One of my favorite snacks is hummus. I started eating it frequently after finding it at the now defunct Lebanese restaurant in Downtown Wenatchee. The hummus there was so good. I loved how they drizzled olive oil on top and made it look so pretty with parsley.

When I went off to college, I even took a tub of their hummus and some nice, thick pita bread with me to stick in my tiny dorm fridge. After the restaurant closed, I tried several store-bought containers of the stuff and was never satisfied. Instead, I learned to make my own. Until this Christmas, when my boyfriend bought me one of the best gifts ever, a huge Cuisinart food processor, I had to use lots of oil and spend lots of time scraping down the blender’s sides to make homemade hummus with my blender.

Now, hummus is one of the quickest and easiest foods I make. Even better, I almost always have the ingredients for it in my pantry. I tried several hummus recipes, even one for black bean hummus, before creating my own version. I think mine is pretty good. One batch never lasts long and hummus goes well with so much stuff. Rarely do I feel more virtuous than when I eat veggies dipped in hummus. Although, I really like it with chips.

One of the most important ingredients, the one that makes hummus more than a bean dip, is tahini. Tahini is ground sesame seeds and is the same consistency as creamy natural peanut butter. I find mine near the peanut butter at Top Foods. One tub of it will last a long time if refrigerated.

If you like thinner hummus, you may use more olive oil and lemon juice. Hummus purists might take issue with what I’m about to write, but a healthier alternative to using more olive oil is to add plain yogurt, fat free or not, a tablespoon at a time and process until it reaches the desired consistency.

Recipe

Basic Hummus

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

Juice of one lemon

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (ground sesame seeds, kind of like sesame seed peanut butter)

2 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Process all ingredients, except one tablespoon olive oil, pulsing at first, in a food processor and process until smooth. Drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with parsley, optional.