Homemade Hummus Topped with a Simple Israeli Salad

An essential dip is taken up a notch by topping it with a simple salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion.  Once you make the homemade version of hummus you won't ever go back to store bought!

Homemade Hummus Topped with a Simple Israeli Salad

Hummus is a very popular dish and it's quite healthy to eat.  Even better when it's topped with a a wonderful salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion!  All you need to make this is a few ingredients such as chickpeas (garbanzo beans), tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, Sriracha, and olive oil.  With the exception of the tahini you probabaly have all the other ingredients.  

Oh and I forgot to mention....It's so EASY to make!

We eat hummus as a snack in our house all the time.  It's great as an appetizer as well.  With the addition of the salad you can turn this dish into a light lunch, or a side dish with dinner like we do.  This would also be great for game day or BBQs in the summer.  You could even make these into individual portions by serving them in clear party cups with a wedge of pita tucked inside.  Too cute! 

 

What Ingredients do I need?

• Canned Chickpeas or Garbanzo beans
• Tahini - sesame seed paste found in the grocery in either ethnic foods, or with the condiments
• Olive oil
• garlic
• lemon juice
• cumin
• Sriracha (optional) for heat
• salt & pepper

Substitutions and Variations

This is a base recipe for hummus. You can make variations by adding different ingredients to change the flavor such as:

• roasted red bell peppers
• avocado
• black beans instead of chickpeas
• eggplant
• sun-dried tomatoes
• mashed sweet potatoes
• fresh spinach and feta cheese
• lemon and cilantro

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• start with quality ingredients - since there are only a handful buy the best you can find. (fresh garlic, real lemons etc.)

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Homemade Hummus Topped with a Simple Israeli Salad

serves 6-8

Hummus:
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup tahini (ground sesame paste)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 
3 tablespoons chopped garlic 
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
1 large English cucumber, unpeeled, halved, and diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
3/4 cup red onion, diced 

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

Toasted naan or pita bread, for serving 

Place the chickpeas, tahini, 1/2 cup lemon juice, garlic, cumin, Sriracha, in a food processor.  Add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.  Process until the mixture is smooth.  If this is too thick to spread add in a few tablespoons of water until it is spreadable.

In a large bowl add the cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion.  Add 1/3 cup olive oil and the 1/4 cup lemon juice that remains.  Stir to combine.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Spoon the hummus onto a large serving platter creating a raised edge on the sides.  Using a slotted spoon, top the hummus with the vegetable salad leaving an edge of hummus all around.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Serve with mini naan bread or pita.