I don’t keep ready-to-eat products at home, but hummus is a high-protein, healthy (and delicious) exception to that rule. Made from easily-sourced, individually inexpensive ingredients, hummus is nonetheless becoming expensive to buy already made. My solution of course, is to make it at home to my own taste..
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
3 cups filtered water
2-3 garlic cloves
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
1 tablespoon harissa (a Tunisian hot chilli sauce, optional)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup organic white sesame seeds
1/3 cup olive oil, divided
Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat (about 15 minutes). Allow to cool to room temperature, then transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse repeatedly until broken up, then begin to drizzle in up to 1/4 cup of olive oil while still processing, resulting in a paste with the consistency of thin peanut butter. This is tahini paste, a component of hummus. Scrape the tahini into a clean container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Discard any chickpeas that are floating along with the soaking water. Place the chickpeas in a saucepan and cover with the fresh, filtered water. Bring to a full boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until just tender, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the garlic, lemon juice, tahini and remaining olive oil and process until smooth, adding a little of the chickpea cooking liquid along the way.
Transfer the hummus to a serving bow, drizzle with olive oil mixed with harissa and serve with toasted pita bread. Leftover hummus will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Stir a little olive oil into it if it gets dry.
The earliest known recipes for something similar to hummus bi tahini date to 13th century Egypt as a cold purée of chickpeas with vinegar and pickled lemons with herbs, spices, and oil, but no tahini or garlic…
The earliest known documentation of hummus (حمّص) itself comes from 18th-century Damascus; it appears that it was unknown elsewhere at that timeHummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini (طحينه) is an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the chickpeas. Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets; like other combinations of grains and pulses, it serves as a complete protein when eaten with bread. –Wikipedia