When my husband decided to give up his daily turkey processed meat sandwich over a year ago, we were faced with a dilemma. What could he pack for lunches?
Hummus with fresh vegetables became one of his favorite “go to” sandwiches.
There are plenty of delicious store bought hummus varieties. But hummus is actually very easy and inexpensive to make. I also like to make my own because many store bought varieties are high in oil and/or tahini which makes them relatively calorie dense. I try to keep a container in the refrigerator for snacks and sandwiches. The varieties are endless.
Here are the basics:
Hummus
Ingredients
One (15 oz) can of no salt added garbanzo beans, drained and juice reserved
1-2 Tablespoons of tahini (ground sesame seed paste)
juice of ½ of a lemon
1 clove crushed garlic
your favorite mix-ins:
• jarred roasted red peppers
• jarred marinated artichokes
• olives
• sun-dried tomatoes, oil or dry packed
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In a blender, combine drained garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in your favorite mix ins such as 1/2 cup of drained roasted red peppers from a jar, 1/2 cup of marinated artichokes from a jar (with the marinade), sun-dried tomatoes, or olives. Start to blend, scraping the sides of the blender as needed. If you would like to make it a little smoother, add more vegetables such as roasted red peppers or artichokes and/or add a little bit of the reserved liquid from the canned beans.
Serve with fresh vegetables (e.g., red bell pepper strips, baby carrots, or broccoli), whole grain pita chips, or whole grain crackers (e.g., Triscuits Thin Crisps Original or ak-mak).
You can also spread a thick layer of hummus on 100% whole grain bread, pita, or wrap. Stuff with your favorite fresh vegetables (spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, avocado) or roasted vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, red onion). Because hummus is made from beans, a thick layer can be used as your lean protein source.
This is tahini– ground sesame seeds. Kind of like how peanut butter is just ground peanuts. Tahini gives hummus its characteristic Mediterranean flavor. You can usually find it on the ethnic aisle or the peanut butter aisle. It is kind of pricey at $5-7 for jar but will last for months. Store it in the refrigerator so you can make a batch of hummus whenever you want.
Use your blender to make a very smooth hummus. A food processor will work also but it may be a little chunky.
