I don’t like butter or margarine and so I like hummus in my sandwiches or wraps to make them less dry. I use it to make vegetable and hummus pie, as a dip, as a snack on toast, diluted as a pasta sauce, diluted with more oil and lemon as a salad dressing, spread on chicken to keep it moist when grilling, or spread on a pizza base instead of a tomato base. Mr S likes to stir homemade chilli sauce into it, and in summer we will add herbs like chives. I am making the pie later in the week and so made some hummus last night. It is easy, and cheaper to make your own. It is great to have in as a healthy snack and if I need to use it up, I will dilute, add chicken, and it is great with pasta.
A jar of Tahini is expensive, but I tend to ask for it as a present or a swap for other baking. You can make this recipe without the Tahini and add a bit of peanut butter instead, but I don’t think this is quite as nice, but it is still good. I cannot afford to buy hummus on my food budget, but this makes a big jar for cheaper than I could buy in the supermarket and so I make a jar about once a month but incorporate it into lots of meals, as well as using it for healthy snacks so that there is no waste.
RECIPE
400g can chickpeas, drained,
juice of two lemons (or 4 dessertspoons from a bottle),
1 small clove of garlic,
2 tbsp of Tahini,
2 tsp olive oil or Rapeseed oil,
salt and pepper.
Method
1.Put half the chickpeas in a blender with the lemon juice and garlic and 3tbsp of hot water and whiz for 10 seconds.
2. Add the rest of the chickpeas, Tahini and oil and whiz to consistency you like. You can add a bit more oil if you want it thinner.
3. Season and whiz a few seconds more. Store in the fridge in an airtight jar. It is supposed to be used within a week, but it has lasted me a couple of weeks.
Extra Special Additions and flavours
If we are having guests to dinner, I will make more special hummus varieties and serve it with crudities and warm sliced pitta bread as a starter.
Beetroot Hummus
Original hummus recipe with 70g cooked beetroot added and a bit of dill to garnish
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Original hummus recipe with 70g roasted pepper added, 37 g of cooked lentils, 1 tsp of paprika, served with a bit of goat’s cheese on top
Pumpkin Hummus
Original recipe with 110g of pumpkin puree, half a tsp ground cinnamon with toasted pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top
Spinach and Split Pea hummus
Original recipe with 150g wilted spinach leaves, 200g cooked split peas and half a tsp of ground black pepper.
How do you use your hummus? I will be putting on a blog soon about different ways to use up hummus and will also add the. vegetable and hummus pie recipe in the near future.
Brilliant I have made it a couple of times but only me likes it at our house . I have never thought of making it into other than a topping for crusty bread a dip with veg sticks or crackers /crisps . As always you inspire me to stretch the brief . Thank you so much x
Thanks. There is also a post on here about things to do with hummus that I wrote last year. x
Yummy yummy will definitely be trying this recipe out soon thank you xx
thanks, and thanks for commenting x
Why do you blend half the chick peas with lemon and garlic, then half with oil and tahini? What is wrong with putting everything in together at the start? I ask because I just bung everything in together, and I suspect my result is less favourable than yours.
Sorry, just seen this. There is nothing wrong with putting every thing in together. I just like the texture a bit better when it is done this way
Just made this. No tahini paste so good old peanut butter. Added 2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce. Didn’t need any salt or seasoning. It was fabulous. It made so much for lunches and snacks next week. So much nicer than the shop bought sweet chilli one I sometimes treat myself to. Thanks so much for sharing recipe.
Thanks for the feedback and the idea to put sweet chilli in it. I love sweet chilli but have not heard of that. We make lots of sweet chilli too and so it will be a good way to use some x