
This week I am participating in the second round of Eating Down the Fridge. The challenge was created by Kim O’Donnel of The Washington Post blog A Mighty Appetite. The goal is to completely avoid food shopping (including eating out) for a full week, and instead concentrate on using what is already stored in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Because I have been out of town, I started the challenge a couple of days late. But as of Monday, I have done no food shopping or eating out (with one exception) and I plan on continuing at least through Monday, but perhaps even longer if I can.
Perhaps a week doesn’t sound like a very long time to go without shopping, and for those of us without kids it’s not that long at all. But my goal for this challenge is to use up things in my freezer and pantry that have long been neglected. And although I don’t do major grocery shopping more than a few times a month, I am used to popping up to my local market a few times a week for various ingredients, fresh fruits and vegetables. And quite frankly, I’ve been eating out a lot lately, so eating 21 meals in a row at home will be a bit of a challenge for me!
Yesterday at lunchtime I was starving. But as I rummaged around my kitchen, I realized that I had no quick snacks to grab. I had no bread to make a sandwich, no crackers or bananas to smear with peanut butter, and no leftover dinner to reheat in the microwave. It shouldn’t have been a big deal since I have a fridge and pantry stocked with ingredients, but I had let myself get too hungry and I really needed something fast. Yes, I could have eaten a bowl of cereal, but I decided to step up to the EDF challenge, and start eating down my fridge. I drank a tall glass of water to quell my hunger pangs while I started searching for something to prepare.
I found a half-empty jar of marinated artichokes hiding in the back of my refrigerator and decided it was time to use them up. My first thought was pasta. So I pulled a box of penne out of the pantry, found a container of kalamata olives and some feta cheese (score!) in the fridge, and was about to get to work. And then I had a change of heart. I remembered the jar of tahini and cans of garbanzo beans in the pantry and decided to throw the leftover artichoke hearts in a batch of hummus instead of tossing them with pasta. And as I was lamenting my lack of pita chips or crackers to go with the hummus, I remembered the package of frozen naan I had picked up at Trader Joe’s on my last visit. Perfect! Since hummus only takes minutes to put together, I had lunch in front of me even faster than if I had made the pasta.
Artichoke Hummus
1 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped or pressed
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
juice of half a lemon (or more, to taste)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
small squirt of Sriracha (optional)
1. In a food processor, combine garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. Process until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary. Add salt and Sriracha (if using) to taste. Extra lemon juice or tahini may also be added to taste.
2. Spoon hummus onto a plate, creating a bit of a well in the center. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Serve with your favorite flat bread, crackers, chips, or fresh vegetables.
Recipe Notes: Ingredient amounts, including garlic can be adjusted to suit your own taste. Be careful with the hot sauce, a little bit adds a nice boost, but too much will overpower the flavors of the hummus. If you cook your own garbanzo beans rather than using canned, reserve a bit of the cooking liquid to thin the hummus in place of plain water.
Although I have commited to Eating Down the Fridge this week, I did go out to dinner with friends last night because it had been planned before I joined EDF. I’ll be extending the challenge for an extra day to make up for the dinner out. Interested in participating in the next round of Eating Down the Fridge? Join the Facebook Group to receive alerts about upcoming events.
You also might have noticed that I took a week off from The BBA Challenge. I was in the mountains with my family for a few days and decided I would rather spend quality time away from the computer rather than worry about completing my weekly bread post. But I will be back Monday to tell you about making Peter Reinhart’s version of Challah!
Related Recipes:
- Whole Wheat Pita Chips
- Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
- Mediterranean Olive Hummus
- Chickpea Soup with Ginger and Coriander
Around the Web:
- Jalapeño & Lime Hummus from Karina’s Kitchen
- Parsley Hummus from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Hummus from Closet Cooking
- Slow Roasted Tomato Hummus from Andrea’s Recipes
- Cilantro Lime Hummus from Two Peas and Their Pod






Love this hummus! Great way to use what you have on hand!
11:47 am Jun 25th, 2009Sriracha rocks! Sorry, just had to get that out. The hummus looks rich and delicious. It’s one of those things I love but rarely make. You’ve reminded me how simple it can be … must make it soon!
11:50 am Jun 25th, 2009This hummus looks fantastic and I think that I, too, have some artichokes hanging out in the hinterlands of the fridge. Thanks for the inspiration!
12:07 pm Jun 25th, 2009I love artichokes in hummus, or any bean dip. They are very versatile and combine well. I haven’t posted it yet but I just made a really tasty hummus with goat cheese, basil, cannelini beans and artichokes.
12:10 pm Jun 25th, 2009Oh yum, I would’ve never thought to put artichokes in hummus but it sounds perfect!
12:10 pm Jun 25th, 2009This sounds great! I have all of the ingredients on hand and Mr. B is madly in love with hummus and artichokes so it will be a big hit around our house. Thanks for sharing!
12:12 pm Jun 25th, 2009This sounds heavenly right now. 2 of my faves!!!!! You are a genius!
1:11 pm Jun 25th, 2009As always, lovely photo!! This does sound quite good. Can’t wait to see the challah!
1:15 pm Jun 25th, 2009Love your blog (and the BBAC!) If you have time, pop over to my blog for a surprise (look under “I’d like to thank the academy”)
1:25 pm Jun 25th, 2009How long is a jar of artichokes good for after you open it?
4:51 pm Jun 25th, 2009I had an open jar roasted red peppers in my refrigerator and threw it away because I was worried I had it open for too long.
I wish companies would label a “good for until….after opening” on their products.
