My Legume Love Affair...Hummus

Hummus

Well folks it looks as though I missed National Bean Day which as you all know was Sunday, January 6th. Unbenownst to me though I did celebrate the day just not in the way that it deserved with a bowl of hummus!

I am poking a little fun, but, I do value the ingenuity of Susan over at The Well Seasoned Cook who has saved the day by being the brainchild of the My Legume Love Affair event. Legumes can be a forgotten addition to our menus and deserve some recognition! I love them in all manners of ways! Susan has the right idea by trying to get us to keep to our goals in 2008 of healthy eating. I can't wait to see the line-up of recipes at Susan's site and what people come up with!!



I have not always had a love affair with the bean. My parents were quite set in their routines when I was growing up. With my dad's work schedule grocery shopping was always Friday night....I don't ever remember deviating from this routine. "Beans on Toast" was always the quickest and easiest solution for a Friday night meal for meat lovers and vegetarian Dad's alike. I moved across the country when I was 19 and sadly for the bean I did not eat another baked bean until about 10 years ago.

Now of course I eat beans of all shapes and sizes. Hummus is a dip/spread that is made from chickpeas. In fact, hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea. Many hummus recipes call for garbanzo beans, but, garbanzo is the Spanish translation of chickpea. They are called cece beans in Italy. Hummus is one of the oldest foods dating back to ancient Egypt. We know that chickpeas were used quite frequently over 7,000 years ago.

There are many delicious recipes for hummus using a myriad of flavourings. If you don't care for tahini leave it out or reduce the amount used. Instead of using canned chickpeas you can take 2 cups of dried chickpeas that have been soaked overnight. Bring to a boil in plenty of water and cook for about an hour. They will get completely soft.

You can add chopped parsley or arugula if you would care to. Sometimes I add chopped roasted red peppers. It is widely open to interpretation!!!!

**Hummus**

2 -1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
parsley and olive oil to garnish

Put 1/2 of the lemon juice and all ingredients into the blender except the chickpeas (and the parsley and oil for garnish) and blend for 5 seconds. Add the chick peas and blend on high until it reaches the consistency of sour cream, but granular, about 10-15 seconds.

Blend in the remaining lemon juice to taste. If the dip is too thick but you don't want to add more lemon juice, add a little water slowly and blend until it reaches the correct consistency.

Pour into a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. (It can be eaten immediately, but becomes even more flavorful if left to chill well.)

Add a drizzle of olive oil over the top and add a garnish of parsley before serving. Serve with pita wedges or slices of whole grain breads.

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