St. Valentines Series Appetizer Option #2: Nothing beats the flavor of my homemade Humus.

Here is my recipe from a post that I shared last year.
 
Total Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Approximate Cost: $5.19
Serve: 10 plus
 
Angie’s Hummus
Ingredients
3 med. size garlic cloves ($.50)
1 tsp. sea or kosher salt (whichever one you have in your pantry at the time)
1/4 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
1 15.5 oz. chickpeas can drained (keep 1/4 cup of the chickpeas water. I use Goya brand) ($1.20)
1/4 tsp. of Ground Turmeric (Optional but extremely healthy, see My Tips)
1/4 cup of lemon juice (I only use fresh) ($.50)
1/4 cup of Tahini Paste (I use Trader Joe’s Tahini Paste but this product is available in many grocery stores) ($2.99)
1/4 cup of olive oil (I only use Goya EVOO brand)
 
Directions
1. In a food processor process the garlic, salt and pepper.
2. Add the chickpeas, turmeric, lemon juice, chickpeas water, tahini paste, olive oil and process.
3. Want a creamier Hummus consistency? Add more chickpeas water and/or lemon juice until desire consistency is obtained.
4. Do not forget to taste in case you need to adjust for salt. If you are serving it with salted crackers, reduce the salt a bit when preparing.
5. Refrigerate.
 
HACK: I make this recipe weekly; therefore, for a variety of flavors I add one of the following ingredients to the above recipe to give it a twist. 1/4 cup of roasted red peppers or 1/4 c of chopped cilantro, flat leave parsley or 1/2 chopped Jalapeño. Also, you can use HUMUS in bread instead of butter:
 
Serve it in a martini glass, garnish with a drip of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle sweet Paprika and chopped scallions.
 
Turmeric: Is an “anti-inflammatory” spice that can work in a wide variety of conditions such as toothache, bruises, chest pain, and cancer prevention and it taste great. Google it for further details.