Real Men Don’t Eat Hummus

Tags

appetizer, canned beans, chick peas, clemson, dip, fresh parsley, garbanzo, greek food, hummus, mediterranean food, middle eastern food, party food, tahini, tailgating food, veggies and dip

Real men also don’t eat quiche, apparently.

I think that has something to do with real men not being able to spell, but that’s juts my personal opinion.

To that point, 1. Jay is not a real man, and 2. real men are dumb.

I made this a few nights ago when my bff Heather came over to drink wine (out of bottles. we went high-end) and gossip about every single person we’ve come into contact with for the past 6 or so years in each of our lives.

Things like that can take awhile, and having a healthy, meat-free appetizer full of protein seemed like just the sustenance we needed.

And, Heather and I love hummus. And wine from bottles. Or boxes.

Hummus

Hummus is a traditional Middle-Eastern dip or spread made from ground garbanzo beans/chick peas (neither a chick or a pea…think about it) with various add-ins popular in the United States these days. We have “flavored” hummus! I love plain tahini hummus, but I have a few variations that I’ll tell you about at some point. I used 1 can of chick peas, but when I make this for a gaggle of people (like, more than two), I use 2 or 3 cans – it’s nice to have extras since it lasts awhile in the fridge!

Note: cook your own beans if you have that kind of time, just be aware that you’ll need WAY more salt. Your call. Cans are easy. Easy is good. Thatswhathesaid.

I’m a child.

Anyways. Here’s what you need:

One can garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon tahini paste (all out? use 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and NO ONE will ever know)
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
1 pinch cumin
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, optional
paprika for garnish, optional

This was the first time I’d added cumin or parsley to my hummus, and I LOVED it. The parsley was inspired by the fact that I HAD IT IN MY FRIDGE. That’s it. It gave a great grassy flavor though, so I’ll definitely use it again!

I know, fresh lemon juice would have tasted better. I didn’t have a lemon, and didn’t feel like squeezing a lime, so I didn’t. Usually I’d use just a pinch of ground cumin, but I ran out of that last week when I made white chicken chili, and cumin seeds worked just fine! Tahini can be found in the health or foreign food section of your grocery store. It keeps FOREVER in the fridge and can be used to make salad dressings, sauces, or anything else you can think of – definitely worth the investment!

First, in a feat of culinary prowess, throw everything into the food processor.

Note: at first, add the beans with 1/3 of their canning liquid and half the olive oil. Then add more oil as you blend until it’s the consistency you want.

That’s, uh, it. Really. It should be smooth but not runny. Taste it! I almost always add more salt and lemon juice because I like tangy hummus. I serve it with pita, crackers, and veggies. It’s very portable for, say, TAILGATING!

I’m ditching Clemson tomorrow to go to the USC game with my other BFF, Addie, and I’m taking the rest of this with me. I’m also going to see my sister Olivia, who’s a USC student, and I’m going to make her eat hummus because she gets sick a lot and it’s probably because she doesn’t eat enough meat-free protein and heart-healthy fats. Or….because she doesn’t sleep enough and lives in a small space with many people.