I am a hummus fanatic. I like to eat it as a snack with veggies or crackers. If I’m out of salad dressing, I like to put a few dollops of hummus into my salad. I also like to use it as a sandwich spread since I do not like mayonnaise. Hummus is also part of this recipe that I posted last year! As you can see, I tend to go through it quickly…Purchasing hummus gets expensive quickly, especially if you want one that has a lot of flavor. The recipe I’ve come up with is easy, quick, and has the all the flavors of hummus, except I don’t use tahini, which is also pricey. I never use it up before it goes bad and I hate wasting food. So I do without the tahini. This also means if you’re allergic to sesame seeds, then this recipe is safe for you to consume!

What makes the recipe quick is using canned chickpeas – also known as garbanzo beans. When buying ANY canned beans, make sure to get the reduced sodium version, that way you have a better control on how much salt goes into it.

Now you might be thinking that since there’s no tahini, it might lack flavor. That’s where the spices come in. I use quite a bit to make sure that every bite has a nice amount of seasoning. This recipe has kosher salt, garlic salt, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and black pepper. You put the spices with the chickpeas, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor and blend it up until your desired consistency. And that’s it. You’re free to eat to your heart’s content.

Store the hummus in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to seven days…though I doubt that it will last that long. You can also double or triple the recipe for potlucks and parties. I shared this with a coworker several months ago and he no longer buys hummus! I consider that a success.

Pixie’s Easy Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 16oz can reduced sodium chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Juice from 1 medium sized lemon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, making sure to let the excess water drain out.
2. Put all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor.
3. Blend until desired consistency and all the oil and lemon juice is incorporated.
4. Put it on stuff and eat it.

If you want a little kick to it, feel free to add some cayenne pepper or white pepper. If you want to make it roasted garlic hummus, feel free to add a couple of cloves of roasted garlic. Add some slivers of roasted red pepper or pitted olives for variety! It’s up to you what you want to add to it. Happy nomming!