple of changes.  ENJOY!

From the Store:

4-5 tablespoons of tahini (see picture if you are a rookie like me, and don't know what this is...it can be found in the organic section near the peanut butter)
one lemon

1 medium clove of garlic

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup juice from canned garbanzo beans

1 lb can garbanzo beans drained

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

From Your Kitchen:

Blender

Measuring cup

Measuring spoons

Cutting board

Butter knife (or garlic press- I just don't own one!)

1. You will be adding each ingredient to the blender.  Start with 4-5 tablespoons of tahini (I do about 4.5.)  The tahini will need to be stirred well first (it really separates out.)  

2. Add the lemon juice.  The original recipe calls to "add the lemon juice to taste" but my mother-in-law uses the juice from the entire lemon, and after making it a few times, I definitely think it needs it! The first time I made it, I ended up fishing lemon seeds out of the blender, so now I squeeze the juice into a bowl first, so I can remove the seeds before adding to the blender.

3. Add one medium clove of garlic, crushed, and add the salt.  I used to be a garlic rookie (and don't actually own a garlic press) but my sister-in-law, Stephanie, suggested I just use the side of a butter knife, and I think it works just fine!  I didn't use a chopper, but I tried to slice/mash it into small pieces.  

4. Drain the garbanzo beans into a measuring cup and pour out the excess until you have 1/4 cup of liquid.  Add the juice to the blender.

5. Add the tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

6. Finally, add the 1 lb of drained garbanzo beans to the blender.

7. Now blend!  I use the highest setting on my blender for several seconds.  Some of the ingredients will get on the sides of the blender, so I used a wooden spoon to mash it all down.

                

8. Blend some more!  I had to include this picture of Annie watching me blend- she makes the FUNNIEST faces these days. :)

9. Pour the hummus into a bowl, refrigerate for a bit, and then ENJOY!

Recipe Card:

1. You will be adding each ingredient to the blender.  Start with 4-5 tablespoons of tahini (I do about 4.5.)  The tahini will need to be stirred well first (it really separates out.)  

2. Add the lemon juice (use the juice from the entire lemon) 

3. Add one medium clove of garlic, crushed.

4. Drain the garbanzo beans into a measuring cup and pour out the excess until you have 1/4 cup.  Add the juice to the blender.
5. Add the tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the blender.

6. Finally, add the 1 lb of drained garbanzo beans to the blender.

7. Now blend!  (I use the highest setting on my blender for several seconds.  Some of the ingredients will get on the sides of the blender, so I used a wooden spoon to mash it all down.)

8. Blend some more! 

9. Pour the hummus into a bowl, refrigerate for a bit, and then ENJOY!