Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 1/2 cup Tahini Paste with garlic and lemon
• 1/2 cup natural yogurt (optional)
• 1/2 pound dried chickpeas
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Prep Instructions

1. Place dry chickpeas in a pot, add 1 teaspoon baking soda and 2 tablespoons salt. Cover with cold water and stir. Leave overnight in room temperature. Later drain and rinse thoroughly.
2. Place soaked chickpeas in a large pot, add 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon salt. Cover with  water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook until chickpeas are completely tender. Best to the point of falling apart. This might take 1,5-2 hours. The chickpeas should be totally covered with water the whole time they are being cooked.
3. Transfer chickpeas, garlic with lemon juice to a food processor. I used a high-powered blender Vitamix (you could also use BlendTec or just your food processor). Use the cooking liquid with the chickpeas in a blender. Cover it and turn the blender on the lowest possible setting slowly turning up the speed. Blending warm chickpeas just cooked will ensure the amazing smoothness of hummus. Somehow it’s just easier to really well blend it immediately post cooking.
4. Transfer hot chickpeas mixture to a bowl. Blend in tahini paste. Add salt to taste.
5. Place the paste in a sealed container and allow to cool to room temperature. It will thicken up.
6. Serve your hummus drizzled with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkled with red paprika. Hummus can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. But I am sure it won’t last you that long.
7. You can also mix in the yogurt (if using it) to make it extra smooth.

Nutrition Facts & Tips

Serving suggestions

Make a quick serving of vegetable sticks to pair with your hummus paste. You can prepare ahead a few portions for your office lunches or post workout snacks.

Variations

This recipe has already been adjusted to a leaner version of the traditional hummus. I am using way lower content of sesame paste (tahini) and also sparingly use the olive oil on top of it. It is also all about moderation. Even if you decide to use more tahini (sesame paste) then you can focus on portion size. It’s another way of limiting the caloric intake.