The Idea
I've been a consumate hummus eater for years, but when I finally looked at the ingredients, I was a little surprised. I knew it was a garbanzo bean (chickpea) based puree, but had no idea that it was so packed with oil and tahini. Tahini is a sesame seed paste that, while extremely high in fat content (82% of it's calories are fat calories!!), is somewhat low in flavor. Plus, with some of the Sabra hummuses, the oil is just floating on top, and when I eat around it, I find the hummus to be just as tasty.
I eventually decided to figure out what I could use as a substitute for the oil and tahini while still producing a creamy dippable protein-filled concoction. In the end, I settled on feta cheese! The end product comes closest to a chipotle or a spicy hummus and by playing with the added liquids, you can really have a creamier/soupier/thicker spread as you prefer.
I happen to really like the spicyness of chipotle peppers and put those in, but if you can't handle the heat, just put in a dash of black pepper or more red peppers or more lemon to make it more veggie/citrus respectively. Here's the basic recipe:
I've been a consumate hummus eater for years, but when I finally looked at the ingredients, I was a little surprised. I knew it was a garbanzo bean (chickpea) based puree, but had no idea that it was so packed with oil and tahini. Tahini is a sesame seed paste that, while extremely high in fat content (82% of it's calories are fat calories!!), is somewhat low in flavor. Plus, with some of the Sabra hummuses, the oil is just floating on top, and when I eat around it, I find the hummus to be just as tasty.
I eventually decided to figure out what I could use as a substitute for the oil and tahini while still producing a creamy dippable protein-filled concoction. In the end, I settled on feta cheese! The end product comes closest to a chipotle or a spicy hummus and by playing with the added liquids, you can really have a creamier/soupier/thicker spread as you prefer.
I happen to really like the spicyness of chipotle peppers and put those in, but if you can't handle the heat, just put in a dash of black pepper or more red peppers or more lemon to make it more veggie/citrus respectively. Here's the basic recipe:
(From the left)
Jar Roasted Red Peppers (I use about 1.5 but feel free to add)
15oz can of chick peas (the low sodium ones are great!)
**Reserve the chick pea liquid, I use about 1/4-1/3 cup**
Lemon: Zest and juice (the fake stuff is fine too!)
2 servings Fat Free Feta Cheese (the fat free is saltier and more solid, so I would highly reccomend this over the full-fat variety!)
Lemon Pepper
Salt
Notes: Lemon Pepper is great, it has TONS of flavor and almost no sodium (translation, less bloating!)
Jar Roasted Red Peppers (I use about 1.5 but feel free to add)
15oz can of chick peas (the low sodium ones are great!)
**Reserve the chick pea liquid, I use about 1/4-1/3 cup**
Lemon: Zest and juice (the fake stuff is fine too!)
2 servings Fat Free Feta Cheese (the fat free is saltier and more solid, so I would highly reccomend this over the full-fat variety!)
Lemon Pepper
Salt
Notes: Lemon Pepper is great, it has TONS of flavor and almost no sodium (translation, less bloating!)
Throw everything into a blender.
**Sometimes not all the chickpeas fit so feel free to leave some of those out and put them in after the first round of blending**
Sometimes this doesn't blend so well and I find myself having to shake it up or even stir. Just keep trying, it'll go eventually.
You can always add more bean liquid or lemon juice.
Other suggestions: I generally add in a whole chipotle pepper (seeds removed!!) but I like things pretty hot. If you want it spicy but are afraid of the chipotles, start with a dash of cayenne, or maybe a half chipotle.
**Sometimes not all the chickpeas fit so feel free to leave some of those out and put them in after the first round of blending**
Sometimes this doesn't blend so well and I find myself having to shake it up or even stir. Just keep trying, it'll go eventually.
You can always add more bean liquid or lemon juice.
Other suggestions: I generally add in a whole chipotle pepper (seeds removed!!) but I like things pretty hot. If you want it spicy but are afraid of the chipotles, start with a dash of cayenne, or maybe a half chipotle.
Finished Product
Notes on budget/shopping/nutrition:
1) The roasted red peppers last for EVER. Buy a nice big jar and they'll sit even after they're opened.
2) Same goes for the chipotle.
3) Dividing this into 3 portions gives you a nice heaping portion of hummus for lunch or as an appetizer for about 140-150 calories.
4) In all, if you buy all these ingredients this will cost you more than a small tub of hummus but you'll have lots of leftover feta, roasted red peppers and chipotle. Sounds like a nice salad to me!
5) This packs in a ton of protein, fiber, calcium and is really filling!
(*easy to make and serve when having friends over!*)
(*this stuff dissapears really quickly from my apartment, so I'm reasonably confident that it's pretty good*)
1) The roasted red peppers last for EVER. Buy a nice big jar and they'll sit even after they're opened.
2) Same goes for the chipotle.
3) Dividing this into 3 portions gives you a nice heaping portion of hummus for lunch or as an appetizer for about 140-150 calories.
4) In all, if you buy all these ingredients this will cost you more than a small tub of hummus but you'll have lots of leftover feta, roasted red peppers and chipotle. Sounds like a nice salad to me!
5) This packs in a ton of protein, fiber, calcium and is really filling!
(*easy to make and serve when having friends over!*)
(*this stuff dissapears really quickly from my apartment, so I'm reasonably confident that it's pretty good*)
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