I just am a worrier.
I love the idea of artichokes in hummus. Sounds perfect to me.
6:00 pm Jun 25th, 2009I have made a recipe similar, I used leftover fresh artichoke hearts and it was DIVINE.
6:04 pm Jun 25th, 2009Nice challenge and a nice result! I love hummus — so tasty, healthy and satisfying. Thanks!
6:47 pm Jun 25th, 2009I could eat hummus everyday. This looks really good with the artichoke hearts. Love the picture.
7:42 pm Jun 25th, 2009What a great idea for a challenge! I’m honestly not sure I could manage it… Well, probably, but I wouldn’t be happy by the end of it. And now that it’s FINALLY summer in Canada, I couldn’t resist popping out to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Maybe in winter…
At any rate, bravo for being creative and going the extra mile! Pasta was an obvious choice, but this hummus is very original!
7:46 pm Jun 25th, 2009I love the idea of hummus with artichokes. Brilliant! As for the challenge- it sounds like my life in rural New Mexico. Not fun. I’m so grateful to be close to farmers’ markets now— and fresh food!- after three years living off a pantry and shopping once a week.
8:25 pm Jun 25th, 2009Oh, I could go for a big fat bowl of this right now! What a yummy idea, adding artichokes to hummus!
6:30 am Jun 26th, 2009with going out of town every weekend and moving out of my apartment in about a month, i might have to eat my fridge down, too! thanks for the idea, and lovely hummus!
7:44 am Jun 26th, 2009I’m a complete sucker for traditional hummus, Nic, and can’t wait to try this version! Yum!
8:13 am Jun 26th, 2009How cool that you are doing this!
9:51 am Jun 26th, 2009Hi Nicole, I find it slightly ironic and hilarious that, as the fearless leader of our BBA Challenge group, you had no bread in your house! The hummus sounds yummy. I’m moving up to my cottage for the summer, so I will definately try it soon, to serve with cocktails.
10:47 am Jun 26th, 2009Cindy
WOW Nicole, artichoke hummus sounds genius to me! I just mad some hummus for dinner today and will try your recipe the next time I make it.
11:16 am Jun 26th, 2009I need to do this. Freezer, fridge and pantry are overflowing and still I shop.
5:50 pm Jun 26th, 2009Ooooh, this sounds awesome! Great idea… I may just have to make some now
8:32 pm Jun 26th, 2009This version of Humus I have never seen before. Great though. I love artichokes and i am sure it goes well together. Thanks for the idea.
12:40 pm Jun 27th, 2009We make hummus probably twice a week – never tried adding artichokes though, thanks for the idea!
8:04 pm Jun 27th, 2009Dedicated lurker, not-so-much a commenter. However, I have never made (and rarely eaten) hummus but I decided, due to my infatuation with artichokes, that I would try this version.
Oh. My. Laws. This is AMAZING!! I am completely in-love with this. Love, love and more love.
Thank you!
8:03 pm Jun 29th, 2009xox
Hi there – thanks so much for this, made it yesterday and it was great – along with your tabbouleh and tzatziki recipes too! Love your blog, will definitely come back to try your other hummus recipes, and more!
8:38 pm Jun 30th, 2009[...] because I have a delightful surprise for you. Nicole over at Pinch My Salt posted a recipe for Artichoke Hummus a few weeks ago and, due to my obsession with artichokes, I decided to give it a try. See the [...]
8:19 pm Jul 5th, 2009DELICIOUS!
7:16 pm Jul 9th, 2009[...] butter in his version instead of the tahini, and there’s a version with artichoke hearts at Pinch My Salt (great picture, [...]
7:12 pm Jul 22nd, 2009I just discovered your fantastic blog! We have very similar taste in food! I bought a great artichoke hummus at a Farmer’s Market in San Diego last weekend (for $5) and since I am on a tight budget (freakin’ unemployed…damn economy) I decided to make my own. I will try this recipe this week. I am in love with hummus and artichokes so, how could it be wrong when it feels so right? oxo
10:21 pm Jul 25th, 2009Omg, I don’t know if I should make this or not. If I do, it is very possible I would never stop eating it. Hummus and marinated artichokes are near enough my favourite foods. If you threw garlic mushrooms in there somehow I would never need to eat anything else ever again. Okay, maybe chocolate.
9:31 am Sep 18th, 2009[...] recipe is courtesy of Nicole from her great blog Pinch My Salt. I’ve followed her since we met this summer at the National Cherry Festival where we were [...]
4:38 am Oct 10th, 2009What a great site. We are big fans here at How2Heroes!!
11:54 am Feb 15th, 2010[...] Least favorite: Artichoke, although it was still good (recipe) [...]
3:28 pm Mar 5th, 2010Super delicious! Bet there is a ton of things to do with that spread! Saw your bio, and became instantly in need of something Sicilian…. Perhaps tomorrow I will collect my olives, chilies and garlic and see where they take me!
10:14 pm Dec 9th, 2010I hope to have some fun and throw some ideas off at each other… I’m a new blogger and can use all the help I can get!
BTW, love your photos!!
[...] Artichoke hummus from pinch my salt [...]
5:12 pm Apr 24th, 2011The thought never occurred to me to make artichoke hummus. Great Idea! Artichokes are so yummy, and in my opinion hummus was sent from the heavens… can’t wait to try it!
5:21 pm Apr 24th, 2011[...] Artichoke Hummus [...]
9:52 am May 18th, 2011I bookmarked this page
10:54 pm Jan 24th, 2012This looks so good! and it definitely healthier than the one I can find at stores.