OLIVE HUMMUS

I love Sabra brand hummus. It's so smooth and creamy and the flavor combos are great. But I don't like the price. In our local Harris Teeter, Sabra is $4.49 for 10 oz. and it almost never goes on sale. Somehow the Sabra people make their package look bigger than the competition, but it's still only 10 oz. and it disappears so quickly because it's so good. And that's with only me eating it. Guy won't touch the stuff. He loves garbanzo beans (chick peas, or as the Italians call them, "ce ce beans," pronounced chee-chee beans.) But he's stuck on the name hummus and can't get past it. I've explained to him a million times that it's just ce ce beans (I kind of ignored the other ingredients, knowing how picky he is.). At this stage of the game, though, he no longer trusts me. He's caught me too many times trying to sneak healthful ingredients into his food. But back to the Sabra.... I've been buying it at the Greenville, NC Sam's Club -- 25 oz. for $5.59 -- a real bargain price for my favorite hummus. But when the container is empty, it's not that easy to run over to Greenville, an hour away. So when Tahini (basically, ground sesame seeds and olive oil) and garbanzos went on sale recently, I stocked up and decided to try making my own. This recipe is my first, but not my last attempt at making hummus. It turned out really good, was very easy and very quick. This recipe almost filled the above two recycled Harris Teeter containers (they previously held olives and were washed out). I guess it was about 2-1/2 cups total, give or take; and though I didn't do the math, I can roughly figure there was a worthwhile savings. I think I'll try roasted garlic hummus next time.

Olive Hummus
INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup black olives
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
1 15-oz. Garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup Tahini
3-4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. sea salt (optional)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS: Place 1/2 cup black olives and 1/2 cup Kalamata olives in workbowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Pulse till olives are chopped fine. Transfer olives to small bowl.
Without wiping bowl, place remaining ingredients, except parsley in bowl and blend to a smooth, creamy dip. If too thick, add some juice from the olives or more lemon juice. Transfer to small serving bowl. Sprinkle parsley over top. Mound the chopped olives in center. Serve with raw veggies, crackers or pita triangles. Yield: About 2-1/2 cups

Now, if you really want to be frugal, later I will post a recipe for homemade Tahini.