Okay, so hummus without tahini isn’t exactly the way it’s supposed to be made. But if you’re like me, and no one locally carries tahini, but you’d like to try making your own hummus, you have to look at the alternatives. You do without.

It still comes out pretty well. I use a fair amount of lemon juice and a few spices to bring up a good flavor. There’s a lot of flexibility here too – more garlic, maybe some artichoke hearts, more or less of one spice or another.

Hummus is easy to make. Throw your ingredients in the food processor or blender, and run it until you like how smooth it is.

As you can see, it just fits in my food processor. It’s easier to clean, so I usually use the food processor rather than the Vitamix for hummus. Doesn’t come out quite as smooth, but still very good.

Hummus Without Tahini

1 can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil or sesame seed oil
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
cayenne pepper to taste
paprika to taste
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)

Add all ingredients to blender or food processor. Mix until smooth.

Consider adding artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers or sun dried tomatoes.

Use as a vegetable dip and enjoy!