Hummus

Homemade hummus costs a fraction of the stuff at the supermarket, and tastes better, too. I threw this batch together in less than five minutes.

Maybe 3 cups chickpeas, dried then reconstituted and pre-cooked in a CrockPot
1/3 cup tahini
juice of one lemon
2-3 peeled garlic cloves
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Whiz in your food processor until blended and smooth. Makes about 2 1/2 cups. Add cumin and cayenne to flavor, if you want.

Cost: The tahini is the most expensive thing on the list, probably $4.99 for a tub. But there's probably two cups in each tub, so maybe 80 cents for the tahini and 75 cents for everything else, if you buy the dried chickpeas and lemons in bulk. $1.55 for a huge bowl full of fresh hummus...the supermarket will charge you at least $3.99 for a container with 1/4 of that amount.