Hummus By Tom Poljak Hummus is a wonderful and refreshing versatile dip that is extremely easy to prepare. Originating from the ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds, hummus dates back to well over 7,000 years. Its principal ingredient, chickpeas, had been consumed by people in Palestine earlier than 4000 B.C. and were common street dishes in ancient Rome. It is unknown, however, whether chickpeas were commonly mashed or added with tahini (sesame paste) during those ancient times. The other main ingredients in hummus were also found during this time period in this region: olives for olive oil, garlic, and lemon – the last to find its way to the Mediterranean and Middle East. Hummus is a great food if you are on a protein-rich diet or if you’re a vegetarian. Just do yourself a favor and make it yourself. Although hummus can be very healthy, you must be careful with the store-bought variety, which usually has twice as many calories and, in most cases, lacks the nutrients as well. What you might not realize is that the pita chips you use to dip into the hummus are also adding to the calories. So just be sure to watch what and how much you eat.

Although it’s easier to pop open a can from the shelf, try soaking small dried chickpeas instead for a healthy alternative. Canned chickpeas have more than 50% more sodium than cooked chickpeas, as well as about 50% less niacin and folate, 48% less iron, 42% less copper; 30% less magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium; and about 15% less zinc, calcium, and selenium.

Chickpeas also contain 18 essential amino acids, the nutritional value of which decreases by about 35% with the canned variety. Omega-3’s are a very important part of any healthy diet, and you’ll have about 48% less if you use canned as opposed to cooked chickpeas. (Source:www.nutritiondata.com). There are hundreds of ways to make hummus. When experimenting, you’ll find what you like to satisfy your own taste. Some like it thick; others like it loose. Some like a little tahini paste; others like a lot. You can also adjust the amount of garlic and lemon you use in order to fit your individual taste. If you take the simple steps of soaking and cooking your dried chickpeas, they’ll taste better, and you’ll have around 50% more nutrients than with the canned variety. Hummus might be one of the easiest recipes you can prepare. Best of all, it is a wonderfully flavorful dish that is really hard to goof up! Just remember: Don’t buy store bought! Make your own. It’s simple to prepare, and better for you, too. Enjoy!

Below is a basic method for sorting, soaking and cooking the dried chickpeas. Try to make sure you choose beans that aren’t too old. This method is harder than opening a can of store bought beans, but is worth the calorie and nutritional saving.

1. Thoroughly rinse the beans and drain. Sort through the beans and look for any stones, damaged or discolored beans and discard. Try to find small and fresh beans. Old beans will not yield good results.
2. Rinse the beans again several times if necessary until the water has a clear color and drain again.
3. Soak the beans in a pot using new filtered or spring drinking water to make sure the water is as pure as possible. Let beans soak for ten to twelve hours in the refrigerator. The grains should absorb the water and double in size.
4. Once done soaking, strain the beans and rinse again. Put the beans in a crock-pot and fill with fresh filtered or spring water again. Let the beans simmer for approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. Test the beans and you want them to easily smash between two fingers.
5. Once you feel the beans are ready, turn off your heating element. Add some salt and let cool in the water for about a half an hour. Drain and reserve the water. Once drained from the water. Refrigerate immediately until ready for use.
6. Note: Chickpeas freeze well; so don’t be afraid to make a large batch.

Ingredients

• 16 oz. Chickpeas (fresh cooked) try to avoid canned if possible
• 2 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
• 1/2 cup Tahini Paste
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Lemon Juice (Fresh)
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

1. In a food processor, add all ingredients except salt and pepper and puree.
2. If too thick adjust with a little more olive oil.
3. Salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until needed.

Ingredients

• 16 oz. Chickpeas
• 1 cup Baby Spinach (Chopped)
• 2 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
• 1/2 cup Tahini Paste
• 2 oz Feta
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Lemon Juice (Fresh)
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and sauté minced garlic for about 30 seconds. Add baby spinach and lightly sauté for about a minute. Set aside until needed.
2. Using a food processor add chickpeas, tahini, lemon, olive oil and cumin and puree until very smooth.
3. Add spinach mixture and continue to blend until thoroughly mixed with other ingredients. If mixture is too thick, add a little olive oil.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.

Once you’ve made hummus and realize how easy it is to get great results, you can start to experiment with different flavors and adjust the recipe to your particular taste. If you like a lot of garlic or lemon, simply add more. With hummus, it’s that simple.Canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), used in place of fresh-cooked, will give you great results in texture. Just remember that, when you used canned chickpeas, you are producing a hummus with twice the calories and about half the nutrients. If you search the Internet, you’ll find hundreds of interesting hummus recipes, and there are a number of ingredients you can add to your hummus to make it a little more unique. Some of these are roasted red peppers, black beans, kalamata olives, chipotle, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, paprika, and jalapenos, to name a few. Just experiment and have fun. Enjoy!