Food Friday : Hummus Made With Peanut Butter

Hello .. Happy Friday :D

Today I am sharing my quickie recipe for homemade hummus that uses things you might actually have in your home as we speak. To backtrack a bit, usual recipes for this delicious pureed chickpea snack include tahini, a sesame seed paste that’s expensive and not that easy to find. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve bought a jar of it, used a few spoonfuls to make hummus and then later found that same jar in the back of the fridge, well past it’s due date and ready for the trash. No more I said! So I came up with a hummus recipe that tastes very similar to the tahini version but uses ingredients I always have on hand, namely peanut butter and sesame oil.

If you don’t always stock sesame oil in your kitchen, I would recommend getting some because it is so tasty in many different recipes. Get the kind that is pure sesame oil (not the type that’s mixed with other kinds of oil), and store it in the ‘fridge for, like, forever. It may thicken up when it’s cold but quickly running the bottle under warm water will get it flowing again. And a little goes a very long way. It’s not great for frying, but a teaspoon added to a stir fry before serving does wonders. I also use it in soups and vegetarian chili.

Another thing worth mentioning about the way I make my version of hummus is that I use chickpeas that we have boiled at home. Our freezer is always stocked with a variety of beans that we’ve soaked and boiled ourselves. They are very inexpensive to buy dry and are better for you than are the ones in a can. Soaking and boiling them does take time, but it’s not so bad because you can do a large amount over a week-end, and then pop them into zip-lock bags in the freezer. Then when you need beans or chickpeas for a recipe just take out what you need. A quick soak in hot water will have them ready to use in a couple of minutes, or if you’re making a soup or chili, you can just pop them into the cooking liquid directly from the freezer.

Ok, ’nuff said … on with the recipe:

To make Loulou’s Hummus (using a food processor)

1 1/2 cup (more or less) well cooked chickpeas, or canned and drained ones
1 large clove of garlic
3 tablespoons peanut butter (we use the kind that is just ground peanuts and nothing else, but regular crunchy or smooth works fine).
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil (Pure, not blended)
2 tablespoons (or about 1/2 a lemon’s worth) of fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to your liking)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder and ground cummin (both optional)

In the bowl of your food processor, mince the clove of garlic. Add all other ingredients and process until smooth.

I decorated mine with brown sesame seeds and parsley. Serve with pita bread or raw vegetables. Makes a little over a cup.

Thanks for visiting. Hope you’re in for the exact kind of week-end you enjoy the most!
xo loulou

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