BRYANNA'S NEW,IMPROVED CREAMY NO-OIL HUMMOUS (WITH A FEW VARIATIONS) (WW CORE PLAN-COMPATIBLE)

Quality ingredients are essential to good-tasting, creamy hummous, especially when you aren't adding alot of tahini and olive oil to it. A food processor is also essential to get the right texture.

2 cups well-cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), or canned (a 19 ounce can), drained (see Cooking Tips below for recommended brands of canned)
(NOTE: If using canned, drain them and rinse under tap water in a colander.)
1/4 cup lemon juice, preferably freshly-squeezed (or Santa Cruz Organic bottled)
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4-1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons sesame tahini (see Cooking Tips in blog post for brand recommendations)

Possible garnishes:
paprika or smoked paprika (pimenton-- mild or hot)
chopped fresh parsley, mint or cilantro
chopped green onions
toasted pine nuts or almonds
grated organic lemon zest

It is important to use hot or very warm chickpeas in this recipe-- it is one of the secrets to making creamy hummous!

If possible, use freshly-cooked chickpeas straight from the pot. If that is not possible, re-warm home-cooked chickpeas or canned (rinsed and drained) chickpeas by heating them, covered in water or their cooking broth, if they are home-cooked (do NOT use the canned liquid!) in a pot or in the microwave until they are hot through. Then drain them again.

Place the hot chickpeas in a food processor with all of the ingredients EXCEPT the tahini. Process until it is very smooth. Stop the machine, but don't remove the mixture yet!

Another important step to increase creaminess is to heat the tahini a little and add it at the end to create a sort of emulsion.

Place the tahini in a small cup or ramekin and heat it either by 1.) microwaving for 1 minute at 25% power, or 2.) placing the cup in a pan of hot water and heating it in simmering water until the tahini is warm and more liquid. (You can also use a egg poacher to warm the tahini over water.)

Now, start the food processor running again, and remove the pusher from the tube in the lid. Slowly drizzle the warm tahini into the whirling mixture, scraping all of it out with a small spatula. Process for another 30 seconds or so.

If the mixture seems too thick (remember that it thickens up as it cools), you may add a tablespoon or so of water, 1 teaspoon at a time. taste for salt. The garlic flavor will be stronger after the hummous sits for a while.

Place in a serving bowl or spread on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time.

FOR BEST FLAVOR, BRING TO ROOM TEMPERATURE BEFORE SERVING.

Serve with raw veggies and wedges of sprouted wheat pita bread, sourdough bread, or fat-free dark rye crisps.

Yield: about 2 2/3 cups

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/3 cup serving): 92.2 calories; 26% calories from fat; 2.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 182.3mg sodium; 150.1mg potassium; 13.2g carbohydrates; 3.5g fiber; 2.2g sugar; 9.7g net carbs; 4.4g protein; 1.4 points.

VARIATIONS:

Green Hummous
Increase the salt to 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons, the cumin to 1 teaspoon, and the cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon. After the hummous has been blended smooth, add 10 oz. frozen spinach, kale, chard or collard greens, thawed, squeezed as dry as possible, and chopped and process again briefly to mix.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummous
Make the Plain Hummous variation, adding 1/2 cup drained, rinsed roasted red pepper from a jar when you process the chickpea mixture.

Roasted Garlic Hummous (garlic flavor mellows and sweetens when roasted)
Omit the raw garlic from the recipe and, instead, add 3 medium heads of roasted garlic (see Cooking Tips below), squeezing it out of the skins into the food processor. OR you can use about 24 cloves of roasted garlic from a jar.

Smoked Paprika Hummous (one of my favorites!)
Omit cumin and use 1 teaspoon mild or hot smoked paprika (pimenton).

Artichoke Hummous
When the hummous is finished, add 1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, rinsed under hot water, patted dry, and chopped, and 1/2 teaspoon grated organic lemon zest. Pulse just to mix. If you prefer, omit the cumin from this variation.

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummous:
Add 1/4 cup chopped dried tomatoes which have been soaked in hot water until softened, then drained. You can add them at the beginning of processing, or at the end, depending on the texture you desire.