Hummus. Vegetables that you eat on other vegetables.
Healthy, fully of fiber, full of flavor, and in this case (compared to store bought varieties), very low in fat.
Hummus can sometimes be loaded with olive oil. While that makes it taste great, it also makes my stomach have a fit. So I took my old recipe and took out almost all of the oil.
I also added some extra parsley right into the hummus rather than just as a garnish.
This has become a staple in our house. When you make it, cut up a big bunch of veggies and put them in zipper bags or plastic tubs in the fridge. Package up the hummus in small to-go containers then you can grab a healthy snack when you’re headed out the door.
Here’s what you need:
Chick Peas/Garbanzo Beans, Tahini*, Lemon, Garlic, Parsley, Olive Oil, Hot Sauce, Salt & Pepper.
Click here for a Healthy Hummus Shopping List
*Tahini is a paste made from roasted sesame seeds. It adds an extra layer of subtle flavor plus some protein and calcium from the sesame seeds. It is a traditional addition to hummus.
If you have a Whole Foods or a Co-Op, you’ll easily find Tahini. Other big grocery stores probably have it as well although in mine it’s hidden in the “organic” and “green” section.
Garlic is essential to hummus. Smash 2 or 3 cloves (or more) to remove the outer skin. Toss them into the food processor or sturdy chopping blender.
Add 2 (15 ounce) cans of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans.
Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup). Add 1/4 cup of fresh parsley.
If you have tahini, give it a stir. If you’re me, make a huge mess while you’re stirring the tahini. If someone has tahini stirring tricks, please let me know.
Add 1/4 cup of tahini to the food processor.
To help the beans mix together and become smooth, add 1/2 cup of water.
Start the food processor and grind all of the ingredients together until they are fairly smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides.
Add 1 Tablespoon of good olive oil.
For a little kick, I added a few dashes of Tabasco sauce. Any hot sauce will do the trick.
Season with salt & pepper – for me about 1 teaspoon each.
Give it another whirl in the food processor to grind to a smooth consistency. I like my hummus a bit on the thicker side. If you want more traditional smooth hummus, you will need either a little more water or more olive oil.
Taste and adjust the seasonings. I always end up adding just a bit more lemon juice at the end.
Once you have a basic hummus recipe, you can start experimenting with fun additions like Roasted Red Peppers or Sun Dried Tomatoes. I have plans to sub out the lemon for lime juice on a future batch.
This keeps for at least a week in the refrigerator…although you probably won’t have it around nearly that long.
It’s easy to eat your veggies when they taste this good!
Here’s the recipe:
15 Responses
If you cook the garbanzos yourself, use some of the cooking water to thin it out. Delish!
My favorite tool for the job:
http://operaflute.blogspot.com/2010/08/another-set-of-new-wheels-this-time.html
Then you don’t need to much oil or liquid to make it go ’round and ’round in the food processor.
Just added a link to your blog on my blog! Seems only fair, since my recipes are, errrr, not nearly as clear as yours!
I forgot to say: When I make hummus, I take the tahini out of the fridge first and turn the jar upsidedown for a few. Flip-fop it every few minutes while you’re gathering/prepping the rest of the ingredients. Not perfect, but definitely gets the process started.
Oh, good idea with the tahini. I was stirring it all over the counter, making a huge mess. I was very close to dumping the whole jar in the food processor and giving it a quick whirl.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm baby! in a day or 2, I am gonna try hummus with artichokes….I love your version, so pretty, so awesome!
Artichokes! Great idea!
We just got some tahini to make some hummus! Great minds think alike. Looks delish!
Look at all the hummus enthusiasts on here today!
I didn’t know you could ‘make’ hummus. Silly me. 🙂
This looks really really good….and when I catch myself eating vegetables on vegetables, I start to get all ‘high and mighty’ shouting to everyone how healthy I am. My people don’t like it when I do that.
Here is a very intriguing and interesting story for you to read:
http://daybydaywithsuz.blogspot.com/2009/05/my-chick-pea-story-i-know-most-of-you.html
Ok, I lied, it’s not intriguing or interesting.
You might want to try the one with roasted red peppers too. It’s really good.
I linked to you too! A great recipe. But what do I do with the rest of that jar of tahini? Any suggestions?
Tahini is a necessary ingredient for authentic baba ghanoush. If you’re into Middle- Eastern-style dips like hummus, and if you like eggplant, you will enjoy baba ghanoush. A Google search will produce lots of good recipes for it. Pita bread is great for dipping hummus AND baba ghanoush.
GREAT idea Roz! I love eggplant. Haven’t made baba ghanoush in ages. Thanks for the suggestion!
Cindy, put the link up here if you have a chance. I’ll also put it up on the Idiot’s Kitchen facebook page.