Hummus

Now that Christmas and New Year are gone is time for healthier food. So I decided to stay away from meat for a few weeks and try to eat even more fruits and vegetables. And of course, Tuesday will be the day with only fruits. Is great for my body to clean all the great (but bad) food.

So I will start with my favorite Arabic recipe: hummus. It takes only 10 min to prepare it and is great.

Before we start let me tell you some really good and short things about hummus. Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas are a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the chickpeas. Depending on the recipe, hummus carries varying amounts of monounsaturated fat. Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets; like other combinations of grains and pulses, it serves as a complete protein when eaten with bread.

Ingredients:

2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved

6 chopped garlic cloves

1 tablespoon salt

1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)

juice from 2 lemons

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas

In a blender add the garlic, chickpeas,lemon juice, tahini, salt, olive oil and water. Blend until creamy and well mixed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature with pita bread. For a spicier hummus, add a sliced red chili or a dash of cayenne pepper. Hummus can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and can be kept in the freezer for up to one month. Add a little olive oil if it appears to be too dry. Enjoy!

This is the fast recipe with canned chickpeas and sesame paste already made. I did the “long recipe”  and it takes more than 2 hours, because you need to boil the chickpeas for 2 hours. While you boil the chickpeas you can do the sesame paste.  Preheat oven to 350. Toast sesame seeds for 5-10 minutes, tossing the seeds frequently with a spatula. Do not allow to brown. Cool for 20 minutes. In a blender put olive oil and sesame seeds and blend for 2 minutes. Your tahini need to be thick but still liquid. Add more oil until desired consistency.  Tahini should be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container. It will keep for up to 3 months.