Hearty and Healthy Hummus

Pass the carrot sticks, pepper pieces and cucumber slices (or crudités if you are feeling particularly posh on this fine Thursday morning) because it is time to tip, blitz and dip. Add to that a few slightly salted, crunchy tortilla chips and you have yourself a set up worthy of a party, if we were currently allowed a party. Sofa tapas it is! No tapas night or general day to day snack pot would be complete without the creamy and soft plant based power house that is hummus. Paired with your favourite vegetables, or even added to a wrap or spread on a piece of wholemeal toast, it will keep you full and ready to power through the rest of your fun filled day. As with all homemade delights of our pre-packaged favourites, we know exactly what is going into the creation. The best part? We are free to pimp it out full blast to suit our ever individual taste buds! Time to blitz!

This recipe makes enough hummus for a number of days’ worth of snacks or a couple of tapas sessions, depending on whether you can stop dipping. It is fully vegan too and has endless flavour opportunities which are discussed further down so no hummus making session needs to be the same.

Hearty Hummus

Level: Easy

Time: 15 minutes

Makes: 3-4 days’ worth of snack size portions, or 1-2 larger meal portions

Equipment

• Food processor
• Spatula

Ingredients

• 400g can of chickpeas
• One garlic clove
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Add the 400g can of chickpeas and some of the water into the food processor.
2. Add the garlic clove and lemon juice.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Blitz the ingredients to the texture you desire. For a super smooth hummus, this will take about 2-3 minutes. TIP: if the mixture is a little dry, or you just prefer it wetter, continue to add more of the chickpea water during blitzing until you reach your desired consistency.
5. Use the spatula to scrape all the hummus into a bowl if you are eating straight away or an airtight container (or containers if you’re super prepped), and keep in the fridge ready for snack time.

Adding Flavour

Before blitzing (step 5) is where you can get creative adding flavours to your hummus. Nothing is really off limits and these are some of my particular favourites:

• Sun Dried Tomatoes – a handful of Mediterranean favourite will give a tangy punch of tomato.
• Pesto – a teaspoon or two will do the trick as pesto can be quite a strong flavour. If you are vegan, be sure to check the packaging to be safe the pesto contains vegan cheese.
• Nut Butter – tahini (sesame seed butter) works particularly well in hummus, but any butter will give a unique, nutty flavour.
• Roasted Vegetables – think beetroot, onion, or red peppers, for example, for an even bigger veg packed snack with rich flavour.
• Spices – a teaspoon or two adds instant flavour. Try smoked paprika or ground cumin to take your tastebuds around the world.
• Herbs – fresh or dried, herbs add another instant hit of fresh flavour. If using dried, one to two teaspoons will do the trick. If using fresh, tear off a big handful.
• Sweet Hummus – really mix up the hummus party by adding a tablespoon of cocoa powder, a drop of vanilla extract and a few pitted Medjool dates for a sweet treat (just don’t add the salt or pepper!).

Super simple and super healthy! The perfect snack that can be enjoyed on the go, at work, in a sandwich, on top of a rice cake, or on the comfort of your own sofa.

Made this recipe? I would love to know! Tag me on Facebook and Instagram.

If you would like to read more about snacking, check out my second blog collaboration with local personal trainer Chantal Law.

#oneshyfoodie