Hummus

Five Ways

I am obsessed with Hummus.  I can eat it every day, well almost every day.  Chickpeas are a great source of protein and fiber.  A little bit of History on hummus, Hummus is actually the Arabic word for chickpea, called garbanzo in Spanish, Ceci in Italian, Gram in India.  The Phoenicians are credited with bringing the chickpea to western Europe, but there is some dispute over that.  Certainly, by Roman times the garbanzo had become entrenched in the Iberian diet. So there are lots of versions of hummus, “invented” in lots of places.  Like they say “Make hummus not war”.

All you need to make Hummus is 15 oz can or dried Chickpeas, Tahini, Olive oil, 2-3 lemons, salt, and cumin. Garnish with parsley, mint, or roasted Pinenuts or roasted chickpeas, and Paprika. Voilá. 

 

15 oz can of Chickpeas with liquid or *dried Chickpeas 
1/4 cup of lemon juice ( add more lemon if needed)
1/2 cup of tahini, at room temperature
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of ground Cumin
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (add more if needed)
6 peeled of the garlic cloves

 

Garnish:
Chopped fresh parsley or fresh mint or even rosemary
Sprinkle Paprika 
Roasted Pine Nuts and or 2 tbsp roasted chickpeas
You can also garnish it with peeled cucumber cut very small

Hummus

In a can or fresh dried chickpeas

From a can:  Depending the brand the price can vary from $1.19 to $2.39

1 whole can chickpeas drain the water, heat on the stove, not boil chickpeas with fresh water about 10 minutes, take it off the stove, cool drain the chickpeas and keep the water separately in a bowl, or use Fresh Dried Chickpeas.

*2 cups of fresh dried chickpeas.  In a medium bowl, cover the dried chickpeas with 2 inches of water at least 12 hours to 20 hours basically overnight, drain the chickpeas and rinse
them under cold water. In a medium pan, heat on a stove in low heat add the chickpeas
with 2 inches of fresh water and 6 large unpeeled garlic cloves about 40 minutes
(do not boil)or until the chickpeas are tender.

Drain, and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water for mixing with the rest of the ingredients, and 2 tablespoons
of the chickpeas set aside for the topping.

 

Direction:

In a food processor, puree the chickpeas with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water,  6 peeled off the garlic cloves. Add the cumin along with 1/2 cup of the tahini and 1/4 cup lemon juice and process until creamy.  Season the hummus with salt and transfer to a serving bowl.  

The benefit in garlic is preventing most food from poisoning you, antibiotic, antiviral and anti-fungus.)

 

My mum use to tell me “Eat garlic, it will kill the bacteria, and any virus in your body!” As we needed, Living in Africa)

Serve with baked pita chips, and veggies. 

Spread the hummus on a plate, and make a small circle around the center then pour the olive oil.

Garnish with parsley or fresh mint, sprinkle Paprika, the 2 tbsp roasted chickpeas which you set aside, and even you can add roasted Pine Nuts.  

Food is like Art! You are the artist, be creative.  Serve with baked pita chips, and also with fresh organic or from the farmers market serve with different kind of veggies like red and yellow pepper slices (high in vitamin C), green beans, and Asparagus, Broccoli, Bok choy, Radicchio, celery, cut up onions, and Carrots. 

 

This is the bread that I purchase from Wholefood Marketplace, Ezekiel bread for my dips, the ingredients are 100% whole wheat flour water, organic fresh carrots, organic barley flour, organic millet flour, organic lentil flour, organic spelt four, organic soya flour, fresh yeast, sea salt.  I love it and its shape is like pita bread. Cost is $2.99.

Benefits of Cumin

*The Greeks and Romans also used cumin and highly regarded it as one of the essential spices. In the Middle Age, cumin seed was thought to promote love and fidelity, so it was carried by attendees of weddings.

 

 Hummus Recipe with Yogurt

Ingredients

1/4 cup yogurt
1 can Garbanzo Beans “ChickPeas” drain the water and rinse
1/2 cup Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste)
1/2 cup Lemon Juice (add more if needed)
2-3 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Tsp of Salt
2 Tbsp water, if too thick
2-4 Fresh Mint Leaves for taste
2 Tbsp of Fesh Parsley for garnish
1 Tsp of Cayenne Pepper or if you don’t have Cayenne Pepper use Paprika
1/4 Cup of Olive oil

Direction

Mix first 8 ingredients and blend until smooth and to desired thickness. Garnish with parsley, cayenne pepper and olive oil.

Hummus with Tahini

Ingredients

8 oz dried raw chickpea, covered with water and soaked overnight
2 large juice of lemons
2/3 cup Tahini (sesame paste)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of cumin
salt and pepper
1 tsp of paprika
Parsley, chopped to garnish
Pita bread to serve

Directions

Drain the chickpeas, put in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then simmer for about 2 hours or until very tender.
Drain the chickpeas, reserving a little of the liquid, and put in a food processor, reserving a few to garnish. Blend the chickpeas until smooth, gradually adding the lemon juice and enough reserved liquid to form a smooth, thick purée.
Add the sesame seed paste, garlic, 3 tablespoon of the olive oil and the cumin and blend until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper.
Turn the mixture into a shallow serving dish and chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours before serving. To serve, mix the reserved olive oil with the paprika and drizzle over the top of the dish. Sprinkle with the parsley and reserved chikpeas.

Serve with Pita bread.

Here’s another Dip

Almond coconut veggie dip

Ingredients

1/2 cup full fat organic coconut milk from the can
/2 cup raw almond butter
3-5 sprigs fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp garlic powder or 1-3 fresh garlic cloves
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes

Direction

Add the following ingredients to a food processor and blend away until smooth. Great with veggies.

Bonus!

Peanut Butter Hummus for Sandwich spread

1 15 oz – 19 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drain, reserve the liquid
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter or almond butter
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (add more if needed)
Salt and ground cayenne pepper, to taste

Preparation

Combine the garbanzo beans, peanut butter or almond butter, lemon juice and zest of 1 lemon, and garlic in a food processor. With the machine running, add the oil. Add enough of the reserved bean liquid to make a smooth and fluffy. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Reserve up to 5 days ahead, covered and refrigerated.