Eating delicious, eating healthy, eating HUMMUS! Can't make hummus without tahini, though. What is tahini? It's a paste made from ground, toasted sesame seeds and vegetable oil, and it's popular in North African, Middle Eastern and Greek cuisines. In Greece, other than in recipes, tahini is used as a breakfast spread. Slather it on a piece of bread and eat it without another topping, or drizzle some honey on it. Tahini contains relatively high levels of calcium, protein, fibre, and iron. When tahini is combined with chickpeas it turns into hummus. And chickpeas contain fibre, lots of protein, folic acid and Omega-3. Because chickpeas are high in fibre they are a healthy source of carbohydrates for diabetics. So make that hummus! Try it with grilled eggplant, it's great that way! Use it instead of mayonnaise. Potato salad with hummus? Great!!!
Here is my recipe for hummus, into which I add some 2% Greek yogurt. This recipe is a protein and calcium powerhouse!!!
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas (about 15 ounces)
3 tablespoons tahini 1 garlic clove finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of ground cumin
chopped parsley for garnish
a bit of olive oil to drizzle for garnish
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted lightly, for garnish
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place them in the bowl of a food processor and add the tahini. Make sure the tahini is mixed well before you remove it from the jar. The oil from the sesame paste tends to float to the top of the jar, so it needs to be reblended with the paste.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the ones that will be used as garnish. Mix until a desired texture is achieved. You might want the hummus to be chunky, or smooth or somewhere in between.
- Remove to a bowl and chill for about two hours before serving. Pour the hummus into a serving bowl and sprinkle the parsley and toasted pine nuts on top to garnish. Finally, drizzle a little olive oil on the hummus and serve.
- Accompany with pita chips and raw vegetables.
- Hummus will keep in the refrigerator for about five days.
