classic hummus with lemon, garlic, and parsley

It's almost impossible for me to think of hummus without the episode of FRIENDS, The One Where No One's Ready, playing through my head. Phoebe gets "the hummus!" flung on her yellow dress right before Ross's museum banquet and she ends up putting a huge Christmas bow over it, haha. It's probably one of my favorite episodes, and also the first time I ever heard the word "hummus." I thought, "what the hell is HUMMUS?" Mind you, this was probably back in '05. Thankfully, once I found out what it was, I decided to give it a try. I can't remember if I liked it at first. Knowing the old me, I probably didn't. I came around at some point though, because for years now I've been pretty much obsessed!

I've always bought hummus at the store, especially before I started to really get into making many things homemade. While there are some good brands out there, nothing beats making your own hummus. You can cater to your own texture; really smooth versus kind of chunky/thick (my personal preference), and flavor it however you like. I haven't done a price comparison, but I am pretty sure it's cheaper too, especially if you do the real deal and buy your chickpeas dried rather than canned.

It's really freaking delicious, especially when paired with whole grain pita chips or some baby carrots! I love the little green flecks you see throughout it due to the fresh parsley. The warmth from the cumin offsets the freshness from the lemon and creates a nice balance.

special thanks to Alex for her lovely hand-modeling skills!

I termed this "classic hummus" because although it's flavored with hints of lemon, garlic, and parsley, it is pretty much the "original" flavored hummus you'd find at the store, but with a little kick! This makes a great base for other flavors, such as roasted red pepper or tomato basil, or just eaten as is (which is what I've been doing.)

click photo to enlarge

 Oh, before I forget, I wanted to mention that I finally created a portfolio site for my food photography! I still need to add an "about" and "contact" section, but so far I am really liking it. Although my Etsy shop is called "Craves & Composition," I wanted my actual name to be apart of my hopefully business-to-be in the future. It's simple and to the point; "Ashley Centola Photography." Let me know what you all think! :)

Click "read more" for the recipe

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Classic Hummus with Lemon, Garlic, and Parsley
Yield: ~ 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• One 15 oz can of organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
• ½ teaspoon roughly chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons tahini 
• 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 1 tablespoon water*
• the juice from half a large lemon 
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder 
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 
• generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper

*Note: If a less-thick consistency is desired, you can add a tablespoon or two more of water.

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor, add all of the ingredients except for the oil. Process for a few seconds to combine the ingredients. As the machine is running, add the oil through the chute until hummus is smooth and creamy. Drizzle with extra EVOO if desired!