Hummus and Chips

I have been playing with hummus recipes for a few years now, and this has always been one of my favorites. My garden-fresh hummus recipe begins with a "veggie starter" similar to what I use in my sneaky spaghetti sauce recipe. It is a great way to use many of the veggies growing in your garden (or bought from the store), it is light fresh, nutritious, and delicious.

Small baking bowl/pan
Oven
Blender
Frying pan/Deep fryer

Ingredients:

Note: These measurements will yield about two cups of blended veggie starter. The hummus recipe only calls for one cup at a time. Freeze the second cup, use it in another recipe or make a second round of hummus.

1lbs tomatoes of your choice
1 oz Fresh herbs from your garden or the market (I used garlic chives and arugula)
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Jalapeno
1/3 Cup Chopped Onions
1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp Cumin, Tumeric, Sea Salt and Coarse Black Pepper
1/3 Cup Oil (Vegetable, Canola, Olive, Etc.)
1/2 Tbsp Liquid Smoke (Optional. Adding this will give your hummus a "BBQ" flavor much like that of a potato chip, or other BBQ flavored snack)

Hummus
Ingredients:
1 15oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1/4 Cup Tahini
1/2 Tsp Cumin, Salt
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/3 to 1/2 Cup Oil (Vegetable, Canola, Olive, Etc.)
1/2 Cup Water
1 Cup Hummus Veggie Starter

Chips:
Corn tortillas
Oil
Frying Pan or deep fryer

Veggie Starter

1. Chop tomatoes, fresh herbs, jalapeno, and onions.
2. Heat your conventional oven or countertop oven to 400 degrees.
3. Add all veggie starter ingredients to oven friendly container and place inside your oven for 30 minutes.
4. Remove veggies from your oven and place in your blender. Blend the veggies until the consistency is thick and smooth. Pour the veggie paste into a bowl.

1. In your blender add chickpeas/garbanzo beans, tahini, and oil to your blender and blend until smooth. If the mixture is to dry for your blender, use small portions of water until consistent and smooth.
2. With blender on, add cumin, salt, and lemon juice. Blend for 1 minute.
3. Finally, add one cup of your veggie starter blend to your hummus and blend for another minute.
4. Serve, refrigerate, or can.

1. Cut tortillas into fourths or eighths.
2. Heat oil
3. Test oil by placing a corner of tortilla in oil and check for fast-rolling bubbles.
4. When the oil is ready place tortillas in oil and shuffle once every minute until tortillas are as crunchy as you would like.
5. Remove chips from oil and place on draining rack, a metal colander, paper towel or cloth towel to drain excess oil and allow chips to cool.

I love this hummus. I eat it as a snack and a meal. It is hearty, nutritious, and tasty. My favorite accomplice it a freshly fried tortilla chip but it is excellent on store-bought chips and fresh vegetables. It packs well for lunches and potlucks, and it's easy and inexpensive. Don't forget, the veggie starter is not only optional, but it is customizable. Play with it, try mushrooms, carrots, and bell peppers. Take your vegetables from the garden to the grill, then blend it and taste the incredible difference. And by all means, please share your creativity with me in a comment below. Thanks so much for reading.