Hummus Spread Recipes

Steps:

• Combine beans, tahini, oil, pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, garlic, salt, and lemon juice in food processor bowl and grind into a smooth paste. Transfer to a small dip dish and surround spread with warm pita wedges. This recipe makes a great appetizer, or anytime snack.
• Tidbit: this is a fantastic dish to take to a pot luck or block party -- it's always a hit!

Steps:

• For the beans: Rinse beans and pick over.
• place in a large pot, cover by at-least 2" with water (if you have hard water toss in a pinch of baking soda) Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, turn off stove and let them sit until cooled to room temperature.
• About 2 hours.
• Drain beans and rinse.
• Rinse out pot and return beans, again, cover with water, add garlic and bay leaf, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer Cook until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Drain and cool.
• For the Tahini: Place sesame seeds and sesame oil in the food processor, grind until it's formed a paste.
• If it seems dry add some of the olive oil.
• For the Hummus: Add garlic to the hummus and pulse until finely chopped.
• Add beans and turn on processor, drizzle olive oil into processor, allow to run until desired consistency is reached.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse until mixed.
• Optional: You can replace some of the olive oil with a bit of reduced fat sour cream to attain the desired creaminess without as much fat.

Steps:

• Thoroughly rinse the chickpeas in a colander under cold running water. Tip into the large bowl of a food processor along with 60ml of the oil and blitz until almost smooth. Add the garlic, lemon and tahini along with 30ml water. Blitz again for about 5 mins, or until the hummus is smooth and silky.
• Add 20ml more water, a little at a time, if it looks too thick. Season and transfer to a bowl. Swirl the top of the hummus with the back of a dessert spoon and drizzle over the remaining oil. Serve with crunchy crudités and toasted pitta bread, if you like.