Saying the words garbanzo bean was sure to make my grade-school-aged friends and me laugh...we had no idea what that funny-sounding word, garbanzo, meant. If it really was a bean, no one I knew ate them or even where to find them.

It wasn't until I was an adult that I connected the word garbanzo with chickpea...who knew that they were one and the same? My mother did put chickpeas in salads and soup every so often, but we children did not like the mealy texture and the taste was nothing special, either.

When hummus started appearing in delis, potlucks and gatherings, I thought it looked rather unfortunate. It did not matter that it was often tinted various shades of yellow, green and tan; it was unappealing to me. However, as I watched others gobble up bowl after bowl of hummus, I finally decided to try it. Some hummus was terrible, while other flavors were very good. Still...I did not put much thought into this product as a recipe I could make myself until recently.

I found that it is quite easy to make a large 2-cup container of hummus with very little expense. This recipe makes a tasty treat and it is flavored with things I like. This dip is great with cut up vegetables and chips. Change a few ingredients and you can invent your own chickpea, garbanzo bean or hummus dip...happy blending!

Chickpea Dip 2 C canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained - reserve liquid
1 T lemon juice
3 T olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor or Vita Mix machine. Pulse until smooth. Add reserved liquid from beans a little at a time to bring mixture up to the desired thickness. Pour into a container, refrigerate.
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