Home-made Hummus (Oil Free)
When it comes to snacking, one of my all time favourites is definitely hummus. Its great because its made out of chickpeas which are nutritious and a great source of protein, meaning that you'll stay fuller for longer, it's great with lots of different accompaniments, such as carrots, cucumbers, peppers (any veg or salad), crackers, bread, anything you want really thats savoury, and of course it's delicious!
As well as a snack, you can also incorporate it into your lunches, by adding it as a side to your salads or making hummus sandwiches with any filling you like.
Although hummus is relatively cheap to buy from shops ready made, I find that making it at home is so much better because it's really quick and easy to make, it's cheap (you can make a lot more for a lot less than the ready made) and finally, you know exactly whats going in it so you know you're not putting any of those nasty preservatives or oils into your body. By making it yourself, you can also tweak it slightly to suit your individual taste.
So heres what you'll need:
• 400g tin of Chickpeas (drained)
• 1 Lemon
• 1 clove of Garlic
• 1 tablespoon of Tahini (Sesame seed paste)
• Cold water
• Salt to taste
Optional extras for an added kick:
• Pinch of paprika/ chilli sauce/ chilli flakes
Directions:
1) Add the drained chickpeas into a food processor along with a squeeze of lemon (try half a lemon at first), garlic, tahini and a pinch of salt and blend
2) If the mixture is too thick then add a little bit of water at a time and blend until its to your desired constancy
3) Taste the hummus as you go along and add lemon/ salt as you desire
4) If you like a bit of spice, add a pinch of paprika, some chilli flakes, or my personal favourite, a swirl of chilli sauce
5) Enjoy with any vegetable sticks, crackers or bread
See, simple as that!
If you don't have a food processor then you can also make this hummus manually by mashing together the ingredients using a fork or potato masher, but bear in mind that this will take a bit more time and require some major elbow grease. For doing it by hand, also ensure that you get garlic paste rather than a clove, otherwise you may get big clumps of garlic in your hummus.
