Hummus, the Perfect Snack!

Hummus is one of our family's favorite snacks. I love the flavor, but also like it because it is 1) cheap, 2) healthy and 3) easy to make from scratch. You can purchase half pints of hummus in the grocery store for a few bucks a tub, but for the same price I can make an entire quart.

To make this healthy snack, place the following in a food processor:
1 can chick peas (aka garbanzo beans)
2 T tahini (aka sesame seed paste)
3 T lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
pinch of salt
squeeze of good olive oil
pinch of cayenne (optional)



Blend this all together. It will likely be too thick at first, but just continue to add olive oil until it reaches the consistency you like. To be honest, I don't have an official recipe for this and tend to just add more of what I think it needs- which in our family is usually lemon juice.

Scoop this all into a bowl and serve it with whole grain pita chips or raw vegetables.



To save even more money on this recipe, purchase dried chickpeas and cook them yourself. A can of chickpeas usually costs between 0.80 and $1.00 but a bag will cost less than $2.00 and yield about three cans. Chickpeas are unlike other beans in that they only need to be soaked and cooked for a couple hours before they are usable in recipes.