Every two weeks or so, I make up a big batch of hummus in my food processor. I started this ritual about a year ago when I decided it was time to save money on groceries. We use hummus on the sandwiches we make for lunch.

I found many recipes online and have settled on making the hummus with plain yogurt instead of olive oil to cut calories and fat.

Ingredients:

• Dried chickpeas (or other dried beans)
• Juice from 1/4 to 1/2 of a lemon
• 2 - 4 garlic cloves
• Plain yogurt
• Splash of olive oil
• Dash of sea salt
• Herbs: thyme, oregano and parsley are all good choices
• Flavor of your choice. I’ve made many flavors that are tasty: roasted garlic, sun dried tomato, roasted red pepper, green olive, pepper (using dried peppers), caramelized onion

My method:

1. Soak dried chickpeas in a pot of water overnight (other beans can be used as well)

2. When ready to start, bring the chickpeas to a boil (careful, they boil over if covered for too long). I usually try to boil them at least 20 minutes.

3. While the chickpeas are boiling, get your hummus flavor ready. Today I sauteed 3 garlic cloves, sesame seeds, and red pepper slices from a jar

4. Once your ingredients are done cooking, rinse the chickpeas and put them in the food processor along with your prepared flavor, the lemon juice, a couple spoonfuls of yogurt, a splash of olive oil, a dash of salt, and whatever herbs you’ve decided upon

5. Turn on the food processor for a few minutes. Scrape the sides as needed. Taste test and add more yogurt if it seems too dry. I also added a bit of liquid from the jar of peppers since that was the flavor I decided on. Continue to process, scrape, and add as needed. The longer you run the processor, the smoother your hummus will be.

Enjoy on a sandwich or with chips or veggies!