Food can provide nutrition, energy, comfort, and shared moments. Food can also be a way to express your creativity and care for others.
One of my favorite fancy simple foods to make is hummus. Garbanzo beans serve as a mild base that allow you to get creative with a variety of flavors. One of my favorites is the combination with black beans. It's always a party favorite dip and packs loads of good nutrition.
To make this delicious side, you will need a food processor and just a few ingredients.
1 can Low or No sodium Garbanzo Beans
1 can Low or No sodium Black Beans
1/3 cup extra virgin Olive Oil
1/3 cup Tahini
1 Lemon (juiced)
2 tbs of the aquafaba (garbanzo bean juice)
4 garlic cloves, you can use more if you enjoy a garlicky flavor
1.5 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt, you can use a bit more to taste, I'm very minimal in my use of salt
1/4 tsp cayenne or chili powder, optional to skip or add more
*Amount of garlic, lemon and spices can be adjusted to taste. If you add more lemon, decrease the amount of olive oil slightly, otherwise your hummus will be too runny. You want the mixture to be creamy, but dense - not runny.
Once you have all your ingredients measured and ready to use, throw all of it into the food processor and blend on high speed. This may take a couple minutes. If some larger chunks remain on the sides, scrape them down and continue blending. Blend until the texture is smooth. You may need to slowly drizzle in more olive oil as you blend if the mixture looks dry. All in all, prep time takes about 10 minutes. It keeps well in the fridge for about 2 weeks, though mine never seems to last that long.
Using two cans of beans will yield quite a bit of hummus. This would be a great homemade dip to serve when hosting a get together. Prepare it the night before and keep it in the fridge for the flavors to really mingle and set. At party time, pair with some whole grain crackers or opt for some baby carrots, cucumber slices and celery sticks and enjoy!
This entire batch will yield about 25-30 servings!
A serving is about 1 oz or 2 tbsp will contain roughly:
Calories . . . . 70 kcal
Fat . . . . . . . 5 g
Protein . . . . . 2 g
Carbs . . . . . 5 g
Fiber . . . . . . 2 g
Sodium . . . . 66 mg
Potassium . . . 55 mg
Iron . . . . . . . 3%
Vit C . . . . . . 1%
Calcium . . . . 1%
This is a tasty way to add more veggies into your diet. If you're looking for more ways to add veggies to your diet, check out this post: Nutritionist Tip: 3 Ways to Add More Veggies to your Diet.