HUMMUS via VITAMIX (a 2 banana difficulty level)

Well, I recently broke down and purchased a Vitamix Blender...well a refurbished one.  They are certainly expensive but so far it has been well worth it & I can see why "Cook's Illustrated" recommends it & Jamba Juice uses them to make your smoothie!  Speaking of smoothies, I recently took a break from making them to make some Hummus...Vitamix style!

I am basically following the recipe from the cookbook that came with the Vitamix Blender except I started with dried Chickpeas.  If you are using a food processor, then please refer to this recipe:

http://www.anymonkeycan.com/2010/09/hummus-foxymorons-style.html

Let's get started!

WHAT YOU NEED:
2-15 oz cans of Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans); 1 drained & 1 with liquid;
or
**4 c of Cooked Chickpeas reserving 1-2 c of the liquid** (!!!soak overnight!!!)
1/4 c Raw Sesame Seeds
1-2 T Olive Oil
1/4 c Lemon Juice (from 2-3 Lemons)
1-2 Garlic Cloves (peeled)
1 t Cumin
2-3 t Kosher Salt

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
A Vitamix Blender or a Food Processor
Large Pot if using Dried Chickpeas

WHAT YOU DO:
**If you are using canned Chickpeas, Please skip to step 5**
1.  Dissolve 2 T of Kosher Salt in about 2 Quarts of Water in a large pot
2.  Rinse the Dried Chickpeas & add to the Salted water.  The water needs to cover the Chickpeas by about 2 inches because the Chickpeas will expand.  SOAK OVERNIGHT
3.  Drain & Rinse the Soaked Beans.  Place in Large pot & add water until Chickpeas are covered by 2 inches of water.  Cover, bring to Boil, then reduce heat & simmer for 30-45 minutes until the Chickpeas are nice & soft.  (IF YOU DID NOT SOAK OVERNIGHT, THEN YOU WILL NEED TO SIMMER FOR ABOUT 60-90 MINUTES)
4.  Save 1-2 c of the Liquid & drain the rest.

5.  Place all of the ingredients in the listed order into the Vitamix container.  Be sure to add 1 c of the reserved liquid if you cooked your own Chickpeas.  Secure the lid.

6.  Select Variable 1, then turn on the Vitamix & quickly increase the speed to Variable 10, then to HIGH.
7.  Blend for 1 minutes using the Tamper to press the ingredients into the Blades.

Initially this was TOO DRY

With just a little extra reserved liquid, this is now nice & creamy!

8.  Serve it up!

Another view of TOO dry.  It's kind of like a Khaki Play-doh which is bad!

This is more like it!

Well, that is about all there is to it.  The Vitamix Blender did a fantastic job.  Using Chickpeas from the can makes this such a simple recipe.  The hardest part is cleaning the Vitamix Container, but cleaning a food processor was just as big of a pain in the butt!

Until next time,
Your friendly Neighborweb Monkey!

Hummus "Foxymorons style"

Hummus is becoming quite the rage. Fresh, homemade hummus is a breeze to make. Today, this monkey will tell how to do it! I'll start with a basic recipe from the "Joy of Cooking" cook book, but you could really trick up your hummus however you want. If you have the time, use dried chickpeas and soak'em and boil'em. You probably will end up with excess that can be used in salads, pasta dishes, etc. Otherwise...



16 oz can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
3 T tahini
2 cloves of peeled garlic
Salt to taste
Food Processor
Paprika (optional)
Olive Oil
Parsley - finely chopped (optional)

1. Place peeled garlic into food processor and mince
2. Add chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, and salt into food processor and puree until smooth adding 2-3T water (or cooking liquid if you boiled your own chick peas) at a time as needed to create a smooth, creamy dip.
3. Drizzle top of dip with Olive Oil
4. Sprinkle top of dip with the Parsley and a dusting of the Paprika
5. Eat with pita bread or crackers or vegetables or on a sandwich

As always, I encourage the use of fresh ingredients (garlic, lemon juice, chickpeas, parsley, etc.)

The above picture is a Hatch chile pepper (mild) Hummus. I added about 1/4 c of chopped peppers in step number 1. A Sweet potato or Roasted Red Pepper hummus version is always good. Try the basic recipe above and then be creative.

There you go, this really is a monkey friendly recipe that will easily impress!