Ok, I gotta start by saying that I do not like the word hummus. As some of you know, if I don’t like the sound of the word, I will not eat it!! I know, I know…..it’s weird. But I have always been that way. Foods I won’t eat because of the sound of the word: First on my list would have to be MANGO..blekh..yuck…people love that weird looking fruit thingy. I hate the word, so therefore I have never tasted it. Don’t want to. Other foods/words….YOGURT. Why would anyone eat that stuff. It is such a weird sounding word, YO-GURT. Ick. ZUCHINNI…ohhhhhh no way. SQUASH…another odd sounding word. Oh my gosh, I could go on with a few more, but I wont bore you. I know right now you are shaking your head saying “hmmm, Betty is so weird”. 😦
ok, so back to the hummus. It took me years before I could say that I like it. A coworker used to bring it into the office and everyone would rave about it. One day he handed me a little plate with some of that stuff and some pita. I just sat there and stared at it. I just couldn’t do it. Finally, I tasted it and it wasn’t bad. Gradually I learned to like it and now I LOVE IT!!!!! Usually I will call it bean dip though. That sounds better than the “H”word. hahahah. Anyway, this is a great and simple recipe…few ingredients. I had some for lunch today and it was delicious. It’s not really my recipe. But I did ask permission to use it. 🙂 Enjoy….

Hummus (or Bean Dip)

1 16 oz can garbanzo beans
1/4 cup of the liquid from the can of garbanzo beans
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (Tahini is another word I hate.. just sayin)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Drain the garbanzo beans reserving the 1/4 cup and put all ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed, until smooth.  Pour it into a bowl, chill in the fridge for a couple hours to let the flavors meld.  Sprinkle with some paprika, I use cayenne pepper. Serve with warm pita or pita chips.