 |
| This variation mixed almonds and jalapenos for a nutty dip with some kick! |
We love, love, LOVE hummus at our house. Little Gv will dip anything she can into our bowls of the stuff and she is quickly perfecting her self-feeding spoon skills by chowing down on big globs of goodness each time we eat it.
We treat our hummus like we do popcorn or ice cream (I laugh, because I can't remember the last time I've had ice cream) which is as a blank canvas for our tastebuds' creative palate for the day. You name it, we've probably tried it as a flavor.
So I thought it would be nice to treat you all to thirty of our top hummus flavor ideas.
When we make hummus, we just kind of wing-it and start throwing ingredients into the food processor (get a great one here)
or Ninja (get yours here)
, tasting along the way and working with it all until we get the flavor right for us at that moment.
So my suggestion is to just start with your basic hummus recipe (find our go-to recipe here) and then add in whatever extra flavor(s) you're in the mood for. Sometimes we skip the tahini, sometimes we substitute a different bean (black-eyed-peas, even) for the chickpeas, but of course we hardly ever skip the garlic.
I'm always looking for ways to get the consistency just right. You know, like that super-creamy hummus you can find in the grocery store?
I'd read one idea that involved adding 1/4 cup of baking soda to the bean water while cooking the dried beans in a crock pot.
Ugh.
That did not work well at all. I ended up with practically liquified beans that tasted more than a little "off."
 |
| Baking-soda-bean gloop |
Since I didn't want to waste all that food, I just tried adding in all sorts of other things to thicken the mess up. I finally just relented and added more beans - black beans that I'd had sitting in the fridge all cooked up already. Oh well, it was worth a try.
Another idea said to process the tahini and lemon juice first, getting them to an almost whipped consistency, and then add the rest of the ingredients, one at a time, mixing for a good minute or two in-between.
This seems to be the method that's working the best, so I'll continue to play with it until I come across something better.
Anywhoo, here are 30 of our ideas for heavenly homemade hummus:
1. Strawberry or Blueberry
2. Kalamata olive (we like to use the olive juice for the liquid in this version)
3. Lime
4. Fresh basil (mmm...pesto hummus!)
5. Artichoke
6. Spinach
7. Red pepper (fresh or roasted, both are great!)
8. Garlic/roasted garlic
9. Sun dried tomato
10. Peanut (or whatever nut butter you prefer - we usually use almond or walnut)
11. Chipotle chili
12. Dill
13. Sweet potato (peel, cook, and mash some to add in)
14. Black-eyed pea
15. White bean
16. Curry
17. Caramelized onion
18. Avocado (although I must confess that I find it very difficult not to make guacamole whenever I have an avocado around!)
19. Zucchini (you can substitute the squash for the chick peas, or add it to your normal hummus)
20. Buffalo (add in your favorite hot sauce and some vinegar)
21. Pizza (throw in some tomato paste along with your favorite pizza spices, like oregano and basil)
22. Beer & jalapeno (or just the jalapeno, but this is a great combination!)
23. Beet (use about 4 peeled & cooked beets - an added bonus is the fun color you get!)
24. Ginger
25. Pine nut
26. Eggplant
27. Broccoli
28. Asparagus
29. Black bean
30. Tarragon & green pea
So step out of your hummus rut and learn to create endless flavor combinations with the addition of other spices on their own or along with any of the ideas listed - get creative and win with hummus!
Is hummus a staple at your house? What are some of your favorite dippers? Do you have a favorite hummus variation of your own? I'd love to hear about it - leave a comment or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.
Linked up with List it Tuesdays at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers & Many Little Blessings
Thrifty Thursdays at Living Well Spending Less
Kitchen Fun & Crafty Party at Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons
Yes, Works for Me at We Are THAT Family
I'm Lovin It at Tidy Mom
Creative Ways at Posed Perfection
Simple Saturdays blog hop
Weekend Potluck at Frugal Family Favorites
Merry Monday
Motivation Mondays
The Mommy Club
The Super Mommy Club
Weekend Traffic Jam