Hummus

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

15 oz canned chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) – Drained (but keep the juice!)

½ cup of Sesame seeds (I used roasted seeds to give it a deeper flavor)

¼ - 1/3 cup of lemon juice

1- 2 clove of garlic – peeled and coarsely crushed

1 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp. salt

Black pepper

Garnish with paprika

Place all ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste.  Add the reserve chickpea juice, a little at a time, to modify paste, as needed.  You can adjust the lemon juice and garlic, depending on your taste buds!

Yield = 2 cups

Variation: You can substitute the sesame seeds for smooth peanut butter (about 4 Tablespoons) for a stronger, nutty flavor.

Variation:  Add ¼ cup of diced black olives after hummus is made. Stir them in.

Serve with pita toasts or if watching carbs, use cucumbers and stuff them with hummus.  Or just dip fresh veggies into hummus.

Cut off end of cucumbers. Cut each cucumber crosswise into 6 rounds and turn the rounds so they are flat.  Using a melon baller, gently scoop out some flesh from the top of each cucumber round.  Spoon the mixture into the hollowed out part of each cucumber round.