5 Ingredient Classic Homemade Hummus

Believe it or not, there was a time when hummus was not on America’s radar. Thirty-odd years ago, kids did not dip their crackers and carrots into hummus. I know, because I grew up in the middle of America, and no one was talking about hummus. We were eating meat loaf and PB&J.

Which reminds me of a true story I just heard on a podcast. Back in the 1960’s, a Middle Eastern grade school boy was growing up in the middle of Ohio (his name is Thomas Royal Nimen and the story is here). His school was pretty un-diverse, and one day he came home and told his mom he didn’t want Middle Eastern food in his lunch any more. “From now on, could we do peanut butter and jelly on Wonder Bread?” he asked. Because, the kids were making fun of him because his food didn’t look like everyone else’s. At the time, everyone else’s was PB&J.

So what does his mother do? The next week, she convinced the principal to do a presentation at lunch. She brought in a load of Middle Eastern food: kibbe, ­fataya, tabbouleh, hummus, and baba ghanoush. And those bullies who made fun of Thomas’s food were loving it. He concludes that while it didn’t solve all the discrimination he faced at the time, it took a significant edge off. Because, as he puts it, “You can’t hurt someone when you’re eating their food.” 

Food is the great uniter. It allows us to appreciate the beauty and nuance of cultures other than our own. When someone shares their food, they share a piece of themselves. And as Thomas said, you can’t hurt someone when you’re eating their food. Since he was in grade school, the American palate has broadened exponentially. Hummus is almost as common at a school lunch as mac and cheese. My son will grow up eating pico de gallo and bibimbap like they’re meatloaf and PB&J.

And yet, as Americans are we also celebrating these cultures as we assimilate their foods? Are we intentionally seeking out relationships with people who are different from ourselves? Are we welcoming people who are different from us to the table?

As we expand our palates outside of PB&J, let’s also consider expanding our relationships outside of our comfort zones. Let’s invite people different from ourselves to our tables—and at the same time, let’s be willing and humble guests at theirs.

And now, this hummus. Does the world need another homemade hummus recipe? No. However, this has become our go-to homemade hummus recipe that we make on the regular, and we wanted to share it here. (In fact, it supersedes our old one, which we thought was “perfect” at the time.) What’s great about it?  Hummus is one of our top picks for healthy snacks and vegan recipes. This one is simple, and uses tahini and aquafaba (the chickpea can liquid) to make it creamy. If you’ve got 5 minutes and a food processor, this recipe tastes great and is potentially cheaper than many purchased brands. Plus, it’s also fun to whip up knowing that you made with your bare hands.

Want to listen? If you’re interested in food and diversity, and how food brings people together, be sure to check out our podcast with Tanorria from MasterChef. She’s passionate about discussing diversity and inclusion around the table. Listen to Episode 47: Cook like a master.

Looking for healthy snacks?

Healthy snacks can be as easy as a handful of roasted salted almonds and dried cherries. However, if you’re up for making a simple recipe, here are a few of our favorite healthy snacks:

• Vegetable Hummus Tortilla Rollups
• Cherry Cacao Nib Snack Bars
• Very Verde 3-Ingredient Dip
• Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
• Garlic and Rosemary White Bean Dip

Looking for vegan recipes?

Vegan recipes are becoming a more popular request from readers these days. In fact, all of the healthy snacks above are vegan recipes! If you’re looking for a vegan main dish, here are a few of our favorite vegan recipes for dinners:

• Herby Tomato Flatbread with Rye Cracker Crust
• BBQ Bean Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
• “Get Your Greens” Naan Pizzas
• Thai Salad with Peanut Sauce
• Chickpea Fattoush Nourish Bowl
• Tasty Teriyaki Veggie Burger

Did you make this recipe?

If you make our 5 ingredient classic homemade hummus, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks.

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and refined sugar free.

