Chick Pea Spread

Kids can be such picky eaters.

I consider myself pretty lucky at the variety of foods that my kids will eat. 

But.

But they are still kids, and are thus still pretty picky.  Between allergies and preferences, it can sometimes be hard to keep up.  

But every once in a while these picky-issues work out in my favor.

Like how little miss prefers my home-made chick pea spread to store bough hummus.  

This easy version is super quick, and is much less expensive than its store bought counterpart.  It only has four ingredients, and can be whipped up super quickly.

It stars with a can of garbanzo beans (chick peas, mostly drained), a clove of garlic (or more, depending on how strong you like the garlic flavor) and a sprinkling of salt.

Blend those together in a food processor (I use the mini food processor attachment to my immersion blender, you can use whatever you have!). Then add a teaspoon of sesame oil.

You can use olive oil or any other oil you'd like. Since I omit the tahini (sesame seed paste) that is traditionally used in hummus, I use the sesame oil to add a touch of "authenticity" to my, well, mock-hummus. But seriously, use what you have and what you like.

Then mix a bit more until you have the consistency you want.

Aanndd... then you're done. Yeah, that's it!

Little man eats his with multi-grain pretzels.

Okay, he uses his fingers. He tends to just use the pretzel as a spoon, anyway, so the fingers work just as well...

We dip pretzels, chips, crackers, carrots, cucumbers... we spread it on sandwiches, bagels... pretty much everywhere. Yum!


Chick Pea Spread
(my own version)

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 clove (or more, to taste) garlic
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Mostly drain the can of chick peas, leaving a little bit of the liquid, then empty the chick peas and the little bit of liquid into a food processor. Add the clove of garlic and salt. Process until everything is well chopped and combined. Add the oil and continue to process until the mixture is as smooth as you would like it.

Enjoy!