If you couldn’t tell by the guacamole post, we like to snack. Hummus is another go to goodie. This recipe is an excellent hummus base. In the post picture, I’ve made hummus three ways, sriracha, olive and lemon. There are many other ways to make this dish tasty.

You can make it with parsley, sesame seeds, pepper slices, artichokes, and roasted eggplant. It’s so easy and quick , you can really play around until your find your favorite combo.

4 garlic cloves

2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved (if you have the time, you can use fresh chickpeas)

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas (I use the chickpea liquid. I think it adds flavor)

8 dashes hot sauce (More if you like it on the spicy side. I use sriracha)

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it’s minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

If it seems too dry, add more chickpea liquid (or water).

Yield about 2 ¾ cups

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For sriracha hummus: sprinkle sliced peppers (your preference) on top and drizzle with sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce).

For lemon hummus: Place a slice of lemon on top of the hummus. Zest the peel of a lemon and sprinkle on top. For even more of a punch, drizzle lemon juice.

For olive hummus: Place a green olive on top of your hummus and sprinkle with olive oil (for a mild effect). For a bigger punch (and one of my favorite ways to eat hummus), coarsely chop green olives and mix into the hummus. I add roughly 6 olives for every cup. I prefer green olives in hummus.

This recipe is from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Ina Garten