5 Ingredient Classic Homemade Hummus

 

Print

by: a Couple Cooks

Serves: 1½ cups (12 ounces)

What You Need

• For the hummus
• 1 medium garlic clove
• 1 15-­ounce can chickpeas
• 1 large lemon (1/4 cup lemon juice)
• ¼ cup tahini
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  
• For the garnish
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Paprika
• Olive oil
• Toasted pinenuts (see below)

What To Do

1. Peel the garlic. Drain the chickpeas into a liquid measuring cup. Juice the lemon.
2. Add the garlic to the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, kosher salt, and 2 tablespoons water from the chickpea can (aquafaba). Puree for 30 seconds, then scrape down the bowl. Taste. If necessary, add 1 to 2 tablespoons aquafaba. Puree for 1 to 2 minutes to come to a creamy consistency. Store refrigerated for 7 to 10 days.
3. If desired, make the garnish: toast the pinenuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown (or bake in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet for 6 to 8 minutes at 350F). Top the hummus with cilantro leaves, a sprinkle of paprika, a drizzle of olive oil, and toasted pinenuts.

3.5.3226

 

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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Are Grades Diverting Focus From Real Learning?

Grades sometimes feel like a necessary evil. They are a shorthand measure of how a student is performing in school, but too often the pressure to earn good grades becomes the sole focus for students and parents. Grades are supposed to be a recognition of the learning process a student went through, not the product a student strives for exclusively. But disentangling those things is a challenge, made more difficult by the real consequences of good grades for kids’ futures.

Educator Ashley Lamb-Sinclair experimented with not giving grades for the first six weeks of the school year at the high-achieving high school where she works. She was amazed at the intrinsic motivation students had to persist on a task until they improved when the pressure of a grade wasn’t present. She writes that she had incredible communications with parents about their children’s learning during those six weeks and that the gradeless period went smoothly. That is, until she had to start grading again. As soon as a 100-point scale was present parents and students forgot all the value they had seen in the learning process and focused only on points.

Lamb-Sinclair’s article in The Atlantic is a meditation on how educators, parents and students together can shift the classroom dynamic away from focusing on the product — the grade — and towards a realization of all that went into achieving it. Lamb-Sinclair can relate to the quest for achievements, but also reflects on the true value of something like National Board Certification.

Many professionals, including teachers, seek achievements to prove their value just as students do. Receiving National Board certification is often considered the gold standard in achievement for teachers. I have rarely encountered a National Board-certified teacher who was not a quality educator, and principals are consistently impressed when they learn I have the accolade. The value of the certification, though, comes from the process of earning it, not the framed certificate on the wall. Becoming National Board-certified is intensive and challenging. The extrinsic motivation of higher pay, more opportunities, and elevated status might have initially led me to seek National Board certification, but my dedication to improving as a professional guided me through the sometimes grueling process. I remember watching a video of myself teaching, stopping it minute-by-minute, and recording what was going on in the classroom in that instance. In the day-to-day whirlwind of managing student behavior, lesson plans, and grades, I don’t have the luxury of such reflection and analysis.

When my students spent three days on a single thesis statement, they practiced similar intensive reflection to when I was working toward becoming National Board-certified. And for both my students and for me, such opportunities are rare. So while parents might see a 96 percent in the gradebook and feel comforted by such a number, many don’t actually know the work that led to it. The problem lies when the product itself is elevated above the process, and questions of improving revolve around getting an A and not mastering skills.

What Happens When Teachers Stop Giving Grades?

The intrinsic love of learning supplants the drive for high marks in the long run. Ours is the type of school that when I input grades into our electronic gradebook system, it is usually a matter of minutes before students knock on my classroom door and parents send me emails questioning single points and marks.

from MindShift http://ift.tt/2tp3hAp

Are Grades Diverting Focus From Real Learning?

Grades sometimes feel like a necessary evil. They are a shorthand measure of how a student is performing in school, but too often the pressure to earn good grades becomes the sole focus for students and parents. Grades are supposed to be a recognition of the learning process a student went through, not the product a student strives for exclusively. But disentangling those things is a challenge, made more difficult by the real consequences of good grades for kids’ futures.

Educator Ashley Lamb-Sinclair experimented with not giving grades for the first six weeks of the school year at the high-achieving high school where she works. She was amazed at the intrinsic motivation students had to persist on a task until they improved when the pressure of a grade wasn’t present. She writes that she had incredible communications with parents about their children’s learning during those six weeks and that the gradeless period went smoothly. That is, until she had to start grading again. As soon as a 100-point scale was present parents and students forgot all the value they had seen in the learning process and focused only on points.

