Homemade Hummus

Hummus is one of those things that I like well enough, but I definitely don't go out of my way to eat it. It's unfortunate, because this is one of the best dips you can eat. It's full of protein, and it's base is chickpeas, not cream (like ranch). Traditional hummus is flavored with a Middle Eastern ingredient called sesame tahini, which is essentially sesame seeds that have been ground into a paste. The problem: I have yet to find some. I literally stood in front of the ethnic foods section at H.E.B. for a good 10 minutes before giving up. Fortunately, I had this alternative recipe from my "Healthy College Cookbook" that uses some other ingredients to mimic the same flavor. I abandoned my search for tahini, and decided to try this instead. It is actually lower in fat and calories than a traditional hummus recipe, although it does sacrifice some of the protein and fiber. My hope was that I would like this recipe better than the store-bought, preservative-packed stuff, and I would reach for veggies and hummus over cheese and crackers next time I need a snack.

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1-2 tbsp peanut butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Anything you might like in your hummus, like chopped olives, roasted red peppers, parsley, etc. I used about a teaspoon of dried rosemary (I think. I just kind of threw some in, so if you decide to try this, start with 1/2 tsp and taste it before you add more)

1. Combine the chickpeas and peanut butter in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice, and blend again.

2. Pulse in dollops of the yogurt until the mixture reaches your preferred consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as any extras you might like. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Taste Rating: 8.5

This is a THOUSAND times better than the stuff at the store. It tastes really fresh and the texture is creamy and smooth, unlike the packaged stuff, which can get pretty dry. And I get to flavor it however I want to. I might try some roasted red peppers or maybe roast some garlic in the oven and toss that in.

Easy Rating: 6

Ok, so you have to take some time and make it, versus just throwing a package in the cart at the grocery store. But it's not like I slaved away over it. It's super simple to just throw some stuff in a food processor and press a button. 

Overall rating: 8

I compared the nutrition information for this recipe with a store-bought hummus. The verdict: more calories, but one serving has 1/5 of your daily fiber compared to 1/30 for store-bought. There is also about 4 times as much protein. So nutritionally, this blows the packaged hummus out of the water, not to mention the fact that it tastes better. There are fewer preservatives, so I wouldn't recommend hanging onto this for more than a week or so, but I imagine I'll be finished with it before things get to that point.