Hummus, hamos, houmous, hommos, hommus, hummos, hummous, humus; However you spell it, IT’S DELICIOUS. Used as a spread or dip, hummus is a very tasty and versatile way to prepare the garbanzo bean. Like most awesome foods, I didn’t like hummus until recent years. Now I put it on EVERYTHING. At about $4 (at least) for a 7 oz. tub, it starts to get a little pricy.

All of us who have tried to make hummus have run into what I’d like to call the “tahini predicament”. Tahini is $9 for a huuuuuge bottle. I DON’T WANT TO BUY THAT! Well, people, I’ve come up with an ingenious way to solve this problem: make your own tahini, DUH.

Tahini:
3/4 c. sesame seeds (you can find a bottle for about $3 in your world-foods isle in the grocery store! 1 bottle = 2 batches)
1/4 c. vegetable or olive oil

In a blender or food processor or anything that will grind this, wizz until it’s a paste!

Hummus:
1lb bag of dried garbanzo beans (or 4 cans of normal garbanzo beans)
1/2 c. tahini paste (above recipe makes the right amount)
1/2 c. vegetable or olive oil
1/2 c. water
1 small red pepper, stem & seeds removed
2 tbs chopped garlic
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tbs paprika
2 tbs cumin
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
Salt (about 1 tablespoon) & pepper to taste

If you’re using dried garbanzo beans, let them soak overnight in 6-8 cups of water until they’re soft (or do the quick-soak method by brining them to a boil and covering for 1 hour. Should be soft by then). Once you can easily break them with your fingers, drain and put in a blender with all the above ingredients. Blend until your desired consistency (I like mine chunky), then serve!

Note for making the best hummus: I put everything but the kitchen sink in this, but remember: you can use whatever spices you want/have on hand! This makes a WHOLE LOTTA hummus, so again I might cut this in half next time… If you do make your own tahini and have the spices already, this whole recipe costs no more than $2.50: I have enough for 15 hummus sandwiches in my fridge right now, so this IS IMPRESSIVE.