It's Better at Home... Homemade Hummus

One of the healthier options for dips is hummus, a Middle Eastern dip made with chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and tahini, which is a sesame seed paste. Hummus provides you with protein and a number of essential vitamin and minerals, and while it can be high in fat, it is mostly heart-healthy unsaturated fat.

A 2-tablespoon serving of hummus contains 50 calories, 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat and 4 grams of carbohydrates, including 2 grams of fiber. Only 0.4 grams of fat is saturated. This combination of protein and fiber will help keep you feeling full for longer than a high-fat dip that doesn't contain much fiber, such as a full-fat ranch dip. Hummus is made from chickpeas which are better known as garbanzo beans. Beans in general have nutrients in them that can lower your cholesterol. Of course, if avoiding heart disease is a high priority, you may want to make your own hummus, because grocery store brands tend to be high in sodium! Another benefit, Hummus has a high amount of protein. Protein is an essential building block in bone, muscle, skin, and blood health. You can get this from meat but vegetarians are usually looking for all sorts of ways to get protein. Hummus is a good one.Thanks to its high fiber content, one of the benefits of hummus is that it can keep your digestive tract regular. It’s an effective and tasty way to get more fiber into your diet and fiber itself has other health benefits like helping to prevent heart disease.

Homemade Hummus

        2 cans of chickpeas (reserve the liquid and a few chickpeas for decoration)

        4 tsp tahini

        2 garlic cloves, crushed

        1 tsp crushed sea salt

        6 tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)

        3½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

        Paprika (optional)

        Parsley leaves (optional)

Rinse the chickpeas in cold water and place into the food processor. Add the tahini, crushed garlic, salt, lemon juice and seven tablespoons of the reserved liquid from the cans. Turn on the food processor and slowly pour in the oil while it runs.

Place in a bowl and sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley leaves, Finish off with some drizzled olive oil ~ Enjoy!