Why would you make anything that you don’t like, especially hommus?
Great question…and the answer is…you just might discover something you love!
Let me explain.
Ever had a bad experience with a particular food?
I remember going to a dinner party and being thrilled to see a lasagna on the table. This is back in the day when I ate meat. I served myself a decent helping, found a comfy spot and took my first mouthful…
I almost gagged and spat it out! It was disgusting! I didn’t know how you could possibly make a lasagna that bad. But later on when I was secretly scraping my meal into the bin…I saw the offending packaging.
It was a shop-bought lasagna.
And I’ve found this happens a lot with hommus.
People say they hate hommus but when I dig a bit deeper I find out they’ve only ever eaten the shop-bought stuff.
When I work with a client we inevitable start exploring and experimenting with new foods.
The first on the list is usually hommus.
You can’t beat a snack that is easy to make, highly nutritious and freezes well.
Hommus ticks all those boxes.
Now if you don’t like hommus, let me ask you a question.
Have you ever made your own?
This is important because if you’ve only ever had the shop-bought hommus you might be missing out on a life-changing snack!
I’ve lost count of the ‘hommus-haters’ who report back to me with great excitement how easy it was to make and how much they loved it!
Benefits of the hommus ingredients
Chickpeas also known as garbanzo beans, are a great source of protein like ALL legumes.
Beans and lentils are half protein and half complex carbohydrates.
In fact, the carbohydrate in legumes is mostly resistant starch, which means the fiber resists getting absorbed in the small intestine and makes its way down to the large intestine where it feeds your good gut bacteria.
This my friend is how you boost your immunity – by feeding your good gut bacteria fiber…and fiber is only found in plants.
Chickpeas also host a wide range of nutrients including iron, zinc, and magnesium.
Tahini provides the healthy fat and the earthy flavour of hommus and is made by crushing sesame seeds into a paste.
Unhulled tahini is a darker colour as it has the outer layer of fiber and the flavour can be a little stronger, so start with unhulled – both are packed full of calcium, protein, fiber, and healthy fat.
Fresh garlic is always optimal but don’t let using the jar garlic stop you from making hommus.
Garlic is known to have powerful antibiotic properties and is linked to the prevention of cancer so as much as you can handle – or the people around you can handle it!
Lemon juice is another food known for its alkaline health properties.
Cummin contains anti-oxidants, iron, and is said to have anti-inflammatory properties as well.
Sweet chili sauce can often be the make-or-break ingredient in hommus, especially if you find the flavour of hommus to be a bit too tart.
A sploosh or two can take the edge off the tartness and round out the flavours.
Lastly a few shakes of Herbamare a healthy salt I love because it uses kelp which contains iodine a nutrient said to help prevent breast cancer and needed for healthy thyroid function.
So have a go and experiment with this plant-based staple and let me know what you discover.
PS If making your own hommus feels a bit overwhelming or you need one in a hurry I love the SSS Foods brand of hommus because it doesn’t have any added oil.
You may like to add a dash of sweet chili sauce and lemon juice to give it an extra boost of flavour.
So have a go and experiment with this plant-based staple and let me know what you discover.