Lemon & Garlic Herb Hummus (Vegan, Gluten Free, Grain Free)

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! 

Today we're talking about hummus, but before I get to that, I have a very important question to ask you all...

Have you tried these cookies? 

I walked down (or up, really) to one of my favorite coffee shops in town, Raven's Nest. While I was waiting in line to order my small iced coconut almond milk latte, I noticed a basket full of cookies. Maybe it was the turquoise packaging (I'm a sucker for anything turquoise) that caught my eye or maybe it was the word chocolate or maybe it was just the fact that there was a vegan cookie the size of my face within inches of me, who knows. The point is, I bought it and ate and it was delicious. They also had other flavors like double chocolate chip, espresso chocolate chip and lemon poppyseed. I decided to stick with a classic for my first try. I figure if they can make a good chocolate chip cookie than their others flavors probably aren't half bad either. Sounds logical, right? Anyway, the whole point of this rant is to say that these cookies taste great, they're vegan and you should try them. They even have some gluten free options. Just keep in mind that just because something is vegan, doesn't mean you should eat 5 of them, they're just a better alternative than let's say Mrs. Fields.....anyway, moving on. Where were we?

Ah, yes. Hummus. I love hummus. I love hummus so much that a few years back when I was living on the Big Island of Hawaii I used to make hummus by hand. Now I don't mean homemade. I mean I literally crushed the beans with my bare hands. Why didn't I just buy hummus? Who knows. All I know is I used to put all the ingredients in a plastic bag, turn on a TV show and sit there crushing beans for twenty-five minutes. I mean, that's what all the cool kids do, right?

Fortunately, now I have a food processor to do the work for me (although, I've just about worn the poor thing out, so I still get the same slightly chunky results I came to know and love). You however, won't have to deal with that most likely. 

This hummus is super easy to make and is full of healthful ingredients. I made it without tahini, as opposed to the traditional way because I didn't have any on hand and because that's the way I've always made it because I never have tahini on hand, but if you do have some, feel free to use it. 

Lemon & Garlic Herb Hummus

• 1 Can Chickpeas (I like the no salt added kind)
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice from 1 Small Lemon
• Handful of Parsley, Leaves and Stems
• Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to Taste

Makes approximately 4-6 servings.

Rinse and drain chickpeas then place them in the food processor along with all the other ingredients apart from the parsley. Puree the ingredients until smooth, if more liquid is needed add a small bit of water until ingredients blend. Add the parsley and puree until it is fully incorporated and chopped into small pieces. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Feel free to throw in other herbs as well, thyme would be especially good.

Serve with veggies, pita chips, pretzel crisps, flat bread, spread on a sandwich or whatever strikes your fancy.

How do you make hummus?

Have you tried Alternative Baking Company's products?