Creamy Hummus

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside. It is often recommended you peel all the little skins off the chickpeas but I'll be danged if I ever bother and it is still SUPER creamy.

2. Combine the tahini and the lemon juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and frothy. THIS IS THE KEY TO GETTING IT CREAMY. You have to combine these 2 ingredients first, essentially whip the tahini, or it just won't be as creamy. Trust me, I didn't believe it until I tried it and it makes a huge difference in texture.

3. Add the garlic and salt and blend again.

4. Now add in the chickpeas, about 1/3 of the can at a time, and water. Blend until smooth. Scrap down the sides of the blender and push the chickpeas down as needed. Once you've got all the chickpeas blended in, add the olive oil and turn on the blender and just leave it for a few minutes (although don't blow your motor).

5.  Garnish with extra chopped garlic, olive oil, paprika, even pine nuts or slivers of roasted red peppers (yum!). Eat it with pita chips, pita bread, tortilla chips, wheat crackers, or even spread on toasted whole wheat English muffins. Its great on veggie sandwiches and falafel sandwiches/wraps.