Hummus

I use a version of Krista's recipe and add tahini. It just doesn't taste right to me without the tahini.

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans (or 16oz freshly cooked)
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Everything is "to taste", I adjust it every time.

If you have a Trader Joes around you try the White Bean Hummus. The best IMO-really smooth and not as bite-y as chick pea IMO.

Sabra makes a great hummus and also has a lot of varieties. There is also a particular brand of hummus that I buy from Costco..can't think of the name (sorry) but it's the only hummus brand they carry and it is DELICIOUS!! I could eat it all day long. They also have some of the best varieties at Costco like garlic and olive oil hummus, tomato-basil, etc. It's the best I've had. At our grocery store, I can buy the smaller containers of hummus and I usually buy Sabra. It's good stuff. I happen to like dipping celery sticks, orange or red pepper slices or cucumbers into the hummus and I eat it as a snack or sometimes a light meal. It's also good on crackers and pita chips but I don't eat that stuff very much so I choose the raw veggies instead. Go for it! If you like it, it's a great thing to eat in place of the classic garbage snacks and foods that we sometimes get roped into.

Trader Joe's humus is delicious!

I also like the sabra brand from the regular grocery store. If you have a middle eastern restaraunt where you live, you could also get take-out or ideas from them. I've not made this recipe (too lazy) but it is from one of my favorite sources, www.vegetariantimes.com. Get one of their magazines...YUMMY. Anyway, here is the link to their recipe,
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11385?section=167.

Good luck, have fun. D.
BTW. If you want an absolutely fabulous oatmeal cookie recipe, here is one from veg times, http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11219?section

I read once that the key to a really great hummas is to add yogurt to it... google some recipes and then try a batch w/ the yogurt and one w/out!

Sabra is the ONLY store brand I'd buy. I don't make it; when I'm in the mood I either buy Sabra or go to a Greek or Lebanese restaurant.

Agreed that Sabra's regular hummus is so yummy! Try the regular one before the flavored versions.

I cook A LOT...but hummus is the one thing that I personally prefer to buy because they generally taste better (the Sabra brand or the one Sam's Club sells).

Hope you find one you enjoy.

Go to the Real Simple magazine website and see if their recipe is still posted. It was so easy and wonderful! Sabra is good too, but it's so stinkin' easy to make that I don't spend money on the store-bought anymore!

Essentially:
- I can chickpeas
- lemon juice (to taste)
- olive oil (added little by little until it's "creamy"
- salt & pepper (to taste)
put it all in the food processor and give it a spin!

I have added black olives, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, capers... all kinds of things to add a little more flavor.

There is a recipe called Quick Lemmon Hummus. It is on Oprah.com. It is a recipe from her chef. It is easy and you don't need extra ingredients. I make it all the time! You can adjust how spicy you want it.

My recipe is...for the 'real' classic hummus taste you need to combine both chickpeas and tahini.

Essentially:
- I can chickpeas
- 1 C tahini (sesame seed butter)
- lemon juice, juice of 1 to above ratio (to taste)
- olive oil (added little by little until it's "creamy"
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, depending up on pungent you like
-1/2 to 1 tsp sugar
put it all in the food processor and give it a spin!

Hummus is super easy to make, and once you buy a jar of tahini, it will last for quite a while in the fridge.
Since you have some good recipes to work with, I'll just give input on some options to add more flavor that I personally love -not all at the same time though : )
Lemon and fresh dill or cilantro
carmelized onions
sweet chili
scallion
yummmmy

We LOVE the hummus from California Pizza Kitchen. Their recipe is online, I don't have the link handy but if you type in California pizza kitchen hummus recipe you should be able to find it. It is made with white beans rather than the traditional chick peas. It is so good! Pretty easy to make, just throw everything in the food processor. The recipe does make a big batch.

I say, if you are in a location to do so and if you've never actually tried hummus before, go to a local Greek restaurant and try it there first. The stuff they make at the restaurant is soooo much better than anything in the stores, usually more authentic. Then, once you've decided whether or not you like it, take some of the yummy recipes and store-bought suggestions these wonderful ladies gave on here and do what you will :) At least you'll know what you're looking for, taste-wise.