Hummus the Super Snack!

Hummus is a very healthy and tasty dip/puree made from chickpeas; a legume containing a great amount of protein. I make hummus weekly at least, as it keeps for days in the fridge, and is a very nutritious and filling snack.

When eaten with crackers/corn chips/pita bread, it provides a complete plant based protein, plus beneficial plant oils, ensuring satisfying fullness and sustenance for hours. It is a fantastic bite, especially compared to a sugary alternative like a muesli bar. It is especially good for vegetarians and vegans who need to ensure adequate protein intake from plant sources.

Hummus is full of beneficial fibre that feeds our healthy gut bacteria. It becomes a lightly fermented food as soon as the ingredients are blended and stored in fridge providing further benefit for our gut bacteria.

This recipe uses tinned organic chickpeas, if you want to soak and cook your own chickpeas, I would recommend the Stephanie Alexander version (sorry couldn't find an original link!), or Yottam Ottolenghi.

This is a ‘mild’ hummus, but it is easy to make it stronger with more garlic or chilli if you like. I prefer it not too smooth. The volumes below makes just more than two cups.

Recipe:

• 2 tins organic chickpeas, rinsed well, and dried for 20 mins on a tea towel
• 1-2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tahini paste (ground sesame seeds)
• Juice of a whole lemon or more
• 1 heaped teaspoon of ground cumin powder
• 1 heaped teaspoon of ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon of Spanish sweet smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon chilli powder/dried flakes (optional)
• may need ¼ cup water to thin the mixture.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor, taste, adjust for flavour and consistency, more lemon juice if needed, or a little water. No salt needs to be added if you use tinned chickpeas as they are usually already salted.

When storing in fridge, pour a little olive oil over the top to keep nice and fresh. This will keep for about 4-5 days.

A big thanks to @moorhousecreative for the photography!

Enjoy!