Lemony Hummus

The first time I ever made hummus was also the first time I ever ate hummus. It was one of the (few) things that I thought I didn't like, but, inspired by the Pioneer Woman's post about it, I thought that maybe the home-made version would change my mind. Did it ever.

I probably made hummus every day last summer after coming home from work. It was so good, and the perfect after-work-ruin-your-dinner type of snack. I was, and continue to be, completely hooked.


The awesome thing about hummus is that, as long as you have the basic ingredients and understanding of how to make it, you can adjust the proportions based on your own taste. I like to feature the flavor of the olive oil and lemon rather than the tahini, but play with this on your own and decide what you like best. The basic ingredients are:

Chickpeas (also called Garbanzo Beans)
Tahini (middle-eastern sesame paste, which is pretty widely available)
Lemon
Garlic
Cumin
Olive Oil

Ruin your dinner this week with some delicious hummus. You'll be glad you did.


Lemony Hummus

Ingredients
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
3 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Chopped fresh basil or italian parsley, for garnish

Directions
Combine garbanzo beans, lemon juice, water, tahini, cumin, garlic, and salt in a blender and pulse until almost smooth. (You will probably need to use a spatula to push down the sides in between pulses.) Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to pulse the blender. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with additional olive oil. Top with chopped fresh herbs.

Five Minute Guacamole

It's the last week of college football season. That means it is your last chance to eat guacamole with reckless abandon.


When I was growing up I had this crazy idea that I didn't like guacamole. I don't remember when I reached the critical turning point (I think it had something to do with Kerbey Queso), but I never looked back.

Since then, I have made guacamole at home many, many times for myself and friends and myself some more, and I must say, this is a dang good recipe. So good, it will be gone in five minutes, as the name indicates. We had people over for New Year's Eve dinner, and I purposely did not put this stuff out until all of our guests arrived because I knew the late-comers wouldn't get any.


Guacamole is one of those things that can be made 150 different ways, and everyone has their strong opinions on what is or is not acceptable to include in it. Here is my approach, for what it is worth.

1. As shown above, the key things I like to include are shallot, lime juice, orange juice, cilantro, and jalapeno. Pretty straightforward, but tastes awesome.

2. I prefer not to mash my avocados with a fork. I love the chunky texture that requires a manly chip and not those dainty thin ones that you have to fish out of the bowl with a spoon. You know you've done it.

3. I don't really care for tomatoes in my guacamole. I think they take away from the distinct avocado-ey flavor, to put it technically.

4. Cilantro is a must! If you think you don't like cilantro, c'mon, give it a chance! I have never had someone STOP eating this guacamole because they don't normally like cilantro.

Make this for your BCS National Championship game watching party, and take advantage of the opportunity to spend time investing in good friends and family.



Five Minute Guacamole
Yields 1.5-2 cups guacamole

Ingredients
4 large Haas avocados
1 lime, juiced
1/2 shallot, diced
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Peel and roughly chop avocados (do not mash) and immediately add lime juice to prevent browning. Add shallots, orange juice, jalapeno, cilantro, and salt. Mix together until the guacamole is fully combined and has achieved the desired texture. Serve with tortilla chips.