Party Foul

Here I am, yammering away about steel cut oats and knee injuries, completely forgetting about promised party recipes from my Goodbye Astoria Farewell Party. Silly me. 

One of the recipes that received the biggest compliment at our recent party were my two hummus(es?). People were surprised that they were actually homemade, because let's be honest....most homemade hummus suck balls. It's true. They do. Usually, homemade hummus doesn't have the right flavor or consistency compared to the ones you buy in the store.

Truth be told, I am addicted to hummus! Addicted! I can finish off an entire container...by myself...in one sitting. No lie. If it was possible to do lines of this stuff, I would. That's how much I need it!

Jerry had recently uncovered the "secret" to good homemade hummus, which is a shit ton of tahini sauce. I put "secret" in quotes, mostly because I already knew this to be true. I've just been too chicken to add the amount of tahini necessary to obtain true hummus flavor. One reason for my fear is because tahini can be a little pricey. The second reason is because I'm always trying to watch the fat and calories that goes into my food. Tahini tends to be higher on the fat and calorie side of things.

Luckily, I had Jerry there to push me past my hesitation. And by "push me past," I really mean completely take over all hummus making! However, with our combined efforts, we made some pretty kick-ass hummus.

On the left is original hummus.
On the right is chipotle pepper hummus. 

Original Hummus

Ingredients
1 - 2 garlic cloves
1 can chickpeas, reserve 3 tbsp of liquid from the can
1/2 c to 3/4 c tahini, to taste (this is sort of a taste judgement call)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
The zest of one lemon
1/4 tsp paprika and chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
water, if needed to reach desired consistency

For Chipotle Pepper Hummus, add 1 - 2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, to taste.

Method
1. Add garlic cloves to a food processor. Process until garlic is cut up into small pieces.
2. Add all of your ingredients, except olive oil, to food processor. Begin to process, slowly streaming in the olive oil as you go.
3. Stop processor to scrape down sides occasionally to ensure all bits and pieces get incorporated.
4. Once desired consistency is obtain, top hummus with extra olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.