Mediterranean Hummus

I'm sure we've all heard of a little dish called hummus. The scrumptious spread made of chickpeas, garlic, sesame, lemon juice and olive oil. It may be mighty tasty but, let's face it -- it definitely won't win any beauty contests. Truth be told hummus kind of resembles something you may have scraped off your shoe but I'm here to say that this is one of those instances where you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Hummus may not be pretty but it's definitely delicious!

Not only does hummus have a great texture and taste wicked good but it's also pretty good for you. It's high in fibre (which helps slow down digestion) it also helps to keep blood sugar levels from being elevated too quickly. The chickpeas contain iron and magnesium (which help keep our energy levels up) and are also high in protein and considered a 'good' carb. You've gotta love a 'good' carb! Plus, garlic has long been touted as great for cancer prevention, warding off colds, fighting infection and even used in heart disease prevention! After reading all of the benefits of hummus I wonder why I haven't been eating it all my life!

Honestly, this is the first time I've ever made hummus. Sure, I've eaten it in the past (my friend Lisa made a wonderful hummus with curry and a touch of honey last month which was delish!) but I've never tried to make it myself. Until now! With the help of my trusty 14 year old food processor I whipped up a batch of hummus in no time at all!

Before we get to the recipe let me just preface by saying that this is definitely not a traditional hummus. As usual I've made changes to suit my tastes which include: adding black beans as well as chickpeas, omitting the tahini and adding a few extra flavours to make it more 'Mediterranean' (ie sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic, basil, rosemary and kalamata olives). Due to some of these changes the colour of my 'hummus' is quite a bit darker.

Honestly, I don't care if it's considered authentic or not because I love it!! Love it, I say! Not only did I eat it for lunch two days in a row by dipping small whole wheat pitas in it but I also made a mini pizza using this hummus as the 'sauce' topped with diced tomato from my garden, caramelized onions and a bit of shredded marble cheese. Fab-u-lous!! I could also see using it in sandwiches, wraps and as a base for pinwheels. Oh the fun my new best friend Hummus and I will have!!! Enjoy!!

Mediterranean Hummus
From: The Baking Bookworm
Yield: 12 servings

1 (19oz) can garbanzo beans, reserve 1/2 cup of the water then drain & rinse beans
1 (19oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil) - drained and chopped
1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup olive or grapeseed oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or juice from 1 small lemon)
salt and pepper to taste

Puree all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add some of the reserved chickpea water to get the right consistency.

Note: I strongly suggest that you chop the kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes well before adding them to the food processor. I just threw them in with the rest of the ingredients but soon found out that they were merely getting a nice ride in my processor instead of getting chopped up. If you don't want to fish out the olives and large chunks of sun-dried tomatoes mid-spin, chop 'em up.



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