Dips & Spreads

Lemon Pepper Hummus

January 3, 2013 by Erica

Must Love Lemon: that’s the warning that comes with this hummus.

If you aren’t interested, I understand. You can have your hummus plain. But if you’ve ever wanted your hummus to have a bit more kick to it, this lemony, peppery, fluffy and delicious hummus is for you.

This was the first thing I made when I got back from my parents’ house after Christmas. I just couldn’t wait to make it and then the next afternoon when I finally did, I ate so much of it that I called it dinner. It’s good stuff!

If you missed my other recent hummus post, let me summarize quickly: You shouldn’t be afraid of making homemade hummus just because it’s come out badly in the past. I recently learned a trick to making creamy hummus, and it’s super simple: you just blend the tahini, water, and lemon juice before adding the other ingredients. That makes the hummus light and fluffy instead of thick and gunky! It’s magic.

Before we move on to the recipe, there’s something kind of important to mention about the pepper. I used pre-ground black pepper, and I’m pretty sure that the pre-grinding of this pepper happened circa 2004. Oops. I know I really shouldn’t be using old spices… but I kind of inherited Nate’s spice collection (that he inherited from an old roommate who probably inherited it from another old roommate) when we moved in together, and it just seems like a waste to throw out about $50 of Whole Foods spices. I’m “thrifty.” So I’m trying to use them up! But really, 2 tsp of 2004 ground black pepper could equate to like 1 tsp or less of 2013 pepper, especially if it’s freshly ground. So tread lightly and don’t say I didn’t warn you, OK?

Should it bother me that I was possibly in high school when that pepper was ground? Don’t answer that.

Lemon Pepper Hummus

Adapted from my Extra Creamy Hummus

Ingredients:

1/2 cup tahini
3/4 cup water
juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
zest of 1 lemon (about 5 packed tsp)
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15-oz cans, rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
veggies or pita for dipping

Instructions:

In a food processor or blender (I used a blender this time), combine the tahini, water, and lemon juice. (You may wish to start with 1/2 cup water and add the rest later if the hummus is too thick.) Blend until tahini is light and fluffy, about 10 seconds. Add in the garlic and lemon zest and blend again until smooth.

Add chickpeas and olive oil, 1/3 at a time, blending until smooth after each addition. If hummus is too thick at any point, add more water or olive oil. Add salt, black pepper (start with 1 tsp if you like), and red pepper flakes and blend until smooth.

Serve with veggies or pita. Will keep in the fridge for several days.

Time:

5-10 minutes

Extra Creamy Hummus

December 21, 2012 by Erica

And now for something not at all Christmas-themed. Because it’s yummy and I couldn’t resist sharing.

I’ve discovered the secret to creamy homemade hummus. Only 3.4 million people got there before me.

Have you made hummus before? It sounds easy to do – add all ingredients and process until smooth – and it was one of the things I was most excited to make when I bought a food processor a few months ago. Then I tried to make it myself and… ugh. It was just nothing like the creamy-textured stuff I love to buy. It was dense. I was bummed.

So I made my usual assumption for things that taste delicious when someone else makes them and terrible when I do: the stuff from the store/restaurant/wherever probably has oil/butter/other bad stuff by the POUND, and that’s what makes it taste so good. (This is usually a fair assumption… Sometimes I think that when something at a restaurant tastes good, I should refuse to eat any more. It’s probably too unhealthy! Life is just so unfair.) Well naturally I just continued buying hummus from the store. Sigh. The homemade stuff really was horrible.

But I didn’t want to give up on one of my favorite foods, and something other people seem to love making at home! It turns out, all it took to set me straight was Googling “creamy hummus,” which I did the other day. Should have done that before. 3.41 million results. I looked through about 3 of them and quickly learned the secret…

It’s the order, stupid. You can’t just “add all ingredients and process until smooth” (although I love nothing more than to discover a recipe with those instructions). But in the case of hummus, you have to emulsify the tahini with some liquid to lighten it up. Then you can add the rest of the ingredients, and it will stay light! Otherwise, the whole thing is heavy and weighed-down, just like plain tahini can be. And luckily this adds about 3 seconds to the time it takes to make this recipe, and no extra oil. Oh happy day!

You can change up the amounts of spices in this recipe, or roast the garlic for a milder flavor. Once you’ve added in the emulsifying step, it’s really hard to go wrong!

Serving with adorable mini peppers is highly recommended. So is eating while you take pictures.

Extra Creamy Hummus

Hands-on time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

Discover the secret to light and creamy homemade hummus. No chickpea-peeling required.

Author: Erica

Yields: about 4 cups

Ingredients

1/2 cup tahini
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup water
2-3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (I used 3 and it was quite garlicky, just the way I like it)
3 cups cooked chickpeas (2 14-oz cans, rinsed and drained)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add tahini, lemon juice and water to a food processor (or blender if you're brave!). Process on high speed until it becomes very light-colored and fluffy, which shouldn't take long.
Add the garlic and process again until incorporated. Add the chickpeas and olive oil, about 1/3 at a time, processing to incorporate them completely before adding more. Once all of the chickpeas and olive oil are added, process for a few minutes longer, stopping to scrape the sides down occasionally, until it becomes as creamy as you'd like. If it seems too thick, add a bit more water (or olive oil for a richer hummus).
When it's reached your desired consistency, stop the food processor and sprinkle in the paprika, cumin, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process to blend them in. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you'd like, processing after each addition.
Serve with crunchy vegetables, pita bread or tortilla chips, or use as a spread on sandwiches!

Notes

Adapted from Fresh Tart.

Simple Guacamole

November 13, 2012 by Erica

Guacamole makes everything better, don’t you think?

Chips. Tacos. Spoons. Tuesdays. All made tastier by mashed-up avocado goodness.

As for this post, I’m not so sure it’s a “recipe.” It’s really just… the way I make guacamole.

Everyone has the guac ingredients and method they swear by. Salsa vs. tomatoes, chunky vs. smooth, food processor vs. fork, avocado pit in the bowl or not… these could all become heated debates. I think I learned to make it this way from my mom. And you just don’t mess with Mom’s recipes! They are time-tested and Dad-approved.

(Although Mom now informs me that she adds cumin and cayenne to hers. Sorry Mom – I messed with it!)

There are only a few ingredients in my guac, which makes it ideal for whipping up quickly before a party. Or do what we did last Sunday night and scoop some on top of these chipotle sweet potato tacos from Naturally Ella!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Simple Guacamole

Hands-on time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 6

Ingredients

4 ripe avocados
1 vine-ripened tomato, diced
¼ to ½ red onion, finely diced
juice of 1 to 2 limes
½ tsp salt plus more to taste

Instructions

Halve the avocados and scoop the flesh out into a large bowl. Mash quickly with a fork or potato masher, leaving some chunks.
Dice the tomato and onion and add to the bowl with the avocados. Depending on the size of the onion, I usually start with a quarter and see how that looks, then add a bit more if necessary.
Juice 1 lime over the bowl, sprinkle ½ tsp salt over, and stir to combine. Taste test, then add up to 1 more lime and another ½ tsp of salt to suit your tastes.
Serve with tortilla chips or however your prefer!

How do you like your guacamole?

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