By Karen Reed
If you're looking for a delicious, high protein, low-calorie food, hummus is 100 percent the way to go. Made with chickpeas, it's a vegetarian-friendly meat alternative, one that makes a killer dip for chips and veggie sticks and even a filler for your sandwiches.
Here are a few of the reasons you want to eat more hummus:
- High in fiber: The high fiber content means that you'll be more regular with your bathroom trips and your digestive tract will work better. Hummus is an amazing source of both insoluble and soluble fiber, making it a useful addition to your diet!
- Heart-smart: Fiber also helps to lower cholesterol levels, which can reduce your risk of heart disease. By eliminating cholesterol, you prevent arterial narrowing and hardening, both of which can cause cracks and clots.
- Lose weight: The low-calorie content of hummus makes it the perfect diet snack. Break out the veggie sticks, dip and enjoy!
- Fight cancer: Chickpeas contain saponins, phytic acid and protease inhibitors, all of which can protect your cells from free radical damage and oxidative stress.
- Promote healthier bones: Hummus is made with tahini, which is sesame seed paste. Sesame seeds are rich in calcium, as are the chickpeas. Together, they provide a lot of the mineral needed for healthier bones.
- Provide iron: Chickpeas (like all legumes) are an amazing source of iron, which your body uses to produce more red blood cells. Those red blood cells carry oxygen and nutrients, making you healthier overall.
- Control blood sugar: That's right, hummus can prevent blood sugar spikes, thanks mainly to its high fat and fiber content. You get a slow, steady release of energy thanks to your serving of hummus, even if you eat it with bread.
- Non-allergenic: Worried about cutting gluten from your diet? How about dairy? Or peanuts? Or eggs? Hummus is a non-allergenic food, especially if you prepare it without tahini (sesame seed paste). It's highly unlikely to cause a negative food reaction!
All pretty epic reasons to eat more hummus, right?
We've come up with some amazing, delicious and low-calorie hummus recipes for you. Try them to make your own awesome hummus at home:
Traditional Hummus
If you want the classic Middle Eastern version of hummus, this is the recipe to try. It's quick, easy and simple!
Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need:
1 can of chickpeas
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of tahini
1 lemon
1 garlic clove
A small bunch of parsley
Preparation
1. To begin, open the can of chickpeas and drain the liquid. Peel the chickpeas.
2. Try this trick to peeling the peas.
3. Drop the peeled chickpeas into the blender, along with the olive oil, tahini, garlic clove and the parsley. Squeeze half the lemon juice into the blender and blend until smooth. Add more lemon if you want a bit more tang or add water to make the peas smoother without adding acidity.
4. Serve with veggie sticks or pita chips and enjoy!
Spicy Chipotle Hummus
This is my own personal favorite: a spicy dip that's perfect for eating with veggie sticks, pita bread or even tortilla chips. With the spicy chipotle to add a smoky flavor and plenty of salt and pepper, it's a hummus you can't help but love!
Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need:
1 can of chickpeas
1 small can of chipotles (with sauce)
1 lemon
3 tablespoons of tahini paste
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt, pepper, paprika
2 cloves of garlic
Preparation
1. To begin, open the can of chickpeas and drain the liquid. Peel the chickpeas.
2. Drop the chickpeas into the blender, along with the juice of ½ the lemon, ½ the can of chipotles, the tahini paste, the olive oil, garlic and spices. Add a bit of water to make chickpeas more liquid and blend until smooth.
Chip N'Dip Hummus
If you want something unique to serve with your chips at a dinner party or hang out, you'll definitely have to try this unique dish. It's quick and easy to make and it's a type of hummus your guests are guaranteed to love.
Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need:
1 can of chickpeas
2 tablespoons of tahini paste
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of yogurt
1 packet of "sour cream and onion" chip powder
2 garlic cloves
2 limes
1 small bunch of parsley
Preparation
1. To begin, open the can of chickpeas and drain the liquid. Peel the chickpeas.
2. Add the chickpeas into the blender, along with the tahini paste, the olive oil, the yogurt, the garlic cloves, a few sprigs of parsley and the chip powder. Squeeze the limes into the blender, add a tablespoon or two of water and blend until smooth.
3. The yogurt will make the hummus creamy and you'll get that nice "sour cream and onion" flavor that makes for a brilliant dip.
No Oil Hummus
For those who are trying to cut back on calories, this is a beautiful recipe to try. You get the rich, protein-heavy hummus without all the high-calorie oil. It's not quite as smooth or creamy as some of the other hummus recipes on this list, but it still makes one heck of a killer dip for chips, veggie sticks or even as a spread. Best of all, it's fairly low in calories!
