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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Homemade Hummus


Although delicious, storebought hummus can be expensive, even with coupons and store sales. Try your hand at making your own hummus with this recipe from A Few Shortcuts. If you have a stocked pantry, you should be able to save the cost of purchasing many of these ingredients. Tahini is probably the most expensive ingredient this recipe calls for, but as you only need to add 2 tablespoons, a jar will last you a long time. To prolong the shelf life of tahini, store it in the refrigerator rather than in your pantry. If you are not familiar with tahini, it is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. Tahini is often used in Mediterranean dishes including hummus and baba ghanoush. You can also try your hand at making tahini at home, if store bought breaks your budget.

Other Substitutions for Tahini
Try substituting another natural nut butter such as peanut butter. The flavor will be somewhat different than traditional hummus but still delicious. If you have toasted sesame oil on hand, you can use that to substitute for tahini, as well. Keep in mind toasted sesame oil has a stronger flavor than tahini, so it may provide a more pronounced flavor in your hummus.

                                                                                                                                        
Homemade hummus is a low-fat and affordable source of protein that makes a great addition to any meal or snack. Looking to jazz up your bagged lunch? Spread hummus on whole wheat pita bread and layer in your favorite raw or roasted vegetables. Not sure what to give your child for an afternoon snack? Offer hummus with veggies and baked pita chips for dipping.

Homemade hummus is delicious, and in my opinion, often better than the store-bought variety. You can even get creative and make roasted red pepper hummus or artichoke hummus. The possibilities are endless!

Have any of you ever made your own hummus? What is your favorite kind of hummus?

2 comments:

  1. I usually add whole flax seeds to bump up the fiber content and get some ALA omega-3s.

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  2. That's a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion.

    ReplyDelete