There’s nothing like home-made hummus for flavour.  It’s super-easy to do and if you like it, make a big batch and freeze some for the future.

1 mugful of cooked chickpeas (or haricot, cannellini, butter or broad beans) – keep some of the cooking water if you have cooked your own
OR
400g tin of no added sugar chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1½-3 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
Juice of ½ – 1 lemon
1 heaped dessertspoonful tahini (health stores/Asian shops.  Raw tahini such as Carly’s brand is best)
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
1 rounded tsp ground coriander
1 rounded tsp ground cumin
Generous pinch or two of Himalayan/Atlantic Sea Salt
Optional extras (see below)

  1. Blitz everything together in your food processor or mini food processor until mixed. You may need a bit more liquid (lemon juice or olive oil) to get everything mixing well.
  2. Add extra lemon juice/olive oil to taste. If the mix is too thick add a a bit of chickpea cooking water or plain water and blitz again.

Blitz in one or two of the following if you like:

  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, parsley or chives,
  • 3-4 tomatoes you have roasted or cooked under the grill till soft
  • A teaspoon of spicy harissa paste (from ethnic shops) or ½ teasp chilli powder
  • A teaspoon of sun dried tomato paste from the jar
  • A teaspoon of black olive tapenade
  • 2-3 roasted red peppers (available in jars from ethnic shops)

Tip:

Grinding your own cumin or coriander with a spice grinder gives a dramatically more flavoursome spice.  This is because ground spices, when stored, lose some of their health-giving, aromatic oils.  Always store your ground spices in an airtight container in a dark place.

Why this is good for you:
Most shop-bought hummus is made using cheap, refined (toxic) oils instead of the traditional extra virgin olive oil which is a superfood.  It stands to reason that making your own is head and shoulders above anything else in quality and freshness.