Spicy Pea Hummus

Everyone loves hummus, right? RIGHT! Making your own hummus at home is so simple and can result in a much nicer flavour and texture than store bought tubs. Most store-bought dips contain added salt and oil which are not beneficial to our health and can easily be by-passed by choosing to make your own. Cooking your own dried chickpeas brings out such an amazing earthly flavour and can result in a really smooth hummus, but canned chickpeas work just as good – just make sure to choose the ‘no added salt’ varieties!

Chickpeas (as are many other legumes) are an excellent source of protein and fibre with just a 1 cup serving providing 1/3 of your daily fibre needs and more protein than 2 large eggs! They’re also an excellent plant based source of iron. However, the kind of iron found in plant based foods is known as non-haem iron (as oppose to haem iron found in animal products such as meat), and should be paired with a source of vitamin C such as tomatoes or capsicum to help maximise absorption!

So let’s get into the recipe..

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can of chickpeas (drained & rinsed)

• 1 cup frozen peas (thawed)

• ½ cup fresh basil

• ½ cup fresh parsley

• 1 clove garlic

• 2 small red chili’s

• ¼ cup tahini

• Juice of half a lemon

• Water (as needed for desired consistency)

METHOD:

1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients until you have reached a smooth and creamy consistency.

2. Store in the fridge and use with 7-10 days.

This hummus has such a powerful flavour that it goes with so many things! I love having it with a side of baked sweet potato wedges seasoned with garlic powder and smoked paprika. It’s also great as spread on wholegrain toast with slices of tomato, olives and cracked pepper, mixed through wholemeal pasta as a creamy sauce with cherrie tomatoes and green beans or simply used as a dip with raw veggies such as carrots or capsicums as an afternoon snack!

I love the addition of adding vegetables to hummus because not only does it result in a number of different varieties and flavour combinations, but it’s an easy way of getting more vegetables into your diet. Stick with a can of chickpeas as your base and experiment with vegetable and spice combinations such as beetroot & garlic, carrot & ginger, pumpkin & nutmeg.. The list goes on!

PS: The day after I made this, I dropped the jar on the floor. I've never been so sad in my life..!