Crunchy Vegetable Sticks with Homemade Hummus

The night before, place 1 cup of dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with cold water by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight (8-12 hours).

Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas. Add them to a medium pot with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and cover with water by 2 inches.

Bring the chickpeas to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface, for about 20-25 minutes until very tender but not mushy.

While the chickpeas cook, prepare the vegetables. Peel 2 medium carrots and cut into 3-inch sticks. Cut 1 medium cucumber, 1 red bell pepper, and 1 yellow bell pepper into similar-sized sticks.

Trim 2 celery stalks and cut into 3-inch pieces. Trim and quarter 4 radishes. Arrange all vegetables on a serving platter.

Reserve 1/4 cup of the chickpea cooking liquid, then drain the chickpeas and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the warm chickpeas, 2 peeled garlic cloves, 1/3 cup tahini, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Process for about 3 minutes until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the hummus is very smooth and creamy. Add more cold water if needed to achieve desired consistency.

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt or lemon juice if desired.

Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl. Create a shallow well in the center with the back of a spoon and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Sprinkle the hummus with 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1/2 teaspoon za'atar (if using), and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.

Serve the hummus alongside the prepared vegetable sticks.