Experimental Hummus

mutantspicy

So I'm going to try to make a lower calorie / lower fat / higher protein hummus tonight.
To do so I will be reducing the amount of olive oil by a half or more if I can get away with it.

I also will not use Tahini, instead I will be making a Tahini like substance out of whey/toasted pine nuts/fat free yogurt. if necessary I may add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil.

The yogurt will make it so I cannot add lemon juice, so I will sub in dried lemon zest in its place.

Has anyone tried something like this? If so any tips would be welcome. Otherwise I'll you know how it comes out.

janejellyroll

I have made lower calorie/fat hummus before, using a recipe by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Here is a link: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/hummus-friends-low-fat-with-6-variations-447757

My verdict: It's not bad. I like it more when stuff is added to it (like roasted red bell pepper).

I ate this a lot when I was in a deficit. I do prefer regular hummus so I don't eat it as much anymore. But if I'm using hummus for something like a multi-layer dip or a sandwich, I'll still often go back to this because there are a lot of other flavors going on so I don't miss the fat as much.

mutantspicy

Roasted pepper would be a welcome addition, and I do have some baby sweets in the crisper.

estherdragonbat

I don't try to make a lower calorie hummus, necessarily, but I will say that the addition of grated carrot and basil is quite nice. (I didn't measure it; it was basically "Other recipe calls for 1/4 cup grated carrot. This was a big carrot and now I have extra. Whatever shall I do with it? Maybe... I'll throw it in the hummus! Wow. It worked!"

acpgee

You could try pb2 as a tahini replacement.

mutantspicy

crazyravr wrote: »

mutantspicy wrote: »

So I'm going to try to make a lower calorie / lower fat / higher protein hummus tonight.
To do so I will be reducing the amount of olive oil by a half or more if I can get away with it.

I also will not use Tahini, instead I will be making a Tahini like substance out of whey/toasted pine nuts/fat free yogurt. if necessary I may add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil.

The yogurt will make it so I cannot add lemon juice, so I will sub in dried lemon zest in its place.

Has anyone tried something like this? If so any tips would be welcome. Otherwise I'll you know how it comes out.

Right there. Not hummus at all.

Also, but doing all these weird and unnecessary replacements, you are not saving any calories at all. None. Why complicate things when basic hummus is easy to make and good for you???

For a cup of chickpeas all you need a TBSP of tahini to give it that taste and texture. Add the water to the paste from canned chickpeas in order to thin it out.

Because I want to add protein powder to the mix, I'm making calorie space for that. Also, none of this even remotely complicated. Its still just putting stuff in a blender with chick peas. It has nothing to with whats healthy or not, its has to do with macros, I'm looking to make a high protein / low fat version to fit with my goal for the evening.

saragd012

estherdragonbat wrote: »

I don't try to make a lower calorie hummus, necessarily, but I will say that the addition of grated carrot and basil is quite nice. (I didn't measure it; it was basically "Other recipe calls for 1/4 cup grated carrot. This was a big carrot and now I have extra. Whatever shall I do with it? Maybe... I'll throw it in the hummus! Wow. It worked!"

I love adding raw carrots to my hummus too, the sweetness is really nice, I especially like it served with fresh jalapenos on top!

OP - I'd love to hear how the experiment goes with the extra protein, sounds interesting for sure. I'm always looking for new tasty ways to get extra protein.

mutantspicy

acpgee wrote: »

You could try pb2 as a tahini replacement.

Yeah I don't have any of that on hand, but I was considering trying almond butter. I'll probably try that down in the near future. I also considered making paste out of sunflower seeds at some point as well.

acpgee

If you are considering nut butters, you might as well just use tahini. If you want to cut down the fat, just replace some of the olive oil with water.

Here is a not so low calorie bean dip I like that has extra protein because of cheese.
https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/simple-white-bean-crostini

mutantspicy

^right. I'm definitely not going to use nut butter for this go around, the PB2 tho is a good idea. For tonight I'm Just looking for a non invasive way to cream up the protein powder. Thus the non fat yogurt. I may just use a tiny bit of tahini and water to blend it, instead of yogurt. Then drop out even more oil.

mutantspicy

saragd012 wrote: »

estherdragonbat wrote: »

I don't try to make a lower calorie hummus, necessarily, but I will say that the addition of grated carrot and basil is quite nice. (I didn't measure it; it was basically "Other recipe calls for 1/4 cup grated carrot. This was a big carrot and now I have extra. Whatever shall I do with it? Maybe... I'll throw it in the hummus! Wow. It worked!"

