Hummus

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
(This is my faithful party recipe. Credit to Angie Brown for passing it on a few years ago. It's a big hit. I get requests for it.)

2 cans cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
7-8 cloves of minced garlic
1 Tablespoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons (plus more "to taste") Tabasco sauce
1 roasted red pepper - roughly diced

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until pureed. I've recently learned that adding in a little water or more lemon juice may help it be a little smoother.
*Serve with pita chips, blue corn chips, vegetables, etc.

Plain, Easy Hummus
(I made this recently to go with the Pakistani Kima. It's nice because it's easy and a nice, more bland element to go with the Kima. Credit to "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman.)

2 cups drained, well-cooked or canned chickpeas (I use cans (1 can = 2 cups) and cook 'em up on the stove top)
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small clove garlic (I'm gonna have to say, the recipe could use more garlic)
1 Tablespoon grounc cumin
Juice of 1 lemon (I used about 1/2 cup of lemon juice)
1/3 cup water (plus more, as needed)
salt and pepper to taste

Place everything except the water in the food processor and blend. Add the water in as needed to make a smooth puree. Add more garlic, salt, lemon juice or cumin as needed.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of cumin on top.

(*Note: I am still wanting to "tweak" the recipe to give it a little more flavor. I think using more garlic and lemon juice may be the trick.)