Make Your Own Hummus



I love hummus.  And, more importantly, my toddler loves hummus.  My toddler loves carbs, fruits, veggies, and dairy, but does not eat meat and almost never eats legumes or tofu.  So I worry a bit about his protein intake.  But he loves hummus, so we try to have it on hand at all times.  I once was in love with Trader Joe's Mediterranean hummus, but it's about $4 a package, and I sometimes had to throw some out at the end because of the large quantity.  So I decided it was time to figure out how to make hummus on my own, to save money and to avoid waste.  This recipe is just delicious:

Homemade Hummus
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
juice from 1 lemon
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T tahini
2 T water
1-2 garlic cloves
3/4 t Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1/8 t cayenne

I make it in the food processor attachment of my immersion blender.  However, canned food has its issues, and my sister told me about Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Garbanzo Bean Flour.  Here are the reasons why I now make the hummus with the flour instead of canned garbanzo beans:
  1. There are those pesky BPA concerns with canned foods.  BPA is an endocrine disruptor, and the lining of virtually every canned food contains BPA.
  2. I can control the level of salt better with the flour (the canned beans have salt added)
  3. Canned food is heavy to carry home from the grocery store and from house to house (we move a lot), and it probably uses a good deal of energy to manufacture and ship the cans (on the other hand, the cans are recyclable)
  4. Fresh usually tastes better than canned
  5. It's cheaper

Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour, 22-Ounce (Pack of 4)

I use the same recipe as above, but I replace the can of garbanzo beans with a bean mixture. So here is my new hummus recipe:

Homemade Hummus, take 2
1 1/4 cup water plus 3/8 c garbanzo bean flour
juice from 1 lemon
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T tahini
2 T water
1-2 garlic cloves
3/4 t Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1/8 t cayenne
 
Bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil on medium high heat.  Whisk 3/8 garbanzo flour into the boiling water
Turn heat to medium low and stir constantly for 1 minute.  Put the lid on and cook for 5 min.  Let cool a bit.
In a food processor puree garbanzo bean mixture plus all the other stuff (lemon juice, oil, tahini, water, garlic, salt, cayenne pepper).  You may want to add more salt since the bean mixture has no salt.


This second method does get an extra pot dirty.  However, it's cheaper, creamier, and BPA-free.  As an added bonus, I can add the garbanzo flour to my baby's whole grain cereal mixture.  The bag of flour is pretty light (about 1 1/2 pounds) and is equivalent to 13 cans of garbanzo beans. 

What steps have you taken to avoid BPA?
 
Photo credit: Albertas Agejevas

5 comments:

  1. I like how you describe "pesky" BPA. I have stopped buying anything in a can, as well as I limit what I buy in plastic. Some products only come in plastic! So all my condiments I buy in glass jars or I make my own!
    Thanks for Hummus recipes!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My husband has been trying to perfect his hummus recipe. I'll pass your's on to him. Thanks.

    He always uses dried beans. They take a little extra work but are great value for money.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this recipe. I simply MUST make it! In your recipe, is it three-eighths tablespoon of flour? I only ask because that seems like so little. Wishing I had my food processor or immersion blender here in Utah! I only have a blender. Wonder if that would work?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, because I have a teeny-tiny food processor. It's half the recipe (with some modifications) listed on the Bob's Red Mill package. We are going through hummus like wildfire this summer, so I am going to try the full recipe and use the immersion blender right in the pot after cooking the flour. We'll see how it goes!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ok.. I finally have my bean flour and my tahini.... I'm READY! Oh, yeah, only the blender. I'll give it a whirl... no pun intended. lol.... For sure when I get home from Utah though!

    ReplyDelete

Have something to say? Please leave a comment!
I read all comments and try to respond to questions in a timely manner.
Comments are now moderated due to spam overload and have to be approved (by me) - so don't worry if your comment does not appear immediately after you publish it.

CONNECT WITH ME





© 2008-2020 Eco-novice: Going Green Gradually All Rights Reserved

Copyright © Eco-novice | Powered by Blogger

Design by Anders Noren | Blogger Theme by NewBloggerThemes.com