You can’t be a lesbian without a good hummus recipe. Hummus is to lesbians what Slim Jims are to rednecks. In other words, hummus is lesbian ambrosia. No vegan potluck is complete without hummus.
Today I’ll be sharing my classic-ish chickpea hummus recipe. I call it “classic-ish” because I do a few things differently. First, I don’t use tahini. Although tahini is very nutritious, it is also expensive and doesn’t add much flavor. I use EVOO, (extra virgin olive oil) instead. Also, I add a baked sweet potato for color, texture, and nutrition. Foods high in vitamin C (such as sweet potatoes) help your body absorb the iron naturally present in plant foods. Vegans tend to be short on iron. I also add turmeric, which doesn’t add much flavor, but is an inexpensive source of powerful antioxidants (and it adds beautiful color).
I always start with dried beans for 2 reasons: 1) Dried beans cost 1/3 of what canned beans cost, 2) They just taste better!
You may notice that my recipes call for a lot of garlic. I am a garlic lover but no one has ever complained that my hummus is too garlicky. I encourage you to try it with the amounts called for and see how you like it. And yes FRESH garlic is required! Not jarred, minced garlic, not garlic powder (shudders), but REAL garlic.
Same goes for FRESH lemons and limes and FRESHLY cracked black pepper. This is one instance where crack is NOT wack! You can purchase whole peppercorns in the spice aisle and a pepper grinder at most kitchen supply shops. Readers in the Richmond VA area, I highly recommend The Compleat Gourmet in Carytown. They have sold me items I can’t live without, and they even have a kitty cat 🙂 Once you go crack(ed), you never go back! Measuring pepper that you crack yourself can be tricky. I just guestimate. 4 grinds=about 1 t (teaspoon)
And now the recipe. This makes 16-20 servings, is perfect for parties, and freezes very well, just place desired amount to freeze in a glad-wear container, coat the top with EVOO and a sheet of plastic wrap, put the lid on and freeze. To thaw, let sit at room temperature for 6-8 hours.
Classic-ish hummus:
Ingredients
To cook the chickpeas:
1lb dried chickpeas, soaked overnight then rinsed and drained
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalepeno, sliced (seeds left intact)
juice and zest of 1 large lemon
1 T (Tablespoon) kosher salt
1 T freshly cracked pepper
I like to cook my beans in a paella pan, but a large stock pot will do. Place all ingredients in paella pan or stock pot and cover with 2″ of cold water. Bring to a boil on high, then reduce heat to low and cook covered for 2 hours.
For the hummus:
1 large baked sweet potato*, peeled and cubed
1/4-1/2 C EVOO
1 jar roasted bell peppers (I like Mezzetta brand), NOT drained
1 C fresh basil leaves, packed
juice of 2 large lemons or limes**
1 jalepeno (sliced, seeds removed)
4-6 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
1 T kosher salt
1 T freshly cracked pepper
1 T turmeric
Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1 C of the cooking liquid. Place chickpeas, reserved liquid, and ingredients listed above in a large bowl. Start with the lesser amount of EVOO, and mix with an immersion (stick) blender until smooth. Add more EVOO as needed to achieve desired consistency. Serve with toasted pita chips and fresh vegetables. My favorites are cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, and bell pepper strips, but cauliflower, broccoli, raw sweet potato sticks, carrot sticks, celery sticks, squash slices and zucchini slices are also tasty:)
* To “bake” sweet potato, place whole sweet potato in microwave for 5-8 minutes until fork tender.
** Whenever I use citrus fruits in a recipe that doesn’t call for the zest, I grate them with a micro-plane, and allow the zest to dry overnight on a plate, then store in freezer bag for later use.
Thanks for reading and enjoy!
-Nikki aka The Hummuscidal Maniac
hummuscidalmaniac 