Hummus Recipe

I often recommend hummus as a snack with veggies, whole grain pita or crackers, or as a spread on sandwiches and wraps. It is a perfect way to get more legumes into your diet, which adds protein, fiber, beneficial resistant starch, calcium, magnesium, B Vitamins and more. Hummus is a traditional Middle Eastern dish, which kids of all ages tend to enjoy. The combination of chick peas and tahini makes it a high-protein food. Tahini is a creamy paste made of sesame seeds and is a rich source of multiple micronutrients, including copper, zinc, calcium and magnesium. Find out more about the benefits of sesame.

Hummus

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas
5 TBSP tahini
1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice (juice of 1.5-2 lemons)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2-3 roasted garlic cloves*
~3 TBSP Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
Dash of chile powder

Optional:
Chopped parsley
Chopped basil (fistful)
1/4 cup basil pesto
Pine nuts

Place cooked chick-peas in food processor or blender with tahini, salt, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, spices and optional herbs or pesto. Blend until smooth. Add water from can or cooking liquid to obtain desired consistency. Dish into a bowl. Make a small well in the center of the hummus when serving and fill with extra virgin olive oil and add a decorative dash of cumin and chile powder. If you like, garnish with any of the following: chopped herbs and pine nuts.

Make hummus at the beginning of the week for an easy protein to pair with baby carrots.

*Roast a head of garlic on Sunday to use throughout the week. Slice the non-root end off, just enough to make it flat. Wrap in foil and bake for 30 min, flattened side down, at 250 degrees F. Don't forget about it! Set a timer...
Store in the fridge when cooled.

Adapted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair (one of my favorite whole food cookbooks!)

Enjoy,
The Gourmet Healer