Hummus

Bump for later!

If you make it yourself and use tahini and find it too bitter, then omit the tahini in your next batch. I love hummus without the tahini.

Also, hummus makes a great spread for sandwiches for a nutritious lunch.

Yes, hummus is healthy. The fat comes from tahini (sesame seed paste) and olive oil, both of which are healthy fats. Two tablespoons is between 70-80 calories, so stick to 1-2 servings with some veggies, pita chips, or in a sandwich/wrap and you're fine.

As a general PSA, don't fear fat. It's an outdated food philosophy. Fat is not inherently the problem, it's the type of fat. Stick to healthy fats - nuts, seeds, olive oil, fatty fish, avocado, and egg yolks (for the love of God, unless you have a cholesterol problem, eat the yolks!), etc.

^^^this! We need fat. Just my own experience - my weight loss really sped up when I switched from high protein, low everything else to high protein, high fat, low to mid carbs. Unfortnately, I was trying to maintain, but still good to know...

I'm totally addicted to hummus and don't have the patience to make it myself. I've found some that's 50 cals. per 2 tablespoons. Dinner is often lean ground turkey and sunflower seeds mixed into hummus, heated slightly, and eaten with lentil chips. Absolutely delish and very healthy!!!


Edited for spelling - wow, that was realy bad! :blushing:

I mean really, not realy, bad. I give up!

The fat comes from beans and seeds (sesame and chickpeas to be exact) and olive oil, those are sorta "good" kinds of fats, as fats go, and you do need some in your diet. I always consider the stuff I make myself at home to be healthier than the store bought ones though...

you make your own? is that a recipe i can find online or do u mind sharing yours?

You can buy ground chickpeas in most health food stores in there bulk department (make sure it is organic). There are lots of recipes floating around, but the basic lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, and garlic is a good jumping off point. I personally like it a little on the spicy side and I add cayenne and prefer lime juice to the lemon juice. You can add other spices and even use different kinds of beans. Black bean hummus is awesome.

i make mine in the bullet blender.
can of garbonzoes, juice of a lemon,about a tsp of salt, and a spoon of garlic. I use the juice in the can of beans to add enough liquid to make it blendable. You could add just about anything you want to flavor it.
roasted red peppers, (jarred ones work the best) cumin, anything you see at the store, you could add.
I really don't miss the oil, or the tahini.
I use this for my salad dressing.

I'm bumping too, love hummus and need to try some of these yummy looking recipes!

I love spicey hummus on hard boiled eggs. Scoop out the yolk and add a smidgeon of hummus in it's place. Good stuff!

I had hummus for my lunch it was yummy scrummy in my tummy!

The fat comes from beans and seeds (sesame and chickpeas to be exact) and olive oil, those are sorta "good" kinds of fats, as fats go, and you do need some in your diet. I always consider the stuff I make myself at home to be healthier than the store bought ones though...

you make your own? is that a recipe i can find online or do u mind sharing yours?

I lower the calories when I make it by skipping or at least cutting the amount of olive oil. I will make a full batch - and I only use about 1 TBSP of olive oil (or sesame oil to mimic the tanini), and the rest water or stock to thin it to the right consistency. I have even heard of people using greek yogurt instead of oil.
It can be really simple to make - rinse a can of chickpeas - toss in a food processor. Add water, garlic, lemon, pepper, a touch of cumin, and a sprinkle of paprika. Blitz until smooth. I do recommend leaving it in the fridge over night. The flavors will be much better.

Thank you all for the great recipes!

its chickpeas , olive oil , lemon juice and garlic ... perfectly natural and healthy

^^This! And it also depends on the brand of Hummus as well. Just read the ingredients/nutritional label before purchasing. Sweet Potato Hummus is my fave!

Good source of protein and fat but Arabic not Greek if that makes you falafel
Better than humus

I use Alton Brown's Turbo Hummus recipe as a jumping off point, then tweak it to my needs.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/turbo-hummus-recipe/index.html

I've always used Alton Brown's Turbo Hummus recipe but the last two times I've used his Hummus for Real recipe which uses cooked "fresh" chickpeas. So much better than store bought and even better than recipes using canned chickpeas.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/hummus-for-real-recipe/index.html

One note though. When the recipe calls for one pound of chickpeas, it means one pound of cooked chickpeas. If you cook and use one pound of dried chickpeas, you'll need to use double all the other ingredients. But it is fantastic with pita or sugar snap peas!