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Healthy Dip – Prepare Your Own Hummus Recipe

Mediterranean cuisine has introduced us to our a different kind of healthy dip or spread. Hummus is a popular alternative to sour cream dips or cream cheese spreads. Some people buy hummus from a specialty shop already prepared. However, because the cost of preparing a hummus recipe on your own is very inexpensive and so easy to make, you could whip up your own hummus dip in just a few minutes and save yourself a bit of cash also. And the varieties  – you can make lemon or garlic flavored or even a super spicy dip for the adventurous palate. You can add spinach or roasted peppers or even roasted eggplant.

Ingredients

There are two basic ingredients – chickpeas and tahini. In some other recipes, garbanzo beans are listed as the main ingredient. Chickpeas and garbanzos are the same thing, garbanzo being the Spanish term for chickpea. Tahini is the other main ingredient used in every hummus recipe. These are sesame seeds that are ground until the seeds achieve the consistency of a paste. You can make this yourself in a food processor or pick up a jar of tahini.

Hummus recipe preparation

Preparing the hummus dip does not require any culinary expertise and preparation can take as little as 5 minutes. You just  place the ingredients in a food processor, run the small appliance until the chickpeas are crushed and processed to achieve the desired consistency. If you need to add liquid to get the hummus to the desired consistency you can add extra-virgin olive oil, broth, water or even tomato juice. Taste and add salt to taste (if needed). Truly – it takes less than 5 minutes.

Nutrients

As this dip is made from beans (chickpeas or garbanzos beans) and seeds, hummus is rich in protein. The two ingredients both come from the plant kingdom like the main ingredient of any quinoa recipe. Thus both hummus and quinoa recipes are loaded with protein. Other nutrients in a hummus dip are iron, folic acid and monosaturated fats. With sesame seeds in the tahini paste, the hummus dip is a good source of amino acid. Again, like quinoa, hummus is a good source of protein and dietary fiber.

Due to the simple way to prepare the dip and the availability and affordability of the ingredients, you can serve hummus dip very frequently. If you want to have hummus dip with a twist, add other ingredients for a different taste. Hummus is also good for vegetarians and goes well with chips, breads and fruits.

NOTE FROM UNDIET: We like hummus also because it is a good way to have a healthy spread or dip when having a Starch meal. We generally will add vegetables to the hummus to cut down on calories and to add a nice flavor.

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