Hummus

Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip that is gaining in popularity for a good reason. It is delicious served with warm pita bread, pita chips, crackers, raw vegetables or the Lavash wraps. It is also very healthy for you and will give you lots of energy for your picnic day. Please check out the many variations I have included here.

Basic Recipe:

Blend all of these ingredients in a food processor until smooth. This may be covered and refrigerated for 2-3 days.

Variations:

Tahini: Add 1/3 cup tahini to the basic recipe. (Tahini is crushed sesame seeds - equivalent to peanut butter)

Spicy: Increase the cumin to 1 1/4 tsp., add 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce and a finely chopped jalapeno pepper.

Black Olive: Add 1/4 cup chopped black olives.

Herbs: Omit the cumin and stir in 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, 2 chopped green onions (or even chives), and 1 tsp. oregano.

Cheesy: Stir in 1/4 cup of cream cheese. This is especially good combined with the herbs above.

Sun-Dried Tomato: Omit the salt and, if desired, the cumin. Substitute the sun-dried tomato oil for the olive oil. Blend in 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Note: Chickpeas are traditional, but other canned beans such as black beans or kidney beans also make excellent dips.