Hummus!!! And a new Twitter account

Hummus!!

I have fallen in love with this stuff! It's amazing.....healthy.....tasty......very versatile....

There are lots of different recipes and ways to make hummus.....the most popular is chickpeas (garbanzo beans), tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. I don't like tahini......it just has kinda a weird taste to me....there are some purists out there who refuse to even believe that you can make hummus without it....I beg to differ. (tahini is a paste made out of sesame seeds)

You can also add in paprika, roasted pepper, and/or salt.....then everything is just ground up to a smooth paste like consistency.

Health Benefits

• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are very good for you because they are rich in protein and contain no cholesterol or saturated fats.  Chickpeas are also known to be effective in preventing build up of cholesterol in the blood vessels.
• Olive oil is known for being high in healthy fat - it is high in monounsaturated fat content but low in saturated fat. This oil can thus help regulate cholesterol and protect the heart from various diseases.
• Garlic and lemon juice, meanwhile, are filled with antioxidants. They also work to improve your immune system and fight off bacteria and viruses.
• Altogether, hummus contains iron, vitamin B6, manganese, copper, folic acid, and amino acids. It also contains omega 3 fatty acids, which helps to  improve intelligence and maintaining a healthy heart. 

 

 Ways to use Hummus

• use as a dip for veggies such as peppers, carrots, and celery
• to replace mayo on sandwiches or pitas
• as a dip for pita chips/bread
• add to plain whole wheat noodles with some parmesan cheese ( I do this for my kids since they are picky eaters and they won't eat meat sometimes - adds lots of protein to their meals and they LOVE it!)
• add to sauteed onion and peppers with extra veggies such as corn or cauliflower and some chicken (this is SO good!)
• add to wonton wrappers and bake it then dip it in your fav chutney sauce
• use as a base "sauce" for pizza then add onion, peppers, chicken, mozzarella cheese and basil (had this for lunch today...also added some salsa just because for some reason it sounded good lol....and it was!)
• to replace cream cheese in some layered dips or on a tortilla (whole wheat tortilla with hummus, peppers and spinich)
• can be used to replace the yolks and mayo combo in deviled eggs
• can be used to thicken soups
• cherry tomatoes can be filled with hummus - cut off the tops of cherry tomatoes, scoop out the seeds, and use a piping bag to fill each tomato with hummus.
• and one person recommended using hummus as an exfolient for your face.....not sure about this one......if you do it let me know how it turns out! lol I would rather be eating it ........ 

Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 clove garlic, crushed .....or 2.....I like garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons paprika

Directions:

1. In a blender or food processor combine garbanzo beans, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and olive oil. Blend on low speed, gradually adding reserved bean liquid, until desired consistency is achieved. 

I usually double the recipe and freeze half......we go through it fast though so it doesn't stay in the freezer long.....but it will keep in the freezer for about 2-3 months.

 

 

I also signed up for Twitter! Finally (as my husband would say.....lol)

Check it out and tell me what you think! My Twitter handle is @eatcake_bakery

I don't have many tweets yet because I spent most of my time designing the background.....so really let me know what you think of it lol! I have a whole 5 followers so far! Woohoo! lol