Hummusgirl's Blog

I hate to say, but it’s true.  I’m still addicted to hummus, but felt the need today to go and buy store bought hummus (actually it was restaurant hummus- from Oasis).  I mean I’ve had their hummus before and loved it, but this was the first time that I actually YEARNED for it and DREADED making my hummus.  That doesn’t usually happen! And you know what? Though I get food from other places all the time, I really REALLY just didn’t want to be addicted to hummus today!  I mean, I eat it a lot less than I did a year or two ago, but I feel like I’m losing apart of cooking self to other foods!   

I mean, I have a weakness for potato chips (which would be good with hummus!) now and different types of ethnic food and I don’t even cook everyday anymore!  Is that a sign that I’m becoming a corporate foodie?  I don’t buy at Costco (although I did look around there once- WOW!) or Walmart or anything, and I still like going to farms and Whole Foods is just sooo perfect.  I guess I just fear that once I go to culinary school I’ll cook all these fast food items and deprive myself of vegetarian cooking forever.  Will my myth be a fact some day? I feel it might.

P.S. Found out that my darling concoction tastes pretty good on corn and baked potato instead of butter and/or sour cream.  Healthier too!

Yeah I can’t get enough of hummus.  So because I’m a hummus addict at this point, I decided to do the comedy open mike deed about it.  The following is the basic gyst of what I said: 

I have a confession to make.  For the past 4 years I have been a drug addict.  Now it’s becoming a pretty common drug in America and has been common in the Middle East for many centuries. Yes, I am addicted to hummus.  I had my last hit less than 24 hours ago.  I need to get it out you see because I know you’ll be supportive. I need to just say it.  Ok *breath* I am a hummus addict.  I really didn’t think it would happen to me.  Hummus addictions happen to Middle Easterners or really hippie/bohemian people.  They don’t happen to innocent Quaker girls.  I really didn’t think it was serious when I grabbed for the chickpeas every day.  I just told myself they had protein, iron, and tons of other nutrients that are really quite good for me. 

But then I learned that chickpeas when eaten in large quantities can cause something called ergoism.  The symptoms of this disease are spasms, convulsions, and even mental illness.  Wow, I thought, why is this happening to me? I was already pretty messed up before I discovered hummus and chickpeas; why didn’t I just eat more fruit or vegetables or milk?  Why did I become addicted to the one substance that could become my demise?

I thought I was safe to fall for a bean. If I was addicted to lentils, black beans, pinto beans, or even fava beans it would be ok because they’re not as Americanized as hummus. But chickpeas are the devil I tell you! Because once you turn them into that creamy spread, all hell breaks loose.  Thank you.

Well I’m not perfect. I learned that much yesterday.  I planned a progressive dinner in my neighborhood (we have a course at each neighbor’s home), and so wanted to do appetizers so I could make hummus, but I should have planned to make another dish, like pesto or salsa because hummus is just a little too imperfect on its own.  I did make two different kinds of hummus- peanut butter and regular, but I just don’t think it was enough.  Plus I’m going to culinary school and need to do a bit more to impress the locals!  But it’s all well.  My hummus was received approvingly and my Mom even thought up our grape leaves and sugar snap peas to eat it with.  Better luck next time…

P.S. My experimental hummus was made with peanut butter instead of tahini.  People liked it, but I think I’m addicted to the spicy variety.  Maybe next time I make it I’ll add spices.  Also, I need to make black bean hummus one of these days because I had some at whole foods last week and it was really spicy and good!

So I was stressed out from work yet again, so I decided to take the bus to my friendly Mediterranean restaurant, Oasis, where I buy my tahini, as well as other friendly Middle Eastern foods from.  It’s a family business, so the guy who works there is a friend of mine and I like to talk hummus with him.  Anyway, I needed to recharge badly so I ordered a mint ice tea, a very spicy falafel sandwich, (which is made with chickpeas- and I need to learn how to make this someday), and naturally, hummus.  I just can’t eat out there and not have hummus and pita bread- it’s like required!  So as I pigged out I mentioned to my friend that I have a new friend, Kathi, who’s husband is from Lebanon and she said they knew the Oasis people.  Small world! 

I must say, the falafel was definitely one of the spiciest dishes I’ve had in awhile, but I REALLY needed to destress my mind and realized that Oasis is the best place to be myself, food-wise.  Of course, I had to restock on tahini and pita bread too.  But no Middle Eastern desserts for me (that would be baklava and bird’s nest).  Oasis rocks!