I love adding raw carrots to my hummus too, the sweetness is really nice, I especially like it served with fresh jalapenos on top!

OP - I'd love to hear how the experiment goes with the extra protein, sounds interesting for sure. I'm always looking for new tasty ways to get extra protein.

Lol. I plan to dip carrot sticks, and other raw vegetables in this hummus.

funjen1972

One of my favorite restaurants does a rustic tableside hummus. It is so simple and delicious:

Garbanzo beans, skins removed
Garlic
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Desired mix-ins (anchovies, tomato, olives, pine nuts, herbs, etc...)

Mash it all together with a mortar and pestle, which basically makes a chunky bean dip. I've done it at home in a mixer and added water or yogurt to smooth, then added any extras. Delicious!

lynn_glenmont

crazyravr wrote: »

acpgee wrote: »

You could try pb2 as a tahini replacement.

How is this even remotely close????? Completely different taste.

Actually, I sort of go the other way, using tahini as a substitute for regular peanut butter (but my regular peanut butter doesn't have any added sugar, so it's definitely a savory flavor). Tahini and banana sandwiches, or a little tahini spread on a chocolate bar is really yummy. Or a small spoonful of tahini straight from jar. (I'm not doing it to achieve any particular nutritional result -- just doing it for flavor. I like savory, and I like bitter.)

jgnatca

I found I’m happy with a lot less hummus when I eat it full fat.

It got me thinking about the popular spreads; peanut butter, egg salad (eggs and mayonnaise) and the magic happens with that little extra fat. Even the chickpea, with the addition of tahini and olive oil, approaches the nutritional profile of peanut butter.

I asked myself, why fight it? Enjoy the full fat version and the fat soluble vitamins that go with it. Quality over quantity.

mutantspicy

Well I did use Tahini about half of what I would normally use, and only very small amount of olive oil. The added protein powder required me to use additional cumin, paprika, and lemon juice to get a flavor I liked. I only went over my calorie goal with the hummus by 50 cals, so it worked out. If I would were to do it again, I would use a different more neutral powder like an unflavored isolate instead of regular whey. And do it when I have more calories to spare so I can add olive oil. I did miss that flavor. That said, I was stuffed, the powder made it really filling.

A lot of people say fat fills them up, while I like the flavor profiles they bring, they are not filling for me. Olive oil, peanuts, pistachios, avocados, olives I can totally pig out on all those things. Fatty stuff tends to make me crave more. Vegetables, Beans, any high fiber carb and actually wine are things I find to be filling. Lean chicken breast and turkey is filling, but I can eat a ton of steak for instance. I think my body just craves fats like some people crave carbs. Carbs fill me up, the chick peas by themselves fill me up pretty quick.

This was a neat little experiment to sneak some protein in to get up to my daily goal, I made it but I will do some things differently next time.

amusedmonkey

I personally prefer not to mess with stuff by adding protein powder unless it's well tolerated in that context (like in muffins or shakes). If a meal lacks protein I just make a minimal microwaved whey "mug cake" and have it with tea after a meal.

mutantspicy

funjen1972 wrote: »

One of my favorite restaurants does a rustic tableside hummus. It is so simple and delicious:

Garbanzo beans, skins removed
Garlic
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Desired mix-ins (anchovies, tomato, olives, pine nuts, herbs, etc...)

Mash it all together with a mortar and pestle, which basically makes a chunky bean dip. I've done it at home in a mixer and added water or yogurt to smooth, then added any extras. Delicious!

I like this idea! Sounds cool!

mutantspicy

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

crazyravr wrote: »

acpgee wrote: »

You could try pb2 as a tahini replacement.

How is this even remotely close????? Completely different taste.

Actually, I sort of go the other way, using tahini as a substitute for regular peanut butter (but my regular peanut butter doesn't have any added sugar, so it's definitely a savory flavor). Tahini and banana sandwiches, or a little tahini spread on a chocolate bar is really yummy. Or a small spoonful of tahini straight from jar. (I'm not doing it to achieve any particular nutritional result -- just doing it for flavor. I like savory, and I like bitter.)

Tahini on a chocolate bar sounds delicious!

jlemoore

I make a hummus without oil and tahini. Believe it or not, its pretty good. Just add the cumin, garlic, a touch of cayenne, and lemon juice to the chick peas and blend. Add the "bean juice" (aquafaba) as needed. Salt to taste

Also for a chocolate fix I use black beans, PB powder, cocoa powder, honey and stevia.