I have been asked to develop some recipes for www.healthysay.ie. So there will be a few healthy recipes up over the next month.
Hummus can be eaten with crudités as a healthy snack or light lunch, or as a filling for baked potatoes with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, or with tabouleh as a filling for pita breads. Many hummus recipes use large quantities of olive oil and tahini, although these are healthy for you – due to their high calorie content – they are better eaten in moderation. This recipe manages to remain light and smooth by adding natural yoghurt as a replacement for these high calorie ingredients.
Ingredients
· 1 tin organic chickpeas, drained
· 1 tablespoon light tahini paste
· ½ small clove garlic (be careful with the amount that you add, as raw garlic can overpower the other flavours)
· ½-1 lemon, juiced (depending on size)
· 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
· 3 tablespoons natural yoghurt
· 1 level teaspoon Maldon sea salt
· a few grinds of cracked black pepper
Directions
- Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and blend with a hand blender, or alternatively put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend.
- For an addition to this basic hummus recipe you can add one of the following ingredients before blending: ground cumin, harissa paste, chilli, olives, or coriander leaves.
Health Benefits
· Chickpeas: contain a wealth of phytonutrients, which act as antioxidants and as anti-inflammatory nutrients. Chickpeas are high in molybdenum, manganese, folate, protein, dietary fiber, copper, phosphorus and iron. The fiber in chickpeas is mostly insoluble; therefore it remains intact until it reaches the large intestine, which allows it to provide support for our digestive tract.
· Tahini: contains B Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15. B Vitamins promote healthy cell growth and division, including that of red blood cells. They also increase your metabolism, enhance the immune and nervous system and help to maintain healthy skin and muscle tone. Tahini is also high in calcium and is far easier for our body to digest than milk. Tahini is a good source of essential fatty acids and vitamin E, which therefore help maintain healthy skin and prevent signs of ageing. It is also a good source of protein.
· Natural yoghurt: is rich in potassium, calcium, protein, zinc and B vitamins, including B-12. Yoghurt strengthens and stabilizes the immune system and the good bacteria present kills the bad bacteria in your body. In transforming milk to yoghurt, lactose is converted to lactic acid, which helps in the digestion of lactose, thus allowing our body to absorb the calcium present in diary products.
· Extra virgin olive oil: is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants (it has a particularly high and wide-ranging polyphenols content) and Vitamin E. It helps to reduce cholesterol, increases metabolism and has positive effect on anti-ageing and healthy skin.
