Super Easy Group Hummus & My First Potluck

I've been meaning to go to a vegan potluck for a while now. Yesterday I noticed that there was a potluck not too far from where I live happening today from the Montclair Vegans meetup group. I had no idea what to bring on such short notice... I've been eating so many prepackaged and frozen foods lately that I had little on hand. I did have a whole bunch of chickpeas, though. I decided to buy some chips and try my hand at homemade hummus.

I'm so glad I did! Everyone loved the dish, and they are some awesome people who make some good food themselves. I will definitely be trying to attend more of their meetups, and help them raise money by buying a whole bunch of sugary foods at their upcoming bake sale. (I have a sugar addiction, which I have recently decided I am no longer going to try to subdue.)

Anyway, if you ever happen to be in the same situation as me, where you have to contribute a dish for a whole bunch of people on short notice, try this easy and crowd-pleasing recipe. All the ingredients are available at mainstream stores, and this recipe easily serves about 16 people.

Ingredients:
• 4 cans of chickpeas
• 8 cloves of garlic (less if you don't like garlic, more if you want garlic hummus)
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 4 tablespoons of sesame oil (any oil will do, but you won't get the traditional tahini/sesame flavor)
• 4 teaspoons yellow mustard (or to taste)
• 4 teaspoons of lime or lemon juice (or to taste)
• 1 + 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
• paprika for garnish (optional)

Reserve the liquid from the chickpeas. Mix all ingredients in a food processor. (You may want to put in the ingredients in small batches to make sure everything is mixed well.) The hummus will probably be dry and sticky, so add a little bit of cooking liquid at a time until it reaches your desired consistency... probably not more than a few tablespoons for the texture you would commonly find. Serve chilled or at room temperature, with chips or bread.

If anyone reading this has other potluck recipes, I would love to hear them. I don't want to get into a routine of bringing hummus to every gathering I attend!