Hummus is a creamy and nutritious dip that has been part of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine for centuries. It is made primarily from chickpeas, tahini, and olive oil. Chickpeas were first grown in the Middle East around 7,000 years ago. Hummus has great history and is a popular snack and appetizer. Since I like it so much, I decided to make some. Here is some information about my first attempt at making homemade hummus.
One might ask, why not just buy it in the store? That is an option and I have done that for years. However, when I read the ingredients closer, I decided to make some on my own. Since, I am trying to stay away from seed oils as much as I can, the brands I found have the unhealthy fats in them. I will keep looking at labels on other brands.
In the cabinet there were a couple of cans of chickpeas. I have never bought Tahini before and really did not know much about it. After some research, I learned it is a sesame paste about the same consistency of peanut butter. In addition to putting chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic in the food processor, I added some kalamata olives to add to the rich, nutty flavor.
We had out of town guests, and they did a taste test for me. They reported it was delicious. (I’m sure they were being kind!). It was good, but a little thick and it had too much garlic. Next time I will add a little more olive oil and cut down on the garlic. I will try roasted red peppers as the added flavor. I looked on Pinterest and there were several recipes I used as a guide.
One of the main benefits of hummus is its nutritional value. Chickpeas and tahini are good sources of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Chickpeas bring in healthy fiber and tahini and olive oil are a good source of health fats.
It seems like I have been eating hummus on everything! So far, I have eaten it with raw veggies, roasted veggies, grilled chicken, turkey sausage links and steak. I know I will be making more since my first attempt at making homemade hummus was a success!