This creamy chickpea dip has become so popular over the past 10 years. All one needs to do is observe how much space in your local grocery store is devoted to it… its original form and all the new varieties of flavors… many people are enjoying this most basic of Middle Eastern foods.The most delicious hummus comes from soaking and the cooking dried chickpeas. However, in our “not enough time” culture, using canned chickpeas is the fastest and best option. Making hummus at home is so incredibly fast and easy. It tastes better than store-bought and the cost to make hummus at home is so much less than buying a small container at the store. Master this super easy recipe (which by the way is from my Lebanese Mother-in-Law), and you are on your way to being able to create different flavor combos only limited by your imagination in as little as 10 minutes!

Lebanese Hummus

Ingredients for Hummus

• 1 – 15oz can of Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), drained (reserve the liquid)

• 3-4 Tablespoons of Tahini

• ½ Cups fresh lemon juice

• Zest from two lemons

• 3 Tablespoons O’Live A Little’s Tunisian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 clove garlic

• ¼ Teaspoon cumin

• ¼ Teaspoon allspice

• ½ - 1 Teaspoon salt

• ½ Teaspoon fresh ground pepper

• Finely chopped parsley for garnish

Method of Prep for the Hummus:

1. Place all ingredients, except parsley into a food processor and add a ¼ cup of the liquid drained from garbanzo beans.

2. Puree till smooth, adding more liquid (chickpea liquid, lemon juice, olive oil – your choice) as necessary to make the mixture a thick creamy consistency. Add more salt if necessary

3. Pour/scoop into serving bowl and drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chopped parsley

4. Serve with pita bread, Za'atar chips, large slices of raw onion, olives and cucumbers.

Za’atar Pita Chips

What is Za’atar? Pronounced zah-tar, it is an aromatic spice blend that combines toasted sesame seeds, dried thyme, dried marjoram, and sumac. The name “za’atar” actually means “thyme” in Arabic, but the blend actually incorporates various herby flavors in a pungent, deep green combination that unique and delicious. Za’atar is becoming more popular and should be easy to find in a good grocery store, middle eastern stores and of course, Amazon.

Ingredients for the Za'atar Chips

• 12” round pocket bread (pita), or 2-3 smaller in size. You can usually find large pita rounds at any Middle Eastern store.

• ¼ Cup O’Live A Little’s Tunisian Olive Oil

• Za'atar ¼ - ½ cup

 Method of Prep for the Za'atar Chips

1. Open the pita loaf and break into two, so you have two thin rounds (each side of the loaf)

2. Brush in the insides of each round with olive oil and sprinkle with Za’atar

3. Place close to the heating element, oiled side up, under the pre-heated broiler till lightly golden and crisp (make sure to watch carefully as they can burn easily)

4. Once cool, break into pieces and serve with Hummus

5. Warning- These chips are so delicious they are addictive! You might want to make extra!