hummus among us

we all know why hummus is by far one of the best foods in existence;
it's cheap.
it's healthful.
it's a major crowd-pleaser.
it's freaking delicious.

and another amazing thing about it, is you can make it so many different ways. the few ingrediants are so basic, but when tweaked they can create so many ranges of taste. so this recipe is made to my personal liking (which is a tangy, very garlicy spread) but feel free to have fun with ingrediants!

roasted garlic hummus [V]

• two cans of chickpeas [soak your own if you have time!]
• one quarter cup of tahini
• one third cup lemon juice
• one teaspoon of paprika
• a "healthy dose" of olive oil [a "glug" would suffice, too]
• five cloves of roasted garlic, recipe follows
• one tablespoon of salt

drain most of the water from your beans, but do reserve a bit of the liquid because it's awesome for thinning your mixture out. add beans to food processor [or, try a mortar and pestle!] process beans until almost completely smooth, then with processor on, drizzle in oil. add tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. pulse to combine. 

my method of choice. LOVE this thing.

smash roasted garlic with your knife. add the salt to the slightly crushed garlic, and using the side of a large knifeblade, press the garlic and salt together to form a paste. [the salt works as an abrasive and is a good way to combine flavor] add paste and paprika to hummus, and pulse until blended in equally. if the hummus seems to chunky, add the reserved chickpea water until it is the texture you want. top with a drizzle of olive oil and paprika.

a few more ideas;

• puree one half cup of roasted red peppers in place of one can of chickpeas, add half of a teaspoon of cumin
• puree one half cup of cooked sweet potato in place of one can of chickpeas, add one half of a teaspoon of cardamom 
• stir in pesto or chunky marinara
• try using different beans; i like black bean hummus and black-eyed pea hummus
• try mix ins; artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomato, black olives, bruschetta 
• dip with; celery, carrot and pickled beet sticks, tears of pita, toasted black pepper pita squares, bagel chips, blue corn tortilla chips

and;

roasted garlic

preheat the oven to four-hundred degrees. peel the papery outer skins of off the garlic bulb, leaving just the individual skins of the cloves. cut about a half inch off of the top of the bulb. coat bulbs in olive oil and a bit of salt, wrap in foil, place on a baking sheet, and pop it in the oven for about thirty five minutes. let cool and carefully slice the skins to get to the awesome, roasty treasures inside.