A February 2012 Recipe of the Month

These healthy recipes are just waiting to be incorporated into your cooking plans. All of these ideas are tasty and filled with good nutrition.

Classic Hummus (Makes 2 cups)

It’s economical and easy to make your own hummus using this food processor method. Look for tahini in the Asian food aisle at the grocery store. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables and enjoy.

1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini, stirred well
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne

1. Combine water and lemon juice in bowl; set aside.

2. Whisk tahini and oil together in a second bowl.

3. Process chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne in food processor until coarsely ground, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. With food processor running, slowly add water mixture until incorporated and process until smooth, about 1 minute.

4. With food processor still running, slowly add tahini mixture until incorporated and process until creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

5. Transfer hummus to serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. (Hummus can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.) Serve.