I’m crazy about Pinterest. I use it mostly for fun, to get ideas and share things with others. I found a great pin a while back and finally got to try it out!

We were signed up to take snack to our bible study on Wednesday and when trying to figure out what to take, I looked at my “Foods to Try” board….and tried not to look at my “Foods I Shouldn’t Try, but REALLY Want To!!!” board! (Man I have some good lookin’ food on that board!)

Anyways, I saw the veggie one and I knew that’s what I wanted to make. I also made two batches of hummus to go along with it (recipe at the bottom). One was Old Bay (and THE best hummus I’ve ever made, hands down) and the other was Tomato Basil, which was also very good.

I also got some fruit and Bret put together a really fun display!

And now, the BEST hummus recipe I’ve found. It’s a little messy to make because of some of the ingredients, so I recommend making it right next to your sink, if you can.

15 oz can chickpeas
1/2 cup tahini*
5 tbsp oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 medium garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 tbsp oil (optional)

Drain and rinse chickpeas, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Combine all ingredients in a food processor (or blender**). Process until mixture is smooth. If mixture is too thick, add 1-2 tbsp of reserved chickpea liquid***. Move to serving dish and add 1 tbsp oil, if desired.

Old Bay Hummus
Same as above, minus salt, pepper or ground red pepper. I added about 2-3 tbsp of Old Bay instead. This is a “to taste” ingredient. I put in a bit…then poured in some more…thought it was too much…but after I tasted it, realized it was perfect. If you are from Baltimore, you know that there is no such thing as “too much Old Bay.”

Tomato Basil Hummus
Same as above, minus salt, pepper or ground red pepper. I added one full tomato and a bunch of basil. I used dried basil, but I would imagine fresh basil would be tasty! Now, since I used a whole tomato, it made the mixture a little watery, so I just opened another can of chickpeas and added about 1/4-1/3 of the can.

* find this near the peanut butter in the store. I have purchased it at Wal-Mart. This is also one of the messy ingredients.
** I have NOT had luck making a double batch in the blender
*** I typically will add 2 tbsp of the chickpea liquid at the beginning. I’ve also found that if you drain the liquid into a measuring cup (I use a 3 cup), it’s much easier (and cleaner) when adding more to the hummus.

I’d love to know how it works out for you! Share your hummus story below!