Easy home made hummus

Let’s talk hummus….creamy, dreamy, and seriously overpriced at the farmers market. Three 8oz tubs for $20?

More like let’s make a whole batch for about $4! Hummus, which literally means "chickpea" in Arabic, has been around for centuries. It's claimed by several cultures: Lebanese, Palestinian, Greek, Syrian, Egyptian and Turkish. Every version brings its own flavor, literally and figuratively. But the classic blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, and olive oil and it's been a staple for generations. The oldest known hummus type recipe dates back to 13th-century Egypt. It didn’t have tahini yet, but it proves chickpeas have been nourishing people for a *long* time. Tahini got added later, and that’s when hummus as we know it took shape.

And listen, store bought hummus is convenient, but making it yourself is more budget friendly. Here's the math:

• 1 can chickpeas - $1 (1 pound of dried chickpeas is typically about $3.49)

• 1 lemon - $0.50

• 1/4 cup tahini - $1 to $1.50

• Garlic, olive oil, salt, ice cubes, you already have those

Total: around $3-$5 for 3+ cups (even less if you soak and cook your chickpeas) and you can flavor it however you want: sun-dried tomatoes and basil, roasted red pepper, spicy jalapeño cilantro… whatever you’re feeling. Besides being delicious, hummus is packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. It’s good for your gut, your heart, your brain, and your budget. So skip the $20 market markup. Make it yourself. Eat it with veggies, pita bread, crackers or straight off the spoon. It’s not just a snack it’s an ancient superfood and a smart money move.

Fluffy Homemade Hummus (with optional flavor twists)

Base Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1/4 cup tahini

• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 small garlic clove (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)

• 1 ice cube

  2-4 tablespoons cold water (as needed)

  Directions:

  1. In a food processor or high-speed blender, blend tahini and lemon juice for about 1 minute until light and creamy.

  2. Add chickpeas, olive oil, salt, and garlic (if using). Blend until mostly smooth.

  3. Drop in the ice cube while blending it helps make the hummus fluffy and silky.

  4. Slowly add cold water (1 tablespoon at a time) until the hummus reaches your preferred consistency. Add more lemon, salt, or olive oil as needed.

  5. Serve as-is, or try one of the flavor upgrades below!

  Optional Flavor Add-Ins (Blend in Step 3 or 4):

  1. Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil: ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed or soaked if dry) and 6–8 fresh basil leaves

  2. Roasted Red Pepper: ½ cup roasted red bell pepper. Optional: ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

  3. Spicy Jalapeño-Cilantro: 1 small jalapeño (seeded if desired) and ¼ cup fresh cilantro, lime juice instead of lemon

  To Garnish: drizzle olive oil, sprinkle paprika or za’atar, and top with chopped herbs or pine nuts.

  If you want that silky, restaurant style texture you’ll want to “Skin” your chickpeas (removing their thin outer skins) makes. It’s completely optional.

  How to Skin Chickpeas (Easily!)

  Quick Soak Method (For Canned or Cooked Chickpeas)

  Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Place them in a bowl with warm water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. The skins will loosen. Gently rub them between your hands or a clean kitchen towel, most skins will float off or slip right off. Rinse and strain with a colander to remove any floating skins.

  Boiling Method (Best for Dried Chickpeas)

  After soaking and boiling chickpeas, add 1 teaspoon baking soda to the pot during the last few minutes of cooking.

  Drain and rinse under cold water while rubbing the chickpeas to loosen and remove the skins.

  Pro Tip:

  You don’t have to remove every skin. Getting 70% off makes a huge difference in creaminess.

Beet burgers

This recipe is inspired by Eureka Burger in Berkeley and a recipe I saw in a magazine from The Change cookbook. I like simple recipes that use things that are mostly in my pantry. Also, it’s a pet peeve of mine to say something like “1/2 medium beet grated or 1 portobello mushroom chopped” Tell me how many cups dang it! Your idea of a medium sized beet and mine might be very different. And have you seen some portobellos, they’re literally the size of my head….okay enough bitching, lets get on to cooking these bad boys. Also, these freeze well, I sent some patties with my daughter to school and they were still really tasty.

Beet burgers

1 cup raw walnuts (1/2 walnuts and 1/2 almonds works great too)

1 cup uncooked oats

1 medium white onion finely chopped (any onion will do, even 4-5 green ones)

1 cup finely chopped portobello mushroom

3/4 cup beet, grated

15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1/2 cup cooked rice (brown or white, quinoa works well too)

3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp chopped chives

3 Tbsp bbq sauce (smoky, spicy, whatever you like)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 flax egg (1Tbsp flax meal & 3 Tbsp water)

1/2 tsp pink salt

1/2 pepper

In a dry skillet toast the oats for about 3 minutes and put into a food processor. Do the same thing with your nuts. Pulse them together until you have a fine meal that resembles sand. Pour in your olive oil and sauté onion stirring frequently until translucent. Add the garlic, mushrooms and chives, cook until the mushrooms are soft and remove from the heat. Stir in the grated beets, they’ll release a beautiful pinkish red color.

Get your kidney beans into a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher so you have some mashed and some remain whole, add the rice, oatmeal/nut mixture, mushrooms, flax egg, bbq sauce and spices until you have a moldable dough. This recipe makes about 8 burgers.

You can grill these outside or on a grill pan but this time of year I’ve been cooking them in a cast iron skillet or in the toaster oven (mine has an air-fry setting and that makes them crispy on the outside and moist on the inside). They only need to cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Serve on a bun with more bbq sauce if you’d like. I like mine with vegan mayonnaise, tomato, sprouts, avocado, lettuce and some vegan cheese. French fries or sweet potato fries with spicy ketchup make the perfect addition. Enjoy!