Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry chickpeas, soaked overnight (or canned chickpeas rinsed and drained)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp tahini
• juice of a lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp cumin (optional)

For garnish

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp dried mint

If using dry chickpeas, drain . Boil a large pot of water and add the chickpeas, boil until soft, drain.

Process all the ingredients (except garnish) in a food processor until creamy, if the mixture is too thick add cold water by tablespoon until it reaches the desired texture and consistency. Transfer onto a serving platter, garnish. Serve with pita bread wedges, and fresh vegetables.

This is a list of ingredients and a basic technique to make hummus. After mastering the consistency, the variations of hummus that you will create would only be limited by your imagination. Here are some examples.

Roasted red pepper hummus : process ½ cup of roasted red peppers with the other ingredients. Omit the red pepper flakes for garnish, instead use a piece of chopped roasted red pepper.

Olive tapenade hummus : Process a cup of pitted black and green olives and 2 tsp of fresh chopped rosemary with the other ingredients. For garnish omit the dried mint, use 2 tbsp of finely chopped olives and a sprinkle of fresh or dried rosemary.

Beet hummus : Peel and boil a 2 medium beets until tender, chop and process with the other ingredients. For garnish omit the mint use 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley.

Spicy black been hummus : Add ½ cup of boiled or canned black beans and 1 tsp (or more if you really really like spicy food) of seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper to the other ingredients. Use lime juice instead of lemon. For garnish omit the red pepper flakes and mint, use more black beans and chopped fresh cilantro.

Enjoy!