Hummus, mmmmmmm, YUMMY

Chris and I used to chow down a big tub of hummus with wheat thins every week. It seemed very healthy and was relatively inexpensive (a 32 oz tub of hummus at Costco for a little over $6). But store-bought hummus has olive oil and tahini. Tahini is sesame paste and the fat calories run a whopping 74 %. Tahini is NOT going to help me in my quest to attain a total cholesterol count of 150 or below. Luckily we received a pressure cooker this past Xmas and we recently purchased a high-powered blender (e.g., Blendtec or Vitamix). Making hummus was never easier or tastier or cheaper. I can make oil-free hummus for 1/3 the cost of store-bought and the taste is superb.

We start with a cup of dried chickpeas. Chickpeas usually cost about $1.69 per pound and we can get 3-16 oz batches out of a pound. I soak the cup of chickpeas overnight in water. In the morning, I drain the chickpeas then dump it into the pressure cooker, along with a cup of water, to cook. This wonderful contraption saves us tons of money on fuel because it will thoroughly cook the chickpeas in less than 15 minutes whereas conventional boiling requires at least 45 minutes. Once the chickpeas are fully cook the fun begins.  Below is the basic recipe, but we like to let change it up, depending on our mood and what is in our fridge.

Ingredients
1 c chickpeas
1 c sundried tomatoes
3/4 c water
1/2 c lemon juice
4 cloves garlic (we actually use more garlic but then again we want to keep vampires away, jk)
1/2 t  dried chili peppers
salt to taste

Instructions
1) Cook chickpeas until soft, drain
2) Add chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt to blender. Blend to desired consistency.

In addition to using hummus as a dip with slices of jicama or carrot sticks, we use hummus in sandwiches as a "mayonaise" and as a major ingredient for our "burgers" which I will discuss in my next blog. Have a great week!