Handmade Hummus

As you may know I love hummus, especially homemade hummus.  It’s full of protein and fiber and a delicious way to encourage my kids to eat more vegetables (they love to dip!).  When planning my Little Foodies class I knew I had to include a hummus recipe.  I knew we needed to do more than just throw all of then ingredients into the food processor…what fun would that be?!?  I thought handmade hummus would be much more fun.  Instead of using an electrical appliance, we used a mortar and pestle (you can also use a potato masher).  We started by adding a can of garbanzo beans into the bowl and then taking turns mashing everything up…

We then added in some lemon, olive oil, garlic and salt….it was delicious!

Handmade Hummus

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained

juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

Place the chickpeas in a bowl or in a mortar and pestle. Mash the beans.  When all the beans are mashed to desired smoothness, add the olive oil and lemon juice and mix well, adding a little water if needed for consistency. Blend in the garlic, salt and cumin (if using). Spread the hummus into a wide, somewhat flat bowl and Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some parsley or paprika.  Enjoy with your favorite veggies