Lamb-Sinclair’s article in The Atlantic is a meditation on how educators, parents and students together can shift the classroom dynamic away from focusing on the product — the grade — and towards a realization of all that went into achieving it. Lamb-Sinclair can relate to the quest for achievements, but also reflects on the true value of something like National Board Certification.

Many professionals, including teachers, seek achievements to prove their value just as students do. Receiving National Board certification is often considered the gold standard in achievement for teachers. I have rarely encountered a National Board-certified teacher who was not a quality educator, and principals are consistently impressed when they learn I have the accolade. The value of the certification, though, comes from the process of earning it, not the framed certificate on the wall. Becoming National Board-certified is intensive and challenging. The extrinsic motivation of higher pay, more opportunities, and elevated status might have initially led me to seek National Board certification, but my dedication to improving as a professional guided me through the sometimes grueling process. I remember watching a video of myself teaching, stopping it minute-by-minute, and recording what was going on in the classroom in that instance. In the day-to-day whirlwind of managing student behavior, lesson plans, and grades, I don’t have the luxury of such reflection and analysis.

When my students spent three days on a single thesis statement, they practiced similar intensive reflection to when I was working toward becoming National Board-certified. And for both my students and for me, such opportunities are rare. So while parents might see a 96 percent in the gradebook and feel comforted by such a number, many don’t actually know the work that led to it. The problem lies when the product itself is elevated above the process, and questions of improving revolve around getting an A and not mastering skills.

What Happens When Teachers Stop Giving Grades?

The intrinsic love of learning supplants the drive for high marks in the long run. Ours is the type of school that when I input grades into our electronic gradebook system, it is usually a matter of minutes before students knock on my classroom door and parents send me emails questioning single points and marks.

from MindShift http://ift.tt/2tp3hAp

Are Grades Diverting Focus From Real Learning?

Grades sometimes feel like a necessary evil. They are a shorthand measure of how a student is performing in school, but too often the pressure to earn good grades becomes the sole focus for students and parents. Grades are supposed to be a recognition of the learning process a student went through, not the product a student strives for exclusively. But disentangling those things is a challenge, made more difficult by the real consequences of good grades for kids’ futures.

Educator Ashley Lamb-Sinclair experimented with not giving grades for the first six weeks of the school year at the high-achieving high school where she works. She was amazed at the intrinsic motivation students had to persist on a task until they improved when the pressure of a grade wasn’t present. She writes that she had incredible communications with parents about their children’s learning during those six weeks and that the gradeless period went smoothly. That is, until she had to start grading again. As soon as a 100-point scale was present parents and students forgot all the value they had seen in the learning process and focused only on points.

Lamb-Sinclair’s article in The Atlantic is a meditation on how educators, parents and students together can shift the classroom dynamic away from focusing on the product — the grade — and towards a realization of all that went into achieving it. Lamb-Sinclair can relate to the quest for achievements, but also reflects on the true value of something like National Board Certification.

Many professionals, including teachers, seek achievements to prove their value just as students do. Receiving National Board certification is often considered the gold standard in achievement for teachers. I have rarely encountered a National Board-certified teacher who was not a quality educator, and principals are consistently impressed when they learn I have the accolade. The value of the certification, though, comes from the process of earning it, not the framed certificate on the wall. Becoming National Board-certified is intensive and challenging. The extrinsic motivation of higher pay, more opportunities, and elevated status might have initially led me to seek National Board certification, but my dedication to improving as a professional guided me through the sometimes grueling process. I remember watching a video of myself teaching, stopping it minute-by-minute, and recording what was going on in the classroom in that instance. In the day-to-day whirlwind of managing student behavior, lesson plans, and grades, I don’t have the luxury of such reflection and analysis.

When my students spent three days on a single thesis statement, they practiced similar intensive reflection to when I was working toward becoming National Board-certified. And for both my students and for me, such opportunities are rare. So while parents might see a 96 percent in the gradebook and feel comforted by such a number, many don’t actually know the work that led to it. The problem lies when the product itself is elevated above the process, and questions of improving revolve around getting an A and not mastering skills.

