On Tuesdays, there are some good TV reasons to stay in—The Biggest Loser, Parenthood, Dancing with the Stars results (you know, if you’re into that sort of thing), and now there’s The Voice! So far, I love it. And so do my girlfriends, so we are making Tuesdays our get together night. In honor of our first meeting, I pulled together a few snacks. The spread included some cheeses, black bean hummus, fruits, and veggies. See:

Side note: If you’ve never had the Fromager d’Affinois cheese, do no neglect to purchase it the next time you’re visiting a cheese counter. All the cheeses were yummy, but in hindsight, I could’ve just bought three wedges of this and called it a day. It’s like buttah. No, seriously, it tastes like Brie and butter had a delicious baby. Here’s a photo to help you pick it out:

Anyway, I’m glad the girls came over because I finally got around to making this black bean hummus. You know how Whole Foods has those yummy prepared foods that are 8 ounces for $5? I’ve been buying that, but I figured I could make it myself cheaper. And so I did, just a few months later than I planned to. Here’s the cast:

Black Bean Hummus
Serves 6-8 as an appy

1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2-3 tablespoons tahini (or more, if you like)
1-2 lemons, juiced
1-2 teaspoons hot sauce (to taste)
½ cup fresh parsley
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons + ¼ cup (or so) extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to get going. Stream in olive oil until desired consistency is reached.
• Salt to taste and enjoy with pita chips, carrot sticks, broccoli, and the like.