I went a little crazy in the bulk foods aisle at Whole Foods this weekend; I came home with wheat berries, red lentils, and a big bag of chickpeas. So, while I'm snowed in and working from home today, I'm also stirring a pot of chickpeas for a batch of homemade hummus.
You can get chickpeas in a can; and if you're in a hurry, that's the way to go. But if you have all day (literally), you can cook them up yourself. I soaked mine for three hours before putting them on the stove for another two. (Use 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of dried chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, cooking until soft.)
The rest of the recipe is easy and fast. In a food processor, blend:
2 cups cooked chickpeas (about 1 cup dried)
1/2 cup tahini (ground sesame seed paste, usually in the peanut butter aisle)
1/4 cup unfiltered extra virgin olive oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
sea salt to taste
2 or more tablespoons lemon juice (add more to taste)
a few pinches of ground cumin
water as needed to reach a smooth consistency
You can add favorite spices or herbs to this base to make flavored hummus. I'm a fan of chopped kalamata olives, chives, or roasted red pepper.
From a nutritional standpoint, the reason you should bother with hummus, or with chickpeas in any form, is that they're a good source of protein, fiber, iron, calcium, and folate (aka vitamin B9). Yum!
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