Is it just me or is hummus becoming more popular by the day? It’s a staple at any hors d’œuvre table, the perfect topping for any sandwich, and hits the spot for a mid-afternoon snack with most fruits or vegetables.
Hummus is not only versatile but good for you too! The chickpea is a bean, and we all know that beans provide an excellent alternative to meat for protein. Plus you get a whole bunch of other good stuff you from beans that you can’t find in meat (antioxidants and fiber to name a few). I think that chickpeas sometimes slide under the radar of the bean “stigma” because they are used to make hummus, and who doesn’t love hummus. The formula may change, but the foundation is always the same – chickpeas, tahini and olive oil.
Hummus is one of my favorite foods and I love how popular it has become. Growing up I don’t think most of my friends knew what hummus was and I felt that it never tasted as good as it did in Israel. Now the manufacturing companies are getting the hang of it. My hummus “habit” can get pretty expensive with the frequency that I like to eat hummus so I now make it at home. It’s a lot less expensive, plus I don’t have the preservatives and other chemicals that many food companies add to preserve “freshness”, which is kind of ironic.
This recipe is for asparagus hummus. Swap the asparagus for another vegetable for variety or skip the extra vegetable all together for the old-school style hummus.
Ingredients:
3.5 cups Chickpeas, cooked or canned
½ cup tahini
2 cloves of garlic
1 bunch asparagus, steamed and chopped
1.5 teaspoons paprika
½ cup olive oil
½ cup water
½ teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender or food processor and combine thoroughly