Something that often deters me from cooking certain dishes is the initial investment that goes into purchasing the ingredients for it. Hummus, for instance, is quite a bit cheaper to make on your own at home, but the initial investment of buying the tahini (which, when not on sale, costs around $7-8 for a jar of organic) and chickpeas ($1.50/can of organic when not on sale) sometimes discourages me from buying the ingredients to make it. $15 may not seem like a lot, but it is when you are only buying two ingredients for a dish that is not a main course, so I found a way to offset the initial investment of these ingredients, and although it may seem pretty obvious, it takes some planning. SHOP SALES! The other day, I was at the grocery store and noticed that organic chickpeas were on sale for $1/can, so I immediately scooped up three, having purchased tahini days earlier (which I did not get on sale, but which does drop down to $5 or so when it is on sale, so grab a few if you see them on sale!), and itching to make a batch of fresh hummus. Buying ingredients on sale in bulk is an extremely good way to save money when you are trying to shop organic/non-GMO on a budget, as the items do not usually go on sale often (every few months, in many stores). For instance, by buying these three cans of chickpeas on sale rather than at full-price, I saved $1.50, ultimately getting the third can for free! Now for that tahini to go on sale…
**A 16 oz. can of tahini has enough tahini to make three batches of this recipe of hummus, which is also why I bought three cans of chickpeas in particular. Having spent $7 on the tahini and $3 on the chickpeas, and since the basil is grown in my own garden, and I already had the other staple ingredients on hand, three batches of this hummus, yielding 2C each (6C total), costs about $3.33/batch, which is a considerable deal for organic hummus!**
Ingredients:
1/3 C Tahini
1/2 C water
1/4 C lemon juice (or lime if you prefer)
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp. Himalayan salt
2-3 Tbsp. chopped basil (or about 15-20 whole leaves)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 C canned, drained chickpeas (or cooked and drained)
Directions:
Put ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!
+Things to eat your hummus with: raw or cooked veggies, rice, pita chips, na’an, crackers… the possibilities are endless!
Radiantly Living 