Hummus is a delicious Middle Eastern snack! It is such an easy way to up your plant based protein intake. It provides you with protein and a number of essential vitamin and minerals, and while it can be high in fat due to the tahini and olive oil content, it is mostly heart-healthy unsaturated fat.
Chickpeas – Chickpeas are a legume often used in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking. They are a great source of vitamins and minerals, and have been shown to help lower cholesterol. They are a great source of insoluble and soluble fibre as well as manganese and iron for energy production.
Tahini – Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds which also plays an important role in Middle Eastern cooking. One serve of tahini contains 7.9 grams of fat however only 1.1 of this is saturated fat. Tahini is a great source of healthy fatty acids containing a large amount of omega 3’s making it great for your brain and heart health. Tahini is packed full of vitamins and minerals such as Thiamine, phosphorus and copper.
Garlic – Has many medicinal properties as well as culinary uses. It is an excellent source of minerals and vitamins that are essential for optimal health. The bulbs are one of the richest sources of potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and selenium. Selenium is a heart-healthy mineral, and is an important cofactor for antioxidant enzymes within the body. It contains many flavonoid anti-oxidants like carotene beta and vitamins like vitamin-C. Vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infections and disease!
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS –
- 2 x cans chickpeas (preferably organic)
- 1 x lemon juice and zest
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 garlic cloves (I use pre-roasted but raw works too)
- 3/4 cup stock
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1x tsp cumin & ground coriander
- 1x tsp paprika (optional)
- Salt to season
- Vegetable sticks – you can use celery, cucumber, radish, carrots, pepper – anything you may like!
METHOD
- Drain the chickpeas and rinse under water. I like to boil the chickpeas for a few minutes and allow to cool for 2 minutes before processing. If you want to remove the skins you can however I find this can be quite time consuming and not really necessary.
- Place the tahini and lemon in the blender first and whip them together for a few minutes until the tahini becomes airy and light in colour.
- Next add the chickpeas and garlic to the blender and blitz through for a few minutes.
- Place the herbs and bone broth in the blender and combine until smooth.
- I like to add in the olive oil at the very end whilst the blender is running. Drizzle it in until quite smooth or if you prefer it chunky that is great too!
- Serve with a selection of vegetable sticks
