Homemade Hummus

Tell me Easter wasn't perfect! The weather was beautiful, I was with my loved ones, and eating. My aunt had our family over and asked us to help make something. I was given the task of appetizer, so I decided to make some Hummus. I had just taken my dad's old food processor from his place, and wanted to test it out.

I got the recipe off Food Network, and changed it a little based on reader comments. I made 2 batches because of the amount of people eating it. 1st batch was too salty (I followed the recipe too!), so I added a PINCH of salt to the 2nd batch, mixed the two together, and voila! I added a whole lemon to each batch instead of 1/2 because I like it tangy.

Dump in all the ingredients, turn it on and...

...it's done! The consistency isn't as smooth as store-bought because you can sometimes feel the chick pea skins, but it didn't seem to bother anyone. It's much fluffier too.

I made some pita chips too. Sliced the pitas into 6 pieces, drizzled olive oil, salt/pepper and into a 375 degree oven for around 13 minutes.

I packed some pita chips and sliced veggies and was able to make this all the night before.

It was a big hit! Hope you guys had a great Easter as well =)

Hummus Dip Recipe

Ingredients
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed, plus more for garnish
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dark Asian sesame oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin
12 to 15 grinds black pepper
1/4 cup water
Paprika, for garnish

Directions
In a blender combine all the ingredients except the parsley and paprika to be used for garnish. Blend on low speed until smooth. You'll have to stop the blender often to push down the ingredients. If the mixture is too dry and you're having trouble blending it, add a few more tablespoons of olive oil to help things along.

Scrape the hummus onto a plate. Sprinkle the paprika over the top, drizzle lightly with olive oil, scatter some parsley on top, and serve. You can make the hummus up to a couple of hours before you serve it. Cover the top with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature.