Do you have a favorite brand of hummus or do you enjoy it at one particular restaurant because they make it so perfectly? You don’t have to go out –  make it yourself.

Once you have mastered hummus basics, check out the ideas below the recipe to take your hummus beyond the ordinary. Enjoy it often – it’s good for you. I love to dip carrots, radishes, and cucumbers in my hummus. Or try it on sandwiches as a replacement for mayo.

ps – It’s not cheating to use canned garbanzo beans. It’s just easy.

Basic Hummus

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz can) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 T tahini
2 T fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and pepper to taste
3 T olive oil  (you may use less or more to taste)
Optional Ingredients: see below for a few delicious suggestions

Directions:

Using a blender (or an immersion blender and a tall narrow bowl), combine the garbanzo beans, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice until everything is nicely mixed.

Keep the blender going and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a little drizzle at a time.

Add oil until the hummus is the consistency you prefer. Dip in a slice of carrot or pita bread for taste testing. Then dip in again, but try not to eat it all before setting out for everyone else to enjoy!

Mindful mix-ins and toppings:

1/4 cup roasted or caramelized pepper or onions
1/4 cup diced fresh red, green, orange, yellow, jalapeno, serrano, banana, or any pepper that is growing in your garden right now
1/4 cup roasted and chopped eggplant
1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped small
1 T black olives, chopped fine
2 T toasted pine nuts, crushed
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t ground sumac
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
2 garlic cloves roasted and chopped
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
2 t mint, fine chopped
1 T cilantro, parsley or basil, chopped
1-2 T spinach, watercress or your favorite leafy green, chopped
2 T plain Greek yogurt and reduce the two tablespoons of olive oil to one
1 T peanut or almond butter as a replacement for the tahini
2 cups soaked garbanzo beans in place of canned
Replace one tablespoon of olive oil with your favorite hot pepper infused olive oil
Replace the final three tablespoons of olive oil with reserved liquid from canned chickpeas for very low fat hummus
Replace half of the chickpeas with an equal amount of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix, canned real pumpkin)
Top with 2 T feta