We are a big hummus household. My son requests “hummah” all the time and is happy to eat it plain or on whole grain bread, so I make at least 2 batches a week on slow weeks!

This recipe is remarkably simple, authentic and yet is far healthier than even the stuff you get at the health food store. (I know that may sound strange because the hummus at the store is considered far healthier than many, many other foods, but I’ll explain …)

For starters, unlike the storebought stuff, it uses unhulled raw sesame seeds, which happen to be high in calcium, iron, fiber, thiamin and phosphorus — and they’re delicious to boot. You can also use commercially prepared tahini instead of seeds (particularly if you don’t have a high-powered blender like my beloved Vita-Mix), but if so, I still recommend the raw tahini (usually found in the refrigerator section at most health food stores) made from unhulled sesame seeds, which probably costs at least 3 times as much, but has so much more nutrition in it than the plain tahini made with hulled seeds.

Secondly, it doesn’t contain any added salt or oil, neither of which is necessary in a healthy diet. (Whole foods contain exactly the right amount of sodium without adding extra. And oils like olive oil are not nearly as nutritious as whole foods like the sesame seeds, which of course contain healthy fats naturally.)

My favorite thing about this recipe, as is the case for most recipes I prepare all the time, is its simplicity. I can whip this up in less than 5 minutes, start to finish, including cleaning out my blender.

Here’s what you need:

1 can no-salt-added garbanzo beans (I recommend Eden Organics brand), drained and liquid reserved, or approximately half a pound of homemade garbanzos

juice of 1 lemon

1-2 cloves fresh garlic (or roasted if you prefer)

1/4 cup raw unhulled sesame seeds

Place all ingredients in blender canister or food processor. Add in 1/4 of the reserved bean liquid. Blend and add more liquid if desired or necessary to achieve desired consistency. (I usually end up adding approximately half the liquid from a can of Eden Organics beans.) Tastes great immediately, or hummus will store for 2-3 days in a tightly closed container.

Healthy eating notes:

The beauty of a recipe this simple is that it lends itself to variation (though I’ll admit I make this the same way all the time because I’m always under the gun to give my hungry kiddo something healthy to eat!). You could easily add in roasted garlic instead of fresh, roasted bell peppers, 1/4 cup of steamed veggies or even a few olives if you don’t mind the salt.

Hummus is great plain, on whole wheat pitas or whole grain bread on its own or topped with lettuce, tomato and sprouts, as a dip for chopped veggies, and I personally like it on salad as well, slightly thinner than usual so that it can serve as a sort of salad dressing.

Copyright 2009 Jennifer McCay

www.LeanGreenMama.com