Sprouted Chickpea Hummus

How much is too much hummus? If there is a deadly amount for humans to consume, I've probably come close.

I first heard about hummus in high school--I thought it was ugly and the name made me think of a pumice stone (the ones that people use to rub callouses off their feet). Not exactly something I wanted to eat. I've learned since then, though. Now days, I have to remind myself that hummus is not food group of its own.

I usually buy hummus from Aldi or Trader Joes. The garlic one from Aldi is so so good, and it's super cheap. Since I've found good, healthy, inexpensive brands to buy, I usually don't attempt to make it myself.

But a few weeks ago, Nashville had (another) snow/ice storm, and this time I miraculously got a snow day! A snow day is a rare and precious thing for us 9-5ers. With an entire, unplanned free day, I headed to the kitchen. I'd seen this recipe and was intrigued by making hummus without cooking the chickpeas. I soaked dried chickpeas in a bowl of water overnight the day before, so my first step that morning was to grow sprouts.

Luckily, it was a beautiful sunny (snowy/icy) day. I laid out the soaked chickpeas on a damp paper towel on a baking sheet and set them by a window for a few hours. I forgot to get a picture of the full-grown sprouts, but it was so cool (and a little bizarre looking) when they started to show--kind of like the chickpeas were growing little unicorn horns.

The next step was to throw all of this stuff into my Vitamix blender:
2 cups sprouted chickpeas
4-6 Tbsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp tahini
4 Tbsp Braggs liquid aminos (you can also use tamari or soy sauce)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed (I used more...I LOVE garlic)
½ cup water (add more if needed)
sea salt to taste

I adjusted the recipe I found online to get the perfect, creamy consistency. Then, I added seasoning. I used cumin and dried cilantro. It was an ok combo, but next time I'll leave out the cumin (or just not add as much) and try fresh cilantro or fresh basil. There are endless possibilities of flavors, and that's the fun part about making your own hummus.

I'll do this again for sure--it was simple and delicious. Most importantly, I can make as much hummus as I need to for my addiction...which is important since Aldi and Trader Joes haven't yet come out with their "milk jug" of hummus.