Hummus

Basic Hummus

This is an extremely basic hummus recipe. One of the great things about hummus is that it can serve as a blank canvas for all sorts of flavor profiles. You can add spices, chilis, roasted vegetables, and really anything else you like. The idea is to make it yours! Hummus is basically a mixture of chickpeas or garbanzo beans, water, olive oil, salt, and tahini. Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds.

Sesame seeds have been used in food preparation as far back as 1600 BC. They are an incredible source of copper, manganese, and tryptophan. They also contain significant amounts of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamine, and fiber for good gut health. Two unique compounds found in sesame seeds are sesamin and sesamolin. These substances are known as lignans. Lignans have been shown to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, resulting in improved cardiovascular health. They may also act increased vitamin E bioavailability. Sesamin has been shown to protect the liver from oxidative damage. Sesame may be of value in helping people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, colon cancer, migraines, and osteoporosis.

Chick peas

Ingredients:

  • 400 g dried chickpeas (approximately 14 ounces)
  • 1 L of water (approximately 4 cups)
  • 2 heads of garlic, roasted
  • Juice and zest of one lemon
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 375 mL of good quality organic extra virgin olive oil
  • 225 g tahini paste
  • 500 mL water
  • ½ bunch flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
  • ½ bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
  • Paprika for garnish

 

Directions:

Soak the chickpeas overnight in water. Drain, and place in a large pot with 1 L of water and a dash of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, approximately two hours. If using a pressure cooker to cook the chickpeas, follow your manufacturer’s directions. Cool the cook chickpeas. Add to a food processor all the ingredients except the 500 mL of water, parsley, cilantro, and paprika. Purée the mixture as you drizzle in the water. Add as much water – or as little – as needed to achieve the consistency you want. Less water for a thicker hummus, more water for thinner consistency. Once the desired consistency is reached, and the parsley and cilantro and pulse to uniformly mix. Remove and garnish with an additional drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and some paprika.

Hummus