Make over your afternoon snack! (Healthy Hummus Recipe)

I was recently spending time with a friend who’s trying to drop a few pounds for summer. When she reached into the fridge for her afternoon snack, she pulled out sliced bell peppers and celery sticks and a container of hummus. Then she scooped out about a ½ cup of the hummus into a bowl for herself — diet trap!

Hummus has earned its reputation as a nutritional star. Chickpeas, which it’s made from, are packed with fiber and protein and are a good source of magnesium and zinc. But one serving is only about two tablespoons, and for many commercial brands, that’s about 70 calories, 6 grams of fat and 1 gram of fiber. This amount does little to stop hunger especially since it’s quite low in fiber and protein. If you consume a ½ cup as my friend did you eat about 280 calories and 24 grams of fat!

But you can reap its benefits by making your own and skipping the large quantities of oil and tahini most brands have. Homemade hummus made with minimal oil is not only healthier, it actually tastes better because of all the fresh herbs. It’s super simple and quick to make — you can make a container in advance for the week. Feel free to veer from the recipe slightly if you like to experiment with different herbs but keep the ratio of oil to chickpeas and herbs consistent.

Homemade Garlic Herb Hummus

Total Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Comments (2)

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Tuesday June 15, 2010 The Healthy Apple wrote:

... This recipe is available on my blog, The Healthy Apple at: http://thehealthyapple.com/201...et-hummus/

Here’s a tasty spin on the classic hummus platter…I opted to toss in fresh beets for a sweet flavor without the added sugar. Beets are a wonderful source of folate, potassium, dietary fiber and manganese…This beautiful Beet Hummus is incredibly tasty and pairs well as a dip for crudites, fruits or crackers as well as an amazing spread on sandwiches and bagels.

Ingredients

* 5 large beets, scrubbed, cooked and cubed
* 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled, cored and sliced
* 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
* 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
* 2 small cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
* 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro
* Pinch of sea salt and pepper

Directions

* Combine all ingredients in a food processor; pulse until smooth.
* Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy with gluten free crackers, pretzels and crudites.
* Enjoy!
This recipe is available on my blog, The Healthy Apple at: http://thehealthyapple.com/201...et-hummus/

Tuesday June 15, 2010 Jessica wrote:

... My family is Lebanese and has been making hummus since I was a child. to make the dish even healthier I always add a can of Northern Beans to the chick peas. It makes the texture silky smooth and adds the extra protien & fiber of the beans! If you have the extra cash a tablespoon of tahini also adds another demension of flavor! YUM!

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