Hummus

Last week, I bought some tahini paste from the bulk section of one of the "natural food" stores here to make some hummus.  Thanks to my brilliant estimations, I had only a smear left in the bin after making my hummus, not enough to do anything useful with.  So, with Michael in one arm and one free hand, I smeared the tahini on my finger and licked it.  Michael grabbed my finger to have a taste, too!  So I smeared a little more on my finger and offered it to him, but he hesitated, so I licked it myself.  That was good enough for Michael to know it was safe -- he lunged for my finger again and helped himself to more!

Michael seems to be a fan of hummus.  I've been smearing it on breadsticks and veggie sticks, but he likes it straight from the spoon, too.  It's nice and sticky so it doesn't all fall out when he turns the spoon over, which is a plus!  And no adverse reactions to sesame seeds (tahini paste is basically sesame seed butter).

Hummus recipe modified to my tastes:

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed, with liquid reserved
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 3 T. tahini
• cumin and olive oil to taste (maybe 1 T. cumin and 4 T. olive oil?)

1. Pulse the garlic in a food processor.  Add garbanzo beans, lemon juice, tahini, and cumin.  Blend until creamy and well mixed.  Add reserved liquid from can garbanzo beans until desired consistency is reached (I add very little, just maybe a tablespoon or two).
2. Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl.  Pour olive oil over the top immediately before serving and mix in, if desired.