How to Make Hummus

I've tried a number of hummus recipes over the years, and while I've enjoyed just about all of them, nothing beats the ultra simple version that I started with several years ago. All it calls for are chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and a pinch of sea salt - profoundly simple and profoundly good.

Here's how to make my favorite hummus: Start by preparing chickpeas. If you plan ahead, you can soak dried chickpeas overnight and boil them for an hour before you begin making hummus. You'll need about 2 cups of cooked chickpeas.

Alternatively, you can use a can of pre-cooked chickpeas. Our local grocery store carries canned organic chickpeas, so this is what we typically use these days.

If you use canned chickpeas, give the chickpeas a thorough rinse and let them sit in a strainer for a few minutes to allow excess water to drain away.

Transfer chickpeas to a food processor or a really strong blender.

Add a good dollop - anywhere between one to three tablespoons - of tahini. Just in case you're not familiar with tahini, it's nothing but a rich paste made out of sesame seeds. Tahini is naturally abundant in calcium and adds rich flavor and texture to any hummus recipe, so do try to include it. Any variety will do.

Next, add the juice of one small to medium lemon. If all you have is a large lemon, the juice from about three-quarters will do.

Add half a teaspoon of sea salt.

And now the fun part: start up your food processor and add extra-virgin olive oil in a fine, slow drizzle. I'd like a little pat on the back for snapping this photo with my right hand as I carefully balanced a large bottle of olive oil with my left hand. Thank you very much. :)

Keep the olive oil drizzling until everything comes together into a creamy hummus that looks something like this:

And here you have it - a bowl of fresh, creamy hummus that's rich in calcium, healthy protein, healthy carbohydrates, and a whole lot of flavor:

Our boys love eating this hummus, spread on whole grain crackers, along with whatever fruit is in season - this combination makes for a lovely breakfast. These days, they've been getting a little giddy over pomegranates, which happen to go quite nicely with hummus and crackers. The natural tartness of the pomegranates strikes a nice balance with the natural but subtle sweetness of the hummus.

You can keep leftovers in a container that has a tight-fitting lid.

Oh, how we love having a container of hummus in the refrigerator at all times...

Here are just a few of the ways we make good use of ready-made hummus:

• As a dip for raw vegetables.

• As the centerpiece of a heaping plate of a wide variety of steamed vegetables, our favorites being zucchini, broccoli, carrots, and when we're extra hungry, sliced potatoes or sweet potatoes. Hummus makes every steamed vegetable taste extra good. :)

• As a spread on toast or sandwiches, usually combined with avocado slices, crisp lettuce, and thinly sliced cucumbers. Sliced tomatoes are good, too.

• When warmed in a small saucepan, hummus makes an excellent companion to a bowl of steamed rice, white or brown. This is something I've carried over from the year that I started my fasting clinic - I wasn't married then, and a bowl of steamed rice with warm hummus was a quick and highly satisfying meal to keep me going.

I hope that this pictorial proves to be useful. For a look at a printer-friendly version of this and other hummus recipes, please go here:

Best Hummus Recipes

Please consider sharing this post with family and friends who aren't yet in touch with the magic of hummus. It's a diverse, super healthy food choice on any budget.