Yummus

My husband Loren is the hummus king. I've never met a person so obsessed with garbanzo beans. So I feel a little bit guilty making hummus while he's alone in Japan. (But then I take a bite of bean dip and feel no remorse.)

Today I made not one but THREE different varieties of hummus. The traditional chickpea version is probably still my favorite, but edamame and black bean hummuses (hummi?) are delicious as well. You can eat them with raw veggies, crackers, toasted pita bread, etc.

ORIGINAL HUMMUS

-2 cloves garlic
-2 T tahini*
-1/4 cup water
-3 T lemon juice
-1/2 t tamari**
-1/2 t cumin
-1/4 t coriander
-pinch of cayenne
-chopped parsley

Add all ingredients into a food processor. Mix until smooth and creamy. Top with whatever you like. I added some chopped olives and sunflower seeds. But you could also add pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers or whatever else is in your cabinet.

BLACK BEAN HUMMUS
This version has more of a Mexican feel to it. Feel free to add some cayenne or red pepper flakes.

-Can of drained black beans
-2 cloves of garlic
-2 T tahini
-1 t cumin
-2 T water
-2 t tamari
-2 t lemon juice

Add all ingredients into a food processor. Mix until smooth and creamy.

EDAMAME HUMMUS
I love soybeans. They're incredibly versatile. This hummus was a little drier than the others, so I added several tablespoons of water, on at a time, until the hummus was the right consistency.

-1 cup cooked, shelled edamame
-2 cloves garlic
-2 T lemon juice
-2 T tahini
-1 t cumin
-1 t sesame oil
-salt
-sesame seeds (optional)

Add all ingredients into a food processor. Mix until smooth, adding water if necessary.

*Tahini is essentially ground-up sesame seeds. You can usually find it in the grocery store near the peanut butter. If it's not there, check the Asian or health foods aisles. Tahini can be a little pricey, but once you've got a can, it'll last quite a while. Making homemade hummus is waaaaay cheaper than buying the stuff at the store.
**You can find tamari in the Asian foods section of the grocery store. You can also substitute soy sauce or regular old salt.

Happy eating! We're headed on a 17-mile hike up to Mokelumne Peak tomorrow, and I can't think of better fuel for the journey than a big batch of hummus and some crackers.