Hummus

I love hummus. Before bubs came along I had made it once or twice without much success, and usually just bought it from the supermarket. But with my new-found lease of life in the kitchen I was game to try it again. And boy am I glad I did!! This is such a versatile dish for little ones and packed full of goodness. It is a source of complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids.  It is also a great source of:

• iron
• vitamin B6
• vitamin E
• folate
• fibre
• potassium

and with some added extras it is even more nutritious.
The basic recipe I use is as follows:

1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas (I use dried chickpeas which I soak overnight then simmer for 60 minutes and then drain. You can use a can of chickpeas if you prefer)
2 tbsp tahini
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil

Place the chickpeas in a food processor and process until smooth
Gradually add the olive oil until you get the consistency you desire
Add the lemon juice, tahini & garlic and process to mix

And that is your basic hummus. It freezes well for up to a month, so you can portion it out and freeze for later use.

Now for the fun part. There are so many other things you can add to hummus - here are some of my faves:

• Roast a red capsicum then add to the food processor with the other ingredients. Reduce the amount of oil in the recipe by 1 tbsp, adding it back if necessary to create the right texture.
• Add a handful of lightly steamed spinach to the food processor when blending the ingredients.
• Stir ground cumin into your prepared hummus, or top with sweet paprika.
• Replace the chickpeas in the recipe with white beans (like navy beans) or black beans.
• Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup pureed sweet potato or pumpkin to the blender whilst mixing the ingredients.
• Add natural yoghurt to the blender for extra creaminess and extra calcium!
• Add 1 or 2 chopped, cooked beetroot to the hummus and blend well. This produces a fantastic pink hummus that may attract even the pickiest eater!
• Stir a little curry powder into prepared hummus for a unique and surprisingly good zing of flavour!

Today I added some cumin and some yoghurt, and it was definately my best batch yet. I toasted a wholemeal pitta bread and spread hummus, cream cheese and tuna in the middle and served to the girls. They loved it!!

(Thanks to http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com for all the extra hummus ideas!!)