What Happens When Teachers Stop Giving Grades?

The intrinsic love of learning supplants the drive for high marks in the long run. Ours is the type of school that when I input grades into our electronic gradebook system, it is usually a matter of minutes before students knock on my classroom door and parents send me emails questioning single points and marks.

from MindShift http://ift.tt/2tp3hAp

Are Grades Diverting Focus From Real Learning?

Grades sometimes feel like a necessary evil. They are a shorthand measure of how a student is performing in school, but too often the pressure to earn good grades becomes the sole focus for students and parents. Grades are supposed to be a recognition of the learning process a student went through, not the product a student strives for exclusively. But disentangling those things is a challenge, made more difficult by the real consequences of good grades for kids’ futures.

Educator Ashley Lamb-Sinclair experimented with not giving grades for the first six weeks of the school year at the high-achieving high school where she works. She was amazed at the intrinsic motivation students had to persist on a task until they improved when the pressure of a grade wasn’t present. She writes that she had incredible communications with parents about their children’s learning during those six weeks and that the gradeless period went smoothly. That is, until she had to start grading again. As soon as a 100-point scale was present parents and students forgot all the value they had seen in the learning process and focused only on points.

Lamb-Sinclair’s article in The Atlantic is a meditation on how educators, parents and students together can shift the classroom dynamic away from focusing on the product — the grade — and towards a realization of all that went into achieving it. Lamb-Sinclair can relate to the quest for achievements, but also reflects on the true value of something like National Board Certification.

Many professionals, including teachers, seek achievements to prove their value just as students do. Receiving National Board certification is often considered the gold standard in achievement for teachers. I have rarely encountered a National Board-certified teacher who was not a quality educator, and principals are consistently impressed when they learn I have the accolade. The value of the certification, though, comes from the process of earning it, not the framed certificate on the wall. Becoming National Board-certified is intensive and challenging. The extrinsic motivation of higher pay, more opportunities, and elevated status might have initially led me to seek National Board certification, but my dedication to improving as a professional guided me through the sometimes grueling process. I remember watching a video of myself teaching, stopping it minute-by-minute, and recording what was going on in the classroom in that instance. In the day-to-day whirlwind of managing student behavior, lesson plans, and grades, I don’t have the luxury of such reflection and analysis.

When my students spent three days on a single thesis statement, they practiced similar intensive reflection to when I was working toward becoming National Board-certified. And for both my students and for me, such opportunities are rare. So while parents might see a 96 percent in the gradebook and feel comforted by such a number, many don’t actually know the work that led to it. The problem lies when the product itself is elevated above the process, and questions of improving revolve around getting an A and not mastering skills.

What Happens When Teachers Stop Giving Grades?

The intrinsic love of learning supplants the drive for high marks in the long run. Ours is the type of school that when I input grades into our electronic gradebook system, it is usually a matter of minutes before students knock on my classroom door and parents send me emails questioning single points and marks.

from MindShift http://ift.tt/2tp3hAp

Are Grades Diverting Focus From Real Learning?

Grades sometimes feel like a necessary evil. They are a shorthand measure of how a student is performing in school, but too often the pressure to earn good grades becomes the sole focus for students and parents. Grades are supposed to be a recognition of the learning process a student went through, not the product a student strives for exclusively. But disentangling those things is a challenge, made more difficult by the real consequences of good grades for kids’ futures.

Educator Ashley Lamb-Sinclair experimented with not giving grades for the first six weeks of the school year at the high-achieving high school where she works. She was amazed at the intrinsic motivation students had to persist on a task until they improved when the pressure of a grade wasn’t present. She writes that she had incredible communications with parents about their children’s learning during those six weeks and that the gradeless period went smoothly. That is, until she had to start grading again. As soon as a 100-point scale was present parents and students forgot all the value they had seen in the learning process and focused only on points.

Lamb-Sinclair’s article in The Atlantic is a meditation on how educators, parents and students together can shift the classroom dynamic away from focusing on the product — the grade — and towards a realization of all that went into achieving it. Lamb-Sinclair can relate to the quest for achievements, but also reflects on the true value of something like National Board Certification.

