Dreamy Creamy Hummus (Two Ways)
Girls giggling about boys and marriage and giggling about giggling. That was my weekend.
And a fantastic one at that! We celebrated my beautiful high school friend Whitney, whose wedding is coming up in two weeks, with a lingerie shower and bachelorette party.
Since I was in charge of hosting the shower, I was thrilled to sieze the opportunity and make some killer snacks.
I whipped up this heavenly Chai Spice Coffee Cake (modified from The Baking Bites Cookbook, via Tartlette) along with two jumbo “love muffins,” as we deemed them.
Warm up a leftover slice of that cake with some… um… more butter. You will be in heaven.
And I finally made some hummus from scratch. Lucky for you I managed to take a few nice shots before the girls arrived.
It’s kind of ridiculous that I’ve never made hummus in my own kitchen before. It’s the easiest thing in the world. And the most addicting healthy snack.
Healthy + addicting = skinny jeans.
(Or, at least cancels out the… um… more butter on your coffee cake.)
The version I made for the party was not “traditional” hummus because it does not include tahini paste. This is a nut butter-like paste made from sesame seeds that is found in most hummus. You can buy it at most specialty grocery stores (and in the bulk bins at my Central Market). But it can be expensive and I didn’t have time to make the special drive.
Hence: Dreamy Creamy Hummus (Two Ways).
The base recipes: Smitten Kitchen’s Ethereally Smooth Hummus and Pinch of Yum’s Super Easy Hummus.
The trick: PEEL YOUR CHICKPEAS. I know it’s tedious. But it’s the only way to make hummus that is as dreamy creamy, as served in restaurants and from the store. It’s really easy and even kinda (crazy lady) fun. I peeled mine while watching a movie on the couch.
Silky smooth hummus is completely worth the trouble! Just take a chickpea between your thumb and next two fingers and squeeze lightly to pop the the little chickpea out. Discard the skins, then blend away.
I served this with pita chips, pretzel crisps, and carrots (none of which I had yet for the pictures). And with a spoon, straight from the fridge later. For snacktime, thats just how I roll.
- FOR NON-TRADITIONAL HUMMUS:
- 2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas
- 1 large clove garlic, pressed or minced
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- around ½ cup reserved canned chickpea water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- FOR MORE TRADITIONAL HUMMUS:
- 2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas
- 1 large clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ cup tahini paste
- up to ½ cup reserved canned chickpea water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Drain two cans of chickpeas, reserving the liquid.
- Remove the skins from the chickpeas. Take a chickpea between your thumb and next two fingers and squeeze lightly to pop the the little chickpea out. Discard the skins.
- In a food processor or blender, blend the chickpeas until powdery, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides.
- Add lemon juice, salt, tahini paste or oil (depending on the recipe), minced garlic, and ¼ cup reserved chickpea liquid and puree.
- With the machine running, drizzle in a little more water as needed to achieve the texture and creaminess you like.
- Serve with pita chips, pretzels, carrots, celery, crusty bread or pita bread. Or spread on sandwiches, burgers, and wraps.
- NOTES:
- – You may use more or less garlic, salt, lemon, and tahini (optional) to taste. Simply adjust your seasonings and consistency as you go, adding a little more water or olive oil until you achieve your favorite texture and taste.
- – You can drizzle in more olive oil at the end (more than the 3 tablespoons called for) to create even silkier hummus.
The “Non-Traditional” recipe represents the exact measurements I used for my dip.
Your table looks so pretty for the party and the hummus…well, I wish I had some on a spoon right. now.
Looks fantastic! Hummus is a staple around here (store bought, of course)! Thanks for making me smile. You know I love your blog!