Finding easy food to make during a busy week can be a struggle. Eating healthy, simply, and cheaply is difficult to do for many people. If you are like many young adults, cooking can seem like an enormous undertaking. The benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables have been demonstrably proven. Eating fruits and vegetables three or more times a day has been proven to reduce the incidence of strokes by 27% and reduce cardiovascular disease mortality by 25%. Eating these foods also is correlated with a 42% decline in stroke mortality. Even something as simple as eating legumes at least four times a week is associated with a significant decline in coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.
But what exactly is a legume, and why does anyone eat them? They’re beans, peas, and peanuts, and are great and time efficient ways to get a lot of nutrition and taste. Hummus happens to be one of the simplest and most delicious ways to get your weekly recommended amount of beans (two spoonfuls is enough to do the trick!) and find excuses to eat vegetables you might normally steer away from.
Hummus sounds difficult to make, but it’s actually quite simple. There are many different types of hummus and hummus recipes. But what is hummus? Essentially, hummus ground chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt, blended smoothly together. Easy hummus recipes with garnishes abound, with spicy hummus, garlic hummus dip, and roasted red pepper hummus topping out as perennial favorites. Hummus is great for vegetarians and vegans, because the of the recipe’s flexibility, ensuring even the pickiest eater can find something to appreciate about it and meet nutritional goals.
As a traditional Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food, hummus health benefits are nutritional treasure trove of protein, healthy fats, and vitamins. Chickpeas do not contain cholesterol, which makes finding foods to maintain heart health a little simpler. Additionally, hummus as a spread is an excellent replacement for other heavier and less nutritionally dense foods such as mayonnaise.
Hummus is great served with chips and raw vegetables, but my favorite method of eating it will always be with warm triangles of pita bread. Below is an easy hummus recipe, with ingredients commonly found in the kitchen.
Easy hummus recipe:
Ingredients:
¼ cup roasted tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 (15 ½ ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
Juice of one juicy lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons warm water
3 cloves chopped garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Place your ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Check taste and add more lemon juice if you think it needs it. If you think your hummus is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of warm water until the consistency is to your liking.
To serve, put hummus in a nice bowl and if you’re feeling creative, top with garnishes such as basil, paprika, or roasted pine nuts.
If you have an favorite easy hummus recipe, put it in the comments below!