The Pondering Absurdist

After switching to eating only plant-based products, I had to start looking for some new snacks. No more nacho cheese Doritos, no more Laughing Cow cheese bites. I’m a bigger guy (of Viking stock, big bones and a bit of muscle, as well as the requisite adipose, of course), and I tend to get a little hungry between meals sometimes. There are only so many sunflower seeds, dried fruits, and nuts a person can eat in a day without getting sick of them (and I don’t want to get sick of them quite yet, as they are a good substitute for non-vegan alternatives). Because of that I want to branch out into other (interesting, tasty) things occasionally. I’ve started eating more hummus as one of those things, particularly as a dip with some pita chips or other whole-grain chips.

Sure, I could buy hummus easily enough, and I have. However, the “chef” in me (and the cheapskate) thought it might be just as easy to make it myself. I mean, how hard could it be, right? A little bit of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), some garlic, lemon juice, and tahini… no problem. So I looked up some recipes on the Google-machine and found that most of them seemed to share a common theme. I printed out one recipe that seemed pretty simple and decided to make some for myself. First, I had a choice to make… soak and boil dried garbanzo beans, or use beans from a can. The first time I tried it I did it the hard way… soaking, boiling, etc. The result was great. The nice thing about making your own hummus is that you can customize the recipe the way you like it. If you’re not a huge fan of garlic, but don’t mind a little bit… only put a little bit in the mix. The same goes for any other ingredients… lemon juice, spices, tahini, or whatever else you might have in mind.

Now here is the kicker… the recipe I’m using says that if you want to have a nice, smooth hummus, you need to pull the skins off the beans before blending them with the other ingredients in the food processor. So that’s what I’ve been doing… and doing… and doing… with 3 cups (that’s what my recipe calls for) of wet beans it takes f.o.r.e.v.e.r! to peel the skins off of those beans. The second time I tried using canned beans to see if it would be easier (and taste any different). I boiled them a little longer than suggested (hoping that might loosen the skins a bit more) and let them cool. I even tried the suggestion of putting some baking soda in the water for a little while to help loosen the skins. Same… thing… pulling the skins off the beans. Oh, my, GODS! Then you’re left with what seems like 2/3 beans and 1/3 skins. The first time I put the skins into a bean soup that I made for a little extra fiber (waste not, want not, right?). I’m still in the midst of my second batch of hummus (from the cans), so I’ll probably do the same with the skins again.

Throwing in the original cost of the beans and the other ingredients to make the homemade hummus, I’m certain that my TIME is worth more to me than the opportunity for a little bit of personalized hummus. I think that from now on I will be purchasing the commercially made stuff (I can get it pretty cheap at Costco) and doctoring it with any extra things I see fit (roasted red peppers? cumin? smoked paprika? who knows…). The only thing I really hate about that option is contributing all the extra plastic to the environment. Thankfully, at least I have curbside recycling in my neighborhood. Maybe I’ll try it once more at home without taking the skins off and see just how “not smooth” it is, or maybe not… I don’t know yet. Your mileage may vary.

PA