Simple, easy, delicious hummus

After my visit at Zahav, I got into a middle eastern mood. One of my favorite, super healthy dips is hummus. It's delicious with any veg on it as well as any sort of chip or bread.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.

Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).

Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.
Variations
For a spicier hummus, add a sliced red chile or a dash of cayenne pepper.

I made no adjustments to the recipe. It says on the website that the Tahini paste can be omitted if you don't have it, but I whole heartedly disagree. I've made hummus in the past without it, and it doesn't work. The lemon juice in hummus needs balanced out, and the tahini does exactly that. I only put in three tablespoons of lemon juice which turned out well. I threw in a tiny dash of cayenne pepper which gives it some flavor without any of the heat. I definitely could throw more in if wanted.

Totally recommend this recipe. However, if you can find a specialty store to buy tahini I would do that. I bought mine awhile ago just at a Giant and it was like, $9 for the jar. When I went to Philly last weekend and went to a small indian store, they had the same thing for $4. However, tahini lasts forever. It's all natural so remember to mix it really well before using it. It separates just like all natural peanut butter.

Hummus isn't really beautiful, but here it is.