Hummus

Of the many challenging questions we’re confronted with at 180 Church, there is one that no one ever seems to have an answer to. You would think we’d get better at it, considering that we face this question daily, but the usual responses are an indifferent “I dunno,” a shrugging of shoulders, or an angry “Don’t ask me!” Not surprisingly, on a late Thursday night after small group, a bunch of us stood on the sidewalk pondering this very question…“What the heck should we eat?” Not only did we stand there for at least a half hour, we changed our minds on the way to the restaurant we decided to go to, parked our cars, walked into that new restaurant, walked out of there in a matter of two minutes, and then proceeded towards our original destination. Such decisive people we are, huh? Eventually, we found ourselves sitting in an East Village joint, Café Mogador. What a charming little place! If you’re craving for some hummus, falafel, grilled lamb, or any other kind of Moroccan/Mediterranean food, this is definitely the place to go. Every person at the table enjoyed their dish, including the hummus that was served with warm, fluffy pita bread. I think we licked that plate clean. For those of you who don’t know what hummus is, it’s basically pureed chickpeas and it’s so incredibly easy to make at home! You can add different ingredients to spice it up however you like-roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, olives, sundried tomatoes…just to name a few- and serve it with pita bread, pita chips, carrots, celery, crackers, or chips. Isn't it such a great, healthy alternative to a party dip or midday snack?

Hummus

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can or 2 cups of garbanzo beans, drained

2 Tbsp tahini*

1 Tbsp lemon juice*

1 teaspoon salt

3 cloves garlic, halved*

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika**

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

*You can adjust the amount of each ingredient to your preference.

**If you want a little more spice, use cayenne pepper or jalepenos instead.

Directions

1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.

2. Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.