It has only been a few years since I had hummus for the first time and like most snack foods I always eat too much, even when it seems like they all have too much of a preservative aftertaste.  When I needed to bring an appetizer to dinner, I decided I should be able to make some Hummus that was fresh and more flavorful than what you can buy at the grocery store.  I made three different recipes, one with Black instead of Garbanzo beans that the kids call “Hummless”. 

Depending on your taste preferences you might want to reduce the the amount of garlic in your recipe. Our family likes lots of garlic, but for some it might be too far “over the top.”

Don’t forget to bring the chips; I usually do because they are not in the recipe!

Sun Dried Tomato & Garlic Hummus 

(This is a large batch, and was more than enough for a large family gathering)

2 – 15 oz cans garbanzo beans

4 tbls Tahini paste

12 garlic cloves

1 tsp salt

½ cup chopped fresh basil, plus a little more for garnish

6 oz Sun dried tomatoes, plus a little more chopped to garnish

1/8 cup oil from sun dried tomatoes

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup of light olive oil

Blend all of the above until very smooth in a food processor, adding oil if necessary to get the correct consistency.

Put into a serving dish and top with basil and tomatoes for garnish

Black bean & Jalapeño Hummus

1 – 15oz can black beans

2 tbls Tahini paste

6 garlic cloves

1 tsp salt

¼ cup plain low fat yogurt

2 jalapeño’s without seeds

Juice of ½ lemon

½ cup of light olive oil

Blend all of the above until very smooth in a food processor, adding oil if necessary to get the correct consistency. 

Hummus with Kalamata olives

1 – 15 oz can garbanzo beans

2 tbls Tahini

4 garlic cloves

½ tsp salt

12 kalamata olives

Juice of ½ lemon

¼ cup of light olive oil

Blend all of the above until very smooth in a food processor, adding oil if necessary to get the correct consistency.