I fell in love with hummus when I moved to New York. My friends in culinary school would consume it by the tub, and I honestly didn’t get it. I mean, I’d had hummus before, the stuff from the grocery store with a shelf life of months. It was good, but it wasn’t THAT good. Well, it turns out, like most things when it is fresh it is much better. It is officially one of my favorite snacks, and I’m lucky to live in a city with some incredible hummus and falafel places.

Lucky for you and me, it can also be easily made at home. However, trust me when I tell you it helps to have a somewhat decent food processor. My little 2 cup Cuisinart doesn’t quite cut it. In all honesty it probably could, but the horrid screeching noises it makes are too much of a deterrent and I’m forced to turn it off before a blissfully smooth texture is reached. I settle for slightly lumpy hummus in order to maintain sanity. The fresh flavors, and warm chickpeas make up for the slightly less than smooth texture. And, if you have a food processor with a motor that is a little more powerful than mine, you’ll be able to make perfect hummus at home. If you haven’t had that creamy, melt in your mouth hummus before, you should get to the store and pick up what you need to start cooking. If you have had silky smooth, rich and creamy fresh warm hummus you know exactly what I’m saying and your mouth is beginning to salivate and your stomach is starting to grumble.

One of my favorite things about hummus is its popularity among the masses. You can put out a bowl of ranch dip and chips and a bowl of hummus and vegetables and the hummus generally disappears first. It’s not often that the healthier snack is devoured before the wings, ranch and queso. For those of you that are spending your sunday afternoons watching grown men tackle each other, this is the perfect game day snack to bring to your playoff or Superbowl party. It’s nothing short of delicious and it’s made of all natural, real, healthy ingredients. So before you decide to roll that meat product known as a hotdog in a slab of bacon and throw a toothpick in it, maybe you should reinvent your game time snack, impress your friends and make this delectable dip.

The Hummus Recipe
make approximately 2 cups
1 c dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1-2 cloves garlic
½ cup tahini
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T olive oil
½ cup reserved cooking liquid
½ t salt, or more to taste
Drain chickpeas from the soaking liquid and put them in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 45-60 minutes, or until very tender.
Strain chickpeas, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth and creamy. Add a little more olive oil or cooking liquid if needed.
To serve, top with olive oil, paprika and dollop of tahini (optional). Serve with crisp vegetables or pita.
*Note: I learned a nifty trick to make an ultra smooth hummus from smitten kitchen, after cooking the chickpeas, cover with cool water so you are able to peel them without burning yourself. Use your hands to remove as many of the outer shells as possible, they should pop off very easily. Restrain chickpeas without the outer shells and follow the directions above.

heavenly homemade hummus