Hummus

I have just started discovering the amazing-ness that comes from the food processor. I'm sure it is even more amazing if I had to make meals for a family of 4, but in my case, I basically make a meal for 2, hence the perfectly useful size of my beautiful 4 cup processor.
Hummus is basically a combination of garbanzo beans with tahini, lemon, garlic, herbs, spices, or whatever you want to put in it (I was tempted to throw my pesto in there... but resisted.) So I went to TJ's and bought some garbanzo beans, and looked at the price of tahini. Wow, a container of tahini for over 3 bucks?! I might as well buy the premade hummus and call it an easy snack! I guess the tahini would be useful if I had another use for it, and if i was making a huge batch, but no.... 3.50 to spend on something I only need 1/6 of a cupful of defeats the purpose of my theory regarding "homemade" foods ( = cheaper (and tastier!) than buying it premade.) I looked up recipes on how to make tahini, and made it my myself, kind of. Tahini is sesame seeds + oil grounded together to form a paste.... simple enough right?? I couldn't get that consistency because 1. my food processor did not register that amount of sesame seeds so the blade went round and round without touching a thing, and 2. neither did my coffee grinder... haha, so I gave up and tossed what where basically sesame seed crumbles with a little oil and lemon juice into my pureed garbanzo bean mixture.
I can't say I've ever tasted hummus like this (this is not a bad thing,) but then again, I don't know anyone who has ever made hummus using tahini made from scratch. It was delicious nonetheless, a nice nutty, kind of spicy, hummus, perfect with those pita chips I love so dearly from Trader Joe's. All of this cost around 75 cents to make- give or take a dime. I only used half a can of garbanzo beans. I never finish the hummus from those tiny tubs at Trader Joes, so I don't think I'd finish my fresh hummus in larger quantities, I'm saving the rest to make some chole, it's about time I revisit Indian food. Maybe I'll make a lassi while I'm at it... I wonder if I can use my food processor as a blender... hm...

Mock "Tahini"
Toast around 1/4 cups of sesame seeds on a frying pan without oil over medium heat until light brown
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon ( give or take)
1. Place all ingredients into a coffee grinder (because there is so little.) Grind until sesame seeds seem to be chopped up <- it won't look at all like tahini you get at the store it will basically look like sesame seeds + oil.


Hummus

1 clove garlic, peeled, chopped in processor
1/2 can of garbanzo beans
"Tahini" from above recipe
1/8 cup lemon
1/8 cup olive oil
Seasoning to taste ( salt, pepper, paprika, pesto...and so on)

1. Combine all ingredients in a small food processor, and run it on chop until smooth, then switch to grind until nice and fluffy, add more liquid if needed, scrape down bowl when necessary. Drizzle olive oil over the top when serving along with sprinkling of smoked paprika.