Perfectly Simple Hummus (gluten free, vegan)

Hummus, the almost essential snack table dip, has exploded in popularity in recent years and it seems that there are almost endless varieties. I am always seeing new and inventive recipes for creative and different hummus recipes like white bean, black bean, beet, and even avocado hummus. While I love seeing all the beautiful colors of these tasty spreads I’ve always been a purist when it comes to hummus. Maybe I’m just being a stickler for appropriate labeling, but I’m not of the mind that everything can be hummus-ified.

Hummus is an Arabic word for chick pea/garbanzo bean. And in the Middle East hummus refers to both the actual pea/bean and the tasty dip. Hummus is traditionally served as the focal point of a meal in which a big plate of the fluffy dip is served with a side of pita, pickled vegetables, a raw onion, and topped off with olive oil. While ordering hummus there may be a few varieties, but this will almost always refer to what tops the hummus, which can be whole garbanzo beans, pine nuts, za’atar, garlic, or spicy z’hug. Hummus will of course differ in technique and ingredient proportions according to the maker but it does not really stray from these basic ingredients: tahini, garbanzo beans, lemon juice, and garlic.

My husband loves his hummus and always makes a point of stopping by one of the hummus spots at shuk hacarmel (the open market) in Tel Aviv while I meander the markets aisles ogling all the fruit and veggies. On occasion, when we are home in California, I will make him traditional hummus from dried chick peas but sometimes I just don’t have the time (or foresight) to make it for him from scratch. So I decided to create a recipe using the canned beans so I could whip him up a batch on a whim. This is quick to make, perfectly creamy, fluffy and just super tasty.