Before I tell you about this recipe, my shirt size is a Medium and my birthday is in September, but I accept gifts year round. 😉

 

Oh my gosh you guys! I can’t tell you how much I love putting ingredients together and creating magic! in the kitchen!  Such exploratory cooking therapy never loses my interest!

I recently spent part of an afternoon researching what I call ‘hummus basics’ and can’t believe the variations that are out there.  Avocado hummus, red pepper hummus, roasted carrot hummus, zesty Italian hummus, even peanut butter hummus!

Lots and lots of creative variations. 🙂

However today my friends, I’m keeping it simple.  Simple and SO delicious!

So delicious, I even surprised myself with my own recipe!  😲

 

To begin, here are the ingredients.

Traditional hummus calls for Tahini, a condiment made from toasted ground sesame seed, which adds a creamy texture and smoky flavor.

Well well well… guess what?  I don’t have Tahini!  Go figure.

So to avoid missing out on the “Tahini benefits,” I substituted a bit of sour cream for creaminess, ground paprika for smokiness, and extra olive oil to make it as smooth as butta’.

Note:  If you don’t have sour cream you can use plain or greek yogurt instead.

 

In order to achieve the best and creamiest hummus ever, peel the skins off the chickpeas.  This step is “OPTIONAL” but don’t skip it.  It’s super simple since all you have to do is pinch the chickpea and the skin flies off.  It took me about 8 minutes to do a whole can.

Then you throw everything into a blender or food processor, and blend at crazy speeds until it’s mixed together and ready to eat!  Make sure you scrape down the sides a few times too. 🙂

 

And……

Well……..

That was all it took to make HUMMUS which took about 25 minutes… if that..?

I wanted my hummus to look fancy for pictures, so I drizzled the top with olive oil, and gave a nice sprinkling of paprika.

 

I served it with pita bread, sweet peppers, cucumbers and wheat thins.  I should be honest and just tell you –

OH MY GOSH!  It was SO GOOD!  Notice “It was” in the past-tense?

That’s because I ate it all gone by myself between the night I made it, and for snack the next day…

AND THIS WAS MY ATTITUDE BY THE END OF THE NIGHT:

HAHAHAHA!  It’s true!  I laughed and laughed 😛

 

Okay I guess I shared a little bit with my family. 🙂  Enjoy!

Delicious & Creamy Hummus (without Tahini!)

• One 15 ounce can Chick Peas (Garbanzos)
• 2 tablespoons reserved Chickpea liquid
• 2 tablespoons Sour Cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
• Garnish: Olive Oil and Paprika

Note:  This makes roughly 4 servings.  If you’re planning to please a small crowd, DEFINITELY double the recipe.  You won’t regret it!

To begin, reserve the chickpea liquid and set aside.  Remove chickpea skins by gently pinching the end of the chickpea; the skin will fall right off.

To the blender or food processor add the de-skinned chickpeas, two tablespoons of reserved chickpea liquid, sour cream, lemon juice, 1 of the tablespoons of olive oil (reserve 1/2 tablespoon), garlic, cumin, paprika and sea salt.  Blend until creamy, scraping down the sides occasionally.  Towards the end of blending, slowly drizzle in the additional 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to add extra silkiness.

To serve:  Place in a serving bowl.  Use a spoon to make swirly ridges on the top of the hummus.  Drizzle with a teaspoon or more of olive oil and dust with paprika.  Serve with pita bread, crackers and fresh veggies.

It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days – but it won’t last that long.  Enjoy! 🙂