Humble Hummus

Humus or is it Hummus? It's spelled both ways.... however, the definition for Humus is "a brown or black complex variable material resulting from partial decomposition of plant or animal matter and forming the organic portion of soil." (Compost?) So, I'll stick with Hummus.

As a Vegan that follows a very strict nutritional plan, Hummus has got to be (besides nuts!) one of the most heavenly delicious foods that I "pig out" on. I LUV HUMMUS!!! When I make hummus, I use all types of beans, spices & chiles. In some, I use cashews instead of Tahini & I don't use oil in all of my many varieties.

Here are 2 of my faves. Just look at the garbanzo hummus. You can see the red bells, the basil and the texture is much "chunkier" then traditional hummus. That's because I use cashews & I love to leave it chunky so the "crunch" of the cashew adds interest to the hummus.

My black bean hummus is muy caliente!! HOT w/ chipoltle chiles. I love the dark, rich texture of the black beans..almost looks like chocolate pudding.



Oh, these pictures look so yummy... I sure wish I'd not eaten up all the hummus. I could go for some right now!

I always tell my clients & folks in my cooking classes...."if you are gonna break open the kitchen & make a mess.... then at least prepare enough for the week!" And I did just that. I prepared enough hummus for what should have been a week.... but, remember...I LUV HUMMUS, so it didn't last quite a week.

Ok, grab your food processor & let's get started! Remember I rarely measure anything....so add spices, herbs & chiles to YOUR liking. I LUV everything HOT and spicy!

In most cases, I use homemade-crock pot beans, but Eden Organic makes really great canned beans in lots of varieties with NO salt and NO fat added. Just beans and seaweed. With the exception of the cashews & the chipoltle peppers, all the ingredients are organic. (You know how I feel about eating organic, if at all possible.)

As you lay out all of the ingredients, I invite you to take a moment and enjoy the aromas of the FRESH basil, FRESH garlic, FRESH cilantro and the juices from the lemons & limes. Most times we are in such a hurry that we miss out on all the wonderful "smells" that fresh organic produce offer us.

GARBANZO BASIL GARLIC HUMMUS

-Garbanzo beans. if canned, a couple of EDEN ORGANIC drained and rinsed, keep liquid. If crock pot beans, then about 2 cups worth
-raw cashews, about 1/2 to 3/4 c
-Fresh garlic ... TONS of it (no powder or no salt)
-cumin, ground about 1 to 1.5 teaspoons
-red or orange bell peppers. these can be roasted in the oven before hand or not
-juice of one large lemon -mix in the processor, slightly

-add Fresh basil.... TONS of it -turn on processor

You may need to add a little of the bean water while machine is on. You want the texture to be semi smooth with small chunks of cashew. You should still be able to see the bits of basil and red or orange peppers. It has the look of "confetti."

Serve with sliced jicama, sliced cukes, sliced radishes, celery, or chips or pita bread or crackers

BLACK BEAN CILANTRO CHIPOLTLE HUMMUS

-Black beans, if canned 2 of EDENS ORGANIC, drained and rinsed. (no need to save the liquid) If crock pot, 2 cups

-Chipoltle peppers in adobo sauce, canned. use 1 or 2 with a bit of the sauce. THESE ARE HOT! I would recommend tasting before adding the 2nd pepper

-red onion about 1/4 of a large one

-juice of 2 limes

-Mix in processor

-Add either some water or a little olive oil to smooth out the texture. this should be almost like pudding

-Add the cilantro and mix slightly. You want to be able to see the cilantro in the hummus

Serve with sliced cukes, sliced apples, sliced pears, blue corn chips. The spicy HOT goes great with the sweetness of the apples or pears.

Hope you enjoy these! Try them and let me know what you think!

Until next time.....

GOOD HEALTH TO ALL!