Really Good Reduced-Fat Hummus (Really!)

If you're looking for a fantastic hummus to impress your party guests, check out the recipe I posted here. If you, like me, have been searching for a really good reduced-fat version of hummus, read on.

I've tried Veganomicon's reduced-fat Cauliflower Hummus and Appetite for Reduction's reduced-fat hummus. I liked them, but there was something I couldn't put my finger on that I wasn't crazy about. When I went to make a variation of Appetite for Reduction's hummus this week, I realized what it was: oil. With so few ingredients in hummus, all the flavors really stand out, and I don't like the taste of oil in hummus. But, I do like the taste of tahini.

So I started out making Appetite for Reduction's Shabby Sheik Hummus but modified it to eliminate the oil and to include just a small amount of tahini, which gives enough flavor without too much fat. Note that the addition of the spices is the Shabby Sheik variation and can be left out for plain hummus.

My other modification is to cook your own chickpeas and use the reserved cooking liquid in place of oil to make it creamy. I noted here how that's the secret to really fantastic hummus. In a pinch you could use canned, but it won't taste as good. It's easy to cook your own, and you'll save money too. Read more: How and Why to Cook Your Own Chickpeas.Really Good Reduced-Fat Hummus
Makes 8 1/4-cup servings

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, liquid reserved
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon tahini (more if you like tahini, but of course the more you add, the more fat will be in it)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you want it really spicy)
• 3 to 6 tablespoons chickpea cooking liquid

Instructions

1. Pulse the chickpeas and garlic cloves in a food processor until no chickpeas remain.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of the chickpea cooking liquid, tahini, and lemon juice and puree for a minute or two, scraping down the sides of the food processor so you get everything.
3. Add all the spices and 1 more tablespoon of the chickpea cooking liquid. Process until smooth, adding additional tablespoons of chickpea cooking liquid until it is as creamy as you'd like.
4. Taste for salt and lemon juice and add more if you want. Keeps in the fridge for about five days.

WeightWatchers PointsPlus Values: 2 (regular hummus is 4)