Hummus Love

Growing up my family leaned a lot on our heritage for it's food knowledge. Especially for family gatherings. Now my Nana was an avid collector of recipes no matter what their origin. It could be said she collected every recipe she ever came across. She was fearless in the kitchen and it often paid off with delicious favorites. And sometimes not. Being part Bulgarian and I think some Greek somewhere, I was introduced to food that was not only foreign by nature but also foreign because I was a typical American kid. Largely I was unconcerned with food. Except when at my Nana's or when my mom made my favorites.

The point to all of this is simple. Girl meets Hummus = Girl falls HARD for Hummus. I had never had it until I went to a party a lonnnnnnng time ago and it was there. It was AWFUL. Sour and grainy and funky. No falling hard here. I couldn't believe I didn't like it. I couldn't believe it was that awful. So I asked about the dip and discovered it was store bought. At that moment there was a sparkle of hope that Hummus didn't have to be bad. It was currently all the rage and I doubted very much that millions of people could be THAT wrong. So I set out to make my own and try it again. Enter Girl + Hummus Love.

I have several recipes for Hummus but they are all based on one basic recipe. I will show the different variations at the bottom.
Alright lets assemble the team:

2 Cans chickpeas drained. ( I often use dry beans that I soaked overnight and boiled for 2 hrs)
1/2 C of chicken broth or chickpea liquid.
6 TBS lemon juice.
3 TBS Tahini ( don't leave this out)
4-6 cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
4 TBS really good olive oil. I tend to use more.
2 tsp cumin ( optional)

Place all players in a food processor and blend until smooth. Really smooth. Place in a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with pita bread. Now onto the really fun variations.

Spicy Hummus:
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes.
2 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp of smoked paprika
Basic Hummus recipe.

Add into the prepared hummus and mix until smooth. It should be noted that you can adjust the heat to what you like. Don't forget the drizzle of the olive oil. This is a winner!


Roasted garlic Hummus:

Roast the 4 garlic cloves and then add to the basic Hummus recipe.
I tend to use at least 6 roasted cloves. I just love them.


Greek Olive Hummus.
Basic Hummus Recipe
1C Kalamata olives
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Blend until smooth.