Basil-iferous Hummus

Hummus is one of those amazing things I could eat and eat and never tire of … the soft texture of it on my tongue with the intense flavor of garlic, lemon, and sesame all blend together so wonderfully.

I have tried many hummus recipes over the years, but never found one that quite satisfied me as much as the store-bought stuff. It’s terribly easy to make, but you have to hit on the right combination of flavors and I never could quite achieve that. Until today! I finally found the perfect combination of ingredients. All I had to do was  add a good bunch of one of my very favorite herbs: basil.

It has a flavor reminiscent of pesto, but with the texture of hummus.

My inspiration for this was a link to 6 Health-Boosting Basil Recipes that my friend Jennifer sent me–they all look fantastic, but it was the basil hummus recipe that really intrigued me. But I am up at my parents’ place on the lake and there are no sundried tomatoes or cannellini beans, so I had to make up my own recipe.

My mom has both green and this beautful purple basil growing in her garden, so I used both.

Basil-iferous Hummus

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. cooked chickpeas (you can use canned ones if you like, drain them and reserve the juice)
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• a handful of fresh basil leaves
• a sprig of fresh dill
• a spoonful of tahini
• water (or juice from the canned beans)

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until it’s really smooth. You will most likely need to add some water (or juice from the can) to get it to blend well.
2. Enjoy!