just a girl and her hummus

Today I was officially declared a "hummus addict" by this crazy Egyptian man named Nabil who works at the restaurant with me. He's great, I love him to pieces, and he makes awesome falafel. Yum. I then proceeded to go home after work today and make another batch of my homemade hummus so that I can take it with me to class tonight (and laugh as the other students stare at my bowl of garlicky goodness in jealousy. Haha.) There has been a couple people who have asked me for my recipe, and it's kind of hard to describe because its more of a "play as you go" kind of thing, but I will try and share the secret of my "white girl hummus" with ya'll. (I call it that because I can't make it nearly as good as Nabil or any real native can). Oh well, here goes!

Bethany's "white-girl" Hummus
2 16 oz. cans of garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Add additional olive oil to reach your desired consistency. Make sure you taste it before you call it "done" and add extra garlic, salt, etc. if you need to. Top with a little parsley flake, a little cumin, a little black pepper, cover and refrigerate for an hour or so. Serve with warm flatbread or pita.

Voila!
This tastes so much better than store-bought, and is so good for you too! Low fat, packed with fiber, and won't leave you feeling weighed down. I hate that feeling when something you eat "hits your stomach like a brick." This won't do that to you. That's part of the reason why I love it so much. Enjoy!

ps. feel free to experiment with this recipe too. I've heard good things about adding chili pepper, tahini paste, or cumin to the blend. I've also heard some people add peanut butter, but that's too adventurous for me.