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When life gives you chickpeas.. make hummus 

WHY YOU SHOULD STOP BUYING COMMERCIAL HUMMUS AND START MAKING YOUR OWN!

Written by Jaiden Lahey - @nourished.by.j

Hello lovely people, I am here writing today to tell you about the wonderful aspects of my favourite dip, Hummus. Why?

Because it is tasty, nutritious and filled with my favourite legume, CHICKPEAS! So as you can probably tell, my hummus addiction is pretty real, especially since I started making it at home, my snack game has just upped another level.

Well at least, that is traditionally how it is made, us Westerner’s have definitely incorporated our own little takes on this recipe!

 Okay BUT what makes hummus so good? Well! The main ingredient in hummus is chickpeas; little balls of nutrient-dense goodness which are a good source of protein, dietary fibre, calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium, as well as being an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. 

So, the chickpea contribution to hummus alone, is immense and is a major reason as to why hummus should be added to your diet. The latter ingredients are not such major components of hummus and are more there to add flavours and textures, however of the amounts added will contribute to the health benefits of hummus!

Are there any health benefits of hummus?

YES. how good is that?! You get to have your dip AND eat it too, plus your body will love you for it! According to Wallace et al. (2016), hummus consumption is associated with prevention in the development and progression of various chronic diseases as well as promote weight control and glucose and insulin response. The fibre content within hummus also promotes bowel movements both in frequency and consistency, in others words, pooping can be increased and is easier, which as a nutrition student, this is really good news!

Now why should you be making your own hummus?

Basically, the majority of commercialised pre-made hummus that are available that I’ve come across are filled with additives, sugars, poor-quality oils and high amounts of salt. This would generally be to extend the shelf life of the product, to make it taste really good so we don’t (can’t)  stop eating and finally to make it with cheap, poor-quality ingredients and/or additives to drive the cost to make the product down. These factors are great for the manufacturer but not necessarily great for the consumer, especially in excess amounts and I like to eat my hummus in excess! Now don’t get me wrong, there are products out there that are doing their bit and are making good quality hummus without the extras however I’ve found they generally cost a lot more so, this is exactly why I’d recommend making your own hummus; to avoid these factors but also because it is actually so easy! 

Hummus At Home 

Time: 10 minutes 

What will you need?

• I use my KitchenAid Food Processor, however a blender will work just as well -- You just have to stop it a little more to scrape down the sides.

INGREDIENTS:

• 400g of cooked chickpeas or a can of chickpeas (preferably no added salt)
• 1 tbsp of unhulled tahini or ABC spread
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 lemon juice + some rind 
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 
• 2 tbsp of organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper *to your liking

METHOD:

1. Place all the ingredients in the processor and mix until all combined; stop every so often to scrape down the sides. 
2. Essential! Taste test, add more salt or pepper to your liking or more/less water if the consistency isn’t to your liking. 
3. EAT!

Keep the hummus in a recycled jar or container, it should keep for about a week (if it lasts that long…)

Add some flair 

If there is one thing about the recipes I create, it’s that they’re simple and versatile; I like to encourage people to add their own spin to things, adjust to their liking and so on. I barely keep to the recipe of my own food and I am constantly changing it to try new flavours. The greatest thing about hummus is that changing it up is easy, it is also a simple and delicious way to incorporate more plants into your diet.

Here are some examples to name a few:

• ½ a tsp of turmeric powder or some grated fresh turmeric.
• Raw cut up beetroot and ginger powder
• A carrot and walnuts
• Broccoli and cashews
• Spinach and pumpkin seeds

Seriously, the list could be endless so please go get creative and make some damn good, cheap hummus that your body will LOVE you for! 

REFERENCES:

Hirsch, D. (2013). Hummus: the making of an Israeli culinary cult. Journal of Consumer Culture, 13(1), 25-45. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469540512474529 

Wallace, T. C., Murray, R., & Zelman, K. M. (2016). The nutritional value and health benefits of chickpeas and hummus. Nutrients, 8(12), 766. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8120766