To know me, is to know that I am obsessed with hummus.

Specifically this brand…

I eat it everyday, multiple times a day.

It’s so creamy and smooth and garlicky (apparently I like to make up words).  It’s so good that I’m not ashamed to say I’ve eaten half a container in one sitting.  It’s so good that this past summer I went to one of the two stores it’s sold at here, and bought every container they had (5).  The lady at the cash just looked at me and said, “You must really like hummus!”  Ha.  If only she knew just HOW much I like hummus.

It’s hands down the best hummus I’ve ever eaten.  And I’ve tried quite a few different brands, so you can trust my judgement on this one.

I went to see a nutritionist a few months ago, and she had me fill out a questionnaire that included this question, “What are the five most common things you eat?”

Hummus was definitely on my list.  Along with tofu, berries, avocado, and oatmeal.

This hummus is out of this world good.  I wish I could share it with everyone, but I’ve only been able to find it in 2 stores here in Ottawa, and the one Whole Foods store I’ve been to in Toronto.  Can I please stress how GOOD this hummus is.  If you are a hummus connoisseur like me, you need to get your hands on a jar.  But if that’s not possible, you can always make my homemade (& much cheaper) version in the comfort of your own home.

Did I mention that a 500g container is $6.99? Not exactly cheap or budget friendly for a family of five who can eat a container in less than an hour (or for a family who has a single person who will eat the whole container in one day).  At the grocery stores I frequently shop at and at Costco, hummus is usually 2-3 dollars cheaper.  To cut down on extraordinary hummus costs, I’ve been buying hummus in bulk at Costco, and I’ve been making the recipe you’ll find below.  And while my homemade version isn’t exactly like the AMAZING store bought version I mentioned above, its pretty darn close.

The trick to making this hummus or any hummus smooth is to remove the outer skin by simply squeezing the chickpeas with two fingers.

Roasted Garlic & Onion Hummus

Inspired by Sunflower Kitchen

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas (540 ml) (skins removed)
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup sunflower oil
• 3 heads garlic, roasted
• 3 1/2-inch slices onion, roasted (about half a small onion)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Roast garlic and onions.  (See steps below).
2. Meanwhile, remove the skins off the chickpeas.  Simply squeeze each chickpea with two fingers and the exterior skin will come off resulting in a much smoother chickpea–omitting this step will result in a ‘chunky’ mixture.
3. Once the garlic and onion have been removed from oven, place both in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
4. Next, add the chickpeas.  Blend.  Add the remaining ingredients to processor and blend until smooth.
5. This is best served cold, so allot 30 extra minutes for cooling in the fridge if planning on serving immediately.  Will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container stored in the refrigerator.

Roasting Garlic and Onions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Peel off any loose skin.
3. Cut the top off of each head of garlic so that each clove is exposed.
4. Place each head of garlic on a piece of tin foil.  Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, making sure each clove is covered.
5. Wrap each garlic head in tin foil and place on a cookie sheet.
6. Roast in the oven for 30-50 minutes or until the cloves are a brown/golden colour.
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before squeezing the garlic out of each skin.

**Roasting onion: follow the same steps, but instead of only exposing the top of the onion, slice it into 1/2-inch pieces and then place on tin foil.**

Step 1- Remove loose skin.

Step 2- Cut the tops off garlic heads.

Slice onion into 1/2-inch pieces.

Step 3- Place on tin foil.

Step 4- Drizzle with olive oil.

…

Step 5- Wrap with tin foil and place in oven.

Step 6- Allow to cool.

…

Step 7- Squeeze garlic out of each skin.

Roasted garlic will fill your house with a rich and fragrant aroma that might tempt you to eat garlic cloves straight out of the oven.

Although I wouldn’t suggest it.  It’s not as good as you might think.

This homemade recipe is super quick and easy to make, and it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than any store bought brand.  See ya later $7 hummus!

Off to the kitchen I go…I hear a bowl of carrots and hummus calling my name.

See you next time!