Many professionals, including teachers, seek achievements to prove their value just as students do. Receiving National Board certification is often considered the gold standard in achievement for teachers. I have rarely encountered a National Board-certified teacher who was not a quality educator, and principals are consistently impressed when they learn I have the accolade. The value of the certification, though, comes from the process of earning it, not the framed certificate on the wall. Becoming National Board-certified is intensive and challenging. The extrinsic motivation of higher pay, more opportunities, and elevated status might have initially led me to seek National Board certification, but my dedication to improving as a professional guided me through the sometimes grueling process. I remember watching a video of myself teaching, stopping it minute-by-minute, and recording what was going on in the classroom in that instance. In the day-to-day whirlwind of managing student behavior, lesson plans, and grades, I don’t have the luxury of such reflection and analysis.

When my students spent three days on a single thesis statement, they practiced similar intensive reflection to when I was working toward becoming National Board-certified. And for both my students and for me, such opportunities are rare. So while parents might see a 96 percent in the gradebook and feel comforted by such a number, many don’t actually know the work that led to it. The problem lies when the product itself is elevated above the process, and questions of improving revolve around getting an A and not mastering skills.

What Happens When Teachers Stop Giving Grades?

The intrinsic love of learning supplants the drive for high marks in the long run. Ours is the type of school that when I input grades into our electronic gradebook system, it is usually a matter of minutes before students knock on my classroom door and parents send me emails questioning single points and marks.

from MindShift http://ift.tt/2tp3hAp

Are Grades Diverting Focus From Real Learning?

Grades sometimes feel like a necessary evil. They are a shorthand measure of how a student is performing in school, but too often the pressure to earn good grades becomes the sole focus for students and parents. Grades are supposed to be a recognition of the learning process a student went through, not the product a student strives for exclusively. But disentangling those things is a challenge, made more difficult by the real consequences of good grades for kids’ futures.

Educator Ashley Lamb-Sinclair experimented with not giving grades for the first six weeks of the school year at the high-achieving high school where she works. She was amazed at the intrinsic motivation students had to persist on a task until they improved when the pressure of a grade wasn’t present. She writes that she had incredible communications with parents about their children’s learning during those six weeks and that the gradeless period went smoothly. That is, until she had to start grading again. As soon as a 100-point scale was present parents and students forgot all the value they had seen in the learning process and focused only on points.

Lamb-Sinclair’s article in The Atlantic is a meditation on how educators, parents and students together can shift the classroom dynamic away from focusing on the product — the grade — and towards a realization of all that went into achieving it. Lamb-Sinclair can relate to the quest for achievements, but also reflects on the true value of something like National Board Certification.

Many professionals, including teachers, seek achievements to prove their value just as students do. Receiving National Board certification is often considered the gold standard in achievement for teachers. I have rarely encountered a National Board-certified teacher who was not a quality educator, and principals are consistently impressed when they learn I have the accolade. The value of the certification, though, comes from the process of earning it, not the framed certificate on the wall. Becoming National Board-certified is intensive and challenging. The extrinsic motivation of higher pay, more opportunities, and elevated status might have initially led me to seek National Board certification, but my dedication to improving as a professional guided me through the sometimes grueling process. I remember watching a video of myself teaching, stopping it minute-by-minute, and recording what was going on in the classroom in that instance. In the day-to-day whirlwind of managing student behavior, lesson plans, and grades, I don’t have the luxury of such reflection and analysis.

When my students spent three days on a single thesis statement, they practiced similar intensive reflection to when I was working toward becoming National Board-certified. And for both my students and for me, such opportunities are rare. So while parents might see a 96 percent in the gradebook and feel comforted by such a number, many don’t actually know the work that led to it. The problem lies when the product itself is elevated above the process, and questions of improving revolve around getting an A and not mastering skills.

What Happens When Teachers Stop Giving Grades?

The intrinsic love of learning supplants the drive for high marks in the long run. Ours is the type of school that when I input grades into our electronic gradebook system, it is usually a matter of minutes before students knock on my classroom door and parents send me emails questioning single points and marks.

from MindShift http://ift.tt/2tp3hAp