Hummusgirl just wishes they served hummus here!

There are a lot of ways to make hummus- I know I’ve done a lot of them.  I’ve used canned chickpeas and dried chickpeas (you do have to cook them).  The essentials are chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil (oil isn’t really necessary, but I find it makes it that much smoother). 

Starting with chickpeas, some people like taking the skin off (too many carbohydrates says my friend Esteban), but it’s time consuming.  If you use canned chickpeas, use one whole can.  If you cooked your chickpeas fill the food processor with them.  You can add a tablespoon of chickpea water too (although I think it makes the hummus too watery).  Then add some chopped/minced garlic, or about 3 or 4 cloves. 

The tahini you can get from a specialty Mediterranean or Middle Eastern grocery store.  I think you get the best quality from one of these stores as I’ve heard brand name tahini is not up to snuff.  Add about 2 Tablespoons Tahini to your hummus and 2 to 3 Tbs olive oil.

Now it’s time to get crazy with the spices and herbs!  The first time I made hummus I added just cumin or maybe nothing at all.  Now I add 2 tsp cumin, and about 1tsp each of celery salt, kosker salt, mild chili powder, and cayenne.  Some people don’t like spicy cayenne, but I find that if I don’t add it, it just seems dull!  So better to make your guests have water in their eyes then not have flavor!  And I add cilantro or parsley (about 2 Tbs) to give it a kick.  Then pour in 3 Tbs lemon juice and it should satisfy.  Serve with pita bread, chips, or you’re really getting healthy, vegetables.

After having a fairly unproductive day yet again, I find that hummus is always there to soothe my soul. Well I did just go swimming and needed some sustenance, but hummus is just too easy to make and too good for me, so I can’t feel bad about life!  It’s just so, so, mediterranean! Or maybe it’s the cool middle eastern vibe I get from it.  I must say though, I should have put in more cayenne pepper because it’s tasting a little too much like generic hummus (not that there’s anything wrong with generic…).  Anyway, homemade hummus still brings the house down.

For those of you who having been living in fast food restaurants for your whole life, hummus is from the Middle East.  Let’s go back even further.  Chickpeas are what hummus is made from and these are a type of bean that date back thousands and thousands of years ago.  In fact, I’ve read that they’re what the poor people ate, which may explain why the fast food people I know are scared of them and hummus and all beans; they don’t want people to think they’re “poor.” 

But anyway, hummus was “invented” around the 700 AD.  I guess it was mostly confined to the Middle East, as it was still classified as a “poor” food.  Meanwhile, while hummus was probably gaining in popularity in Lebanon and Palestine and all those cool fought over countries, potatoes and corn were being worshipped centuries later by Mayans (corn) and Europeans (potatoes). 

See corn, as one should know today, can be used nine times out of ten in most any convenience food as well as inedible items as well.    Well back when the Mayans lived off the land (there might be some still that still do for all I know) they depended on it just as heavily, though with all the elements of nature, not commerce thrown in.

Potatoes, on the other hand, were thought to be only for the rich only about 500 years ago (look up) and when they were “found out” so to speak, they became a heavily prized item for many poor people.  Maybe you heard of a little something called the potato famine?  Despite their fattening nature today, potatoes are actually very good for you when boiled or baked.

I like hummus because it makes me appreciate all the good things in life.  Before I found hummus I didn’t eat as well as I should and it showed.  I ate too much sugary foods and although I wasn’t a horrible eater, it added up.  But when I discovered hummus, I discovered how much I liked to eat healthy things and that eating poorly, does taste pretty bad too.  When I discovered hummus it was an “aha” moment in that I figured out that this was a food that could be made cool. 

I know it’s been relatively popular in the US now for awhile now and has no where to go but up!  But hummus will always be cool because I personally think it’s the only way to get over guy problems.  So worship hummus instead of some annoying man and your world will open wide!

See don't beans look beautiful?

For all of you who think that chickpeas, what hummus is made from, is uncool, well you should try lentils, fava beans, or white beans.  Those are definitely more uncool in the United States, though very favored in Italy, India, and even Egypt.  So when will those legumes equal chickpeas in popularity here?

I know a lot of people like hummus.  Since Middle Easterners brought it over a century ago, there are probably a lot of Meditteranean restaurants and there are certainly many different brands of hummus out there.  But I think homemade hummus is the best.  If you like hummus even a little bit and want to try my ultimate homemade hummus, let me know and we can work something out!