Ingredients
1 can of chickpeas
2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup of sesame seeds
1 lemon
2 tablespoons of almond milk
Salt, pepper and paprika
Preparation
1. To begin, open the can of chickpeas and drain the liquid. Peel the chickpeas.
2. Drop the chickpeas into the blender and add in the sesame seeds, the almond milk, the garlic and the juice of half the lemon. Add the salt and pepper as desired and don't forget a pinch of paprika for added heat. Blend until smooth. Add water to make the hummus more liquid and smooth or lemon juice for a bit more tang.
Pesto Hummus
Who doesn't love the rich basil flavors of pesto? Between the pine nuts, parmesan cheese, olive oil and fragrant herb, you have one of the world's favorite dips and pasta flavorings.
This hummus combines the best of pesto with your awesome Middle Eastern dip. It's a bit higher in calories than some of the other dishes, but you can't argue with its amazing basil-heavy taste. You're guaranteed to empty the dish in no time.
This is best when served with fresh bread, though it's a wonderful dip to have alongside veggie sticks and chips of any type.
Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need:
1 can of chickpeas
1 bunch of fresh basil
Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup of pine nuts
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1/3 cup of tahini
2 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation
1. To begin, open the can of chickpeas and drain the liquid. Peel the chickpeas.
2. Drop the chickpeas into the blender and add in four or five basil leaves, 1 ½ tablespoons of parmesan cheese, the pine nuts, tahini, olive oil, garlic and spices. Squeeze in the juice of the lemon and blend until smooth.
3. If the hummus comes out too thick, add in a bit of water and continue blending. You should get a beautifully silky, smooth hummus with rich pesto flavors.
Greek Hummus
The classic Greek flavor has always been a winner and this hummus recipe is no exception! You get a hint of richness from the cumin and cayenne pepper, but the bright flavors of the lemon, garlic and tahini shine with this recipe. If you want to mix it up, you can add in a bit of dill to make it more like a tzatziki yogurt dip. Or, stick with the classics and enjoy the traditional Greek flavor of this hummus.
This is best when served with pita chips, but it makes a great dip for veggie chips as well.
Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need:
1 can of chickpeas
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup of tahini paste
2 tablespoons of olive oil
½ cup of unsweetened full-fat yogurt
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon of cumin
1/3 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Optional: ½ tablespoon of dill
Preparation
1. To begin, open the can of chickpeas and drain the liquid. Peel the chickpeas.
2. Drop the chickpeas into the blender and add the garlic, tahini paste, full fat yogurt, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Add in just one tablespoon of olive oil and blend. If the texture isn't quite as smooth or liquid as you want, add in the second spoonful of olive oil. Add yogurt if needed.
3. Enjoy the bright, cheerful flavors of this amazing hummus!
Cheesy Beet Hummus
The moment your guests see this hummus, their curiosity will be piqued and they'll clamor to find out what you put in the dish. It's a beautifully colorful variation on your classic hummus, one that looks as amazing as it tastes.
You get the sweetness of beets with the rich flavors of the chickpeas and the bite of blue cheese. It's bright, cheery and delicious. Definitely, add this to your table if you want to do something new and out of the box.
Serve this with crudité or bruschetta at a fancy dinner party to really make the meal pop!
Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need:
1 can of chickpeas
1 tablespoon of tahini
1 lemon
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 beet
2 gloves of garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons of crumbled blue cheese
1 ½ tablespoons of walnuts
Preparation
1. To begin, place the beet on the stove to boil. Cook until soft, peel and set aside to cool.
2. As the beets are cooling, toast the walnuts in a cast iron skillet. Once they are toasted, chop them into small pieces and set aside.
3. Open the can of chickpeas and drain the liquid. Peel the chickpeas and drop them into the blender with the tahini, the juice of half the lemon, the olive oil, garlic and spices. Chop the beet and add it into the blender, add a tablespoon of water and blend until smooth.
4. Pour the red hummus into a bowl, top with the walnuts and blue cheese and serve.
Guacamole Hummus
If you love guacamole and hummus, imagine how amazing these two dips are when combined! This is a wicked variation on the classic dips and it's an amazing source of healthy fats, protein and fiber. Definitely, a health food to have in your kitchen at all times!
Note: The avocado will spoil much more quickly than the chickpeas, so you'll need to finish this hummus within a few days of preparing it.
Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need:
1 can of chickpeas
1/3 cup of tahini
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 avocado
2 cloves of garlic
1 lemon or 3 limes
2 tomatoes
1 small onion
2 jalapeno chilies
1 bunch of cilantro
Preparation
1. To begin, open the can of chickpeas and drain the liquid. Peel the chickpeas.
2. Drop the chickpeas into the blender, along with the tahini, olive oil, avocado, cilantro, lemon/lime juice and garlic. Add a bit of water and blend until smooth.
3. Dice the tomatoes, onion and jalapeno into small cubes, add to the guacamole hummus and stir to combine.
4. This is best served with corn tortilla chips, but it works for pita chips, bruschetta or veggie sticks.
This article was reposted with permission from our media associate Positive Health Wellness.
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