Avocado Hummus

So I guess it's avocado month here on the blog. I hope you love them as much as I do, otherwise, sorry about that. I mentioned before that come summer the amount of guacamole I make must quadruple, and although I could never get sick of it, sometimes I don't always have a number of ripe avocados, nor do I feel like chopping, or consuming an entire bag of tortilla chips for that matter. And if you know me the slightest, you know I'm lost without hummus. Just like avocados, it's really great at bumping up the volume of most meals. Whether it's served on the side of a plate of grilled vegetables and garlicky grains, or thrown right into the mix, you're guaranteed some creamy deliciousness. It's nice to switch things up every once in a while, and instead of tossing your plate with some beans or lentils, why not make some gourmet hummus. The flavor profiles are endless, and a mix of textures is always a good thing in my book. 

I spotted avocado hummus a few years ago at Trader Joe's, and was pretty floored by such an ingenious creation. I've consumed numerous tubs of the stuff, but had never made my own - why is that always the case with me? I always have been one to come around at my own slow pace, but blending a can of chickpeas with an avocado is a no brainer. Hummus is creamy on its own, but throw in a buttery avocado, and you have real food magic on your hands. I'm somewhat addicted to lemon juice, so that's what I used here, but I know lime juice would also be wonderful. I also tend to add cumin to most avocado and/or Mexican based recipes, but I've left it out, and it's still just as tasty. A good amount of sea salt is essential here, but the spinach I might skip next time. I was going for a bright green color, and some added nutrients, but it sort of took away from the simple deliciousness of the avocado. 

Avocado Hummus

lemon or lime juice would work well here

15 oz can of chickpeas, drained + rinsed

1 ripe avocado

juice of 1 lemon (I used 1 1/2)

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil

handful of spinach

Peel the skins off of the chickpeas before beginning. I sometimes boil them for about 10 minutes to get them really soft, but it's not a must (warm hummus is pretty phenomenal though). Add all of your ingredients to a blender (I used my Nutri-Bullet), and give it a whirl. Taste for seasoning, and scoop away. If you want more of the avocado flavor to come through, I'd leave out the spinach. As I mentioned above, I was going for color and nutrition, but I've made it both with and without spinach, and I think I prefer it without. I've also left out the olive oil without any problems, and the chia seeds are just a superfood bonus, totally not necessary.  

Let's Talk...I brought hummus.

Some things never change. It's been almost four (!) years, and I still can't relax before a good meal until I snap a blog-worthy photo first. These days it's more like insta-worthy, but then again who's not a professional photographer when you have X-Pro II at your disposal? But for real, I can't believe something I looked forward to doing each day has sat idle for so many years, just waiting for me to love it once again. The truth is, I never lost my love for blogging, and I had sincere intentions of picking it back up time and time again, but that same time I speak of got the best of me. Life still happens, days become months, then years, and a younger Buff Chickpea's break from college had come to an end. I was moving back on campus, and that meant no more fully stocked kitchen, but more importantly, no more countless hours during the day to photograph my gourmet meals before all the natural light disappeared into the dark. So while I packed all my clothes to take with me to school, I packed up Buff Chickpea, and tucked her under my bed for safe keeping. I've changed a lot over the past four years (I hope for the better), but one thing has not changed, I'm still eating, and I hope you are too! So I come with a peace offering, carrot hummus to be exact. What better way to dust off Buff Chickpea, than with chickpeas (and carrots)? Because I know it's hard to put on real pants when you could cancel your plans and flop all night. But you should really go catch up with your friends, it's good for you, and they'll probably have dip. Real friends chip and dip.

Carrot Hummus

Za'atar spice would also be great in this, but it's so hard to find. When I get my hands 

on some, this is the first thing I'm making with it. 

1 (15-oz) can of chickpeas, drained + rinsed

1 lb carrots, steamed until soft*

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1-2 tablespoons fresh oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

Sea salt, to taste

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

*I use a 1 pound bag of baby carrots set over a double boiler for 5-10 minutes. 

I know it seems tedious, but when I'm making hummus, I always take the little skins off the outside of the chickpeas, before boiling the skinned chickpeas for about 10 minutes. This will soften things up, and make the hummus warm and creamy. You can use some of this boiling water to thin out your hummus for a lower fat alternative, or just stick with olive oil like I do here. 

Once your chickpeas are skinned and boiled, drain the water, and add the chickpeas to a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients, then hit puree. I'd say start with 1/4 cup of olive oil, then drizzle in more until you reach your desired consistency. Grab your preferred method of dipping (pita chips, rice crackers, veggies, etc.) and get snacking. Or do like I do, and slather hummus on every single piece of food you eat. Toasted cinnamon raisin english muffin, carrot hummus, poached egg, melted cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes...all day, errday.   

Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus

Did You Know? Last year, over 1,000 tons of hummus was eaten during Israeli Independance Day (Yom Haatzmaut). Of that thousand, 881 pounds was consumed out of a single, Guiness-Record sized plate.

It's hard to believe that this is my first hummus post on Buff Chickpea. I practically live off of it. Whether I'm dipping veggies, crackers, chips, a spoon, or my finger in it, I have to have hummus everyday, no joke. Whenever I am home from school, and for some strange reason there is no hummus left in the fridge (I call and ask Mom), I hit the grocery store before ending at my house.

I love how adaptible hummus (and most bean dips for that matter) is. If you master the basic puree, which isn't hard to master, you can add in flavors to suit your tastes. Be it roasted red peppers, tomato and basil, zesty lemon, roasted garlic, you name it, there is a hummus to show for it.

I've only very recently become smitten with cilantro. And now that my taste buds have warmed up, I've been adding it to everything. I bought an awesome three-layer hummus at Trader Joe's the other day, and one of the layers was cilantro-based. Hoping to recreate this new found fave, I pulled out my food processor, and gave it a go. The results were incredible! I don't know why I don't make homemade hummus more often, because this is definitely the way to eat it. Creamy, fresh, and spicy, and still warm, I was in hummus-heaven, if such a place exists. If your looking for a go-to hummus recipe, look no further, this is your one...

Cilantro-Jalapeno HummusI prefer the taste of cashew butter to tahini, but feel free to substitute
1 (15-oz) can of chickpeas
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup cashew butter
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed
1-2 tablespoons cooking water*

Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Gently rub the skins off of the chickpeas with your hands (I like to remove all of them for a smoother consistency). Transfer the skinned chickpeas to a small saucepan, and cover them with water by an inch or so. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until the chickpeas are very soft. Drain, making sure to reserve a little of the cooking water.*

Add the cashew butter, lemon juice, salt and garlic to a food processor, and pulse for a couple of seconds to combine. Add the chickpeas, cilantro, and jalapeno, and process until smooth. If the hummus is on the dry side, add a tablespoon or two of cooking water (or more), until you reach your desired consistency (I like a real creamy hummus, but it only took me about 1 tablespoon of water). Scrape down the sides in between each tablespoon, and season with additional salt if needed.

Transfer to a bowl, and serve with veggies or pita chips. Or if your like me, eat directly from the food processor. It was so good nice and warm from the freshly simmered chickpeas.