Easy, Easy Hummus

Hummus is one of the most delightful snacks: not overwhelmingly bad for you, easy, and delicious. Also, we'd gotten a mortar and pestle at Ikea that I swore would gather dust, and lo and behold if we didn't wind up using it for this! You can use a food processor to grind up the chickpeas, but a mortar and pestle or, more simply, just a bowl and a fork might be more convenient if you a) don't have a food processor, b) used to have a food processor until very recently when it decided to form puddles of liquid under itself while still plugged in, or c) want to save the food processor for a more pertinent use later in the evening's preparations.

Also, upon doing a quick Wikipedia search, chickpeas are the best non-animal source of protein there is. So, for vegetarians, people cutting cholestoral, whatever, hummus might be the way to go.

Hummus is also wonderful in that it's a recipe you're supposed to tweak to your desires. If you want it extra lemony, extra garlicky, extra both....or it accepts a wide range of other spices and add ins. Personally, mine is of a slightly more lemony variety, but to each their own.

Alas, I didn't take a picture of this, but I did finally find my camera! So pictures will start reappearing forthwith.

And finally, the recipe.

1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
4 tbsp lemon juice
4 cloves of garlic, crushed.
5 tbsp olive oil (reduceable if desired)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Easy add-ins to alter taste:
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Paprika

Drain the can and crush the chickpeas with either a food processor, mortar and pestle, fork and bowl...etc. Transfer to a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Add in remaining ingredients, adding the olive oil last to ensure you get exactly the consistency you want, making sure to taste and alter if necessary.