Healing Hummus

What’s a plant-based diet without good hummus?

It’s definitely a go-to food around here...

What’s not to love about it? 

It’s a great protein-rich way to get lots of raw veg into my family’s belly.  Its hubby and toddler approved, great for company, and so versatile it never gets old…….check out the ideas below.

Jo counting apples while I was dishing up her hummus

Conventional hummus is already pretty healthy, right?

What can make it healing??

In the past I would make hummus with canned chickpeas. It's hard to find BPA-free chickpeas for a good price, especially without tons of added salt.

So we switched to bags of dried chickpeas (organic when possible).  Not only are they easier to store and better for you, they are much cheaper than cans.

And since tahini  is made with roasted sesame seeds, it will never have the enzymes present in raw or sprouted seeds.  So we traded in tahini for raw organic seeds, soaked and then sprouted.

What makes this hummus healing is that it is ALIVE.  The seed enzymes are LIVING... they have been activated via the sprouting process, making it super easy for the body to digest and absorb.

Its good to give our bodies a rest so that our enzymes can go toward other vital processes... like detoxing our cells from the day.

And the result is still a fabulous and flavorful hummus, but loaded with tons of enzymes and amino acids. 

In fact when hummus is made with a variety of sprouted seeds such as sesame, sunflower, or pumpkin, it becomes a complete protein.  Because of the amped-up amino acid profile, it’s also more filling and satisfying than traditional hummus. 

Here’s how to do it:

First, make your chickpeas.

1)  Soak two bags of garbanzo beans aka chickpeas in filtered water for a minimum of 6 hours, no more than 24 hrs…. I usually soak overnight and cook whenever possible the following day. 

2)  Cook the beans.  To do this, drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas.  Put in a deep saucepan, preferably a cast iron dutch oven for best flavor.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer on low till the beans are nice and soft, usually for 2 hours or so.  Simmer with several cloves of fresh chopped garlic and mineral salt (like himalayan or celtic) to taste. 

Not only does cast iron make the food taste awesome, cooking in cast iron is a great dietary source of iron .

3)  Cool and store the garbanzo beans with some of the broth as well.  Store in glass containers to avoid plastics from leeching into your food.  I like to freeze two containers of beans for future use.  I leave one in the fridge for the following weeks hummus or chickpea dishes. 

Pyrex and Anchor make great glass storage containers.

Then, sprout your seeds.

A day prior to making your hummus, soak your raw sesame, sunflower or pumpkin seeds (or combination of) for 6-12 hours in filtered water.  Drain the water, cover and allow to sit at room temperature for a day or so to allow the seeds to germinate, spraying 3 or 4 times with water.  Just as little tails begin to poke off of the seed, toss in the fridge until you are ready to use. 

Note: When you soak, sprout and germinate a seed, the enzyme inhibitors are released, making them easier to digest by our bodies.  They also provide energy in a super efficient manner, are high in B vitamins, and are loaded with enzymes which are needed by every cell in our body to do work.

                Cooked Food= no enzymes

                Raw Food= some enzymes

                Fermented and Sprouted Foods= MOST enzymes!!

Now you are ready to make your basic hummus.

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 cups chickpeas with fluid 
• 1 cup extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
• 1 cup sprouted seeds (sesame, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds all work great)
• 2-3 tbsp lemon (juice from half a lemon)
• 3-6 cloves garlic (based on preference)
• mineral salt to taste 
• smoked paprika or sumac 

Gradually add the first five ingredients to a blender or food processor.  Blend accordingly.  Garnish with a dusting of paprika or sumac.  

Serve and Enjoy!

Hummus bottom right (made with channa beans vs. garbanzo beans and sprouted pumpkin seeds).  Served with homemade almond cheese, sweet bell peppers, broccoli, cucumbers, red cabbage, avocado, clover sprouts, sprouted sunflower greens, sprouted lentils, carrots and heirloom tomato.

I find the taste gets even better after a day or so in the fridge, after the flavors mingle a bit...

There are tons of uses for hummus.  Here are a few of our favorites:

• The obvious …easy dip for appetizers or snacks.. our favorites: sweet bell peppers, blanched asparagus, raw yams, strawberries
• With fresh herbs and diluted with olive oil, its a great dressing on small or big salads
• As a spread on hot or cold sandwiches or wraps in place of mayo
• Rolled up in olive leaves with rice and grilled veggies
•  In an omelette with sautéed onions and red peppers
• Wrapped in nori sheets stuffed with sprouts, avocado, cucumber, carrot, red pepper and tamari

      For some fun variations, here are some food combos to blend in with your basic hummus.

•  Mexican- avocado, cilantro and cayenne
• Italian- sundried tomatoes and basil
• Greek- kalamata olives and artichoke hearts
• Indian- carrots and cumin
• Woodsy- pine nuts and parsley
• Green hummus- spinach and rosemary
• Black hummus- black beans and cumin
• Red hummus- roasted red peppers or sundried tomatoes

Also, hummus is a clever way to hide pureed veggies like spinach, zucchini, squash, bell peppers or roasted garlic for any picky toddlers or anti-veg family members.

Kids and toddlers love to dip....and homemade hummus is definitely mama-approved.

How do you like your hummus?  

What other variations do you enjoy? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments.

Whole Lotta Love and Living to you!