Hummus!!!

(From Rita's kitchen... not on FB)

I *love* this recipe with roasted peppers or sundried tomatoes... Mmm!

Here's the basic hummus recipe I use -- feel free to adjust the garlic and
lemon to taste.

* 1 small can chickpeas (about 2 1/2 cups) drained, but retain the liquid. (Or soak 1 1/4 cup dried chickpeas overnight.)
* Juice of 2 small lemons (about 1/3 cup)
* 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled (2-3 teaspoons if you use the pre-minced jarred variety). You can roast the garlic if you like a milder taste or skip it altogether if garlic isn’t your thing. I just throw it in as is.
* 1 teaspoon salt (kosher salt, if you have it)
* 5 tablespoons of tahini (sesame paste)

(Rita gets her tahini from East Dearborn - saves a BUNDLE!!!!)

Throw everything in a food processor and blend. Once it’s well mixed, add additional items if you want — roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, etc. I usually start with a small amount — 1/4 cup or less and then add more according to taste. (For the pesto hummus, I used about 4 teaspoons of pesto sauce.) Blend some more and add the retained chickpea liquid a little at a time as needed to get a smooth consistency. I tend to make mine a little on the thin side because I noticed that it will thicken up on it’s own — especially after freezing.

That’s it. This makes about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of hummus. It freezes really well
so I’ll usually buy one of those restaurant-size cans of chickpeas, make a big batch and put it in containers.