Back to Hummus: A Hot Food Trend and Healthy Too!

Once the garlic is roasted, you are just three minutes away from a savory homemade hummus. If you want to save some time, roasted garlic can often be purchased at some markets and supermarkets. Serve hummus with toasted whole wheat pita pocket triangles, whole grain crackers, raw vegetables or use hummus as a spread with sandwiches or wraps.

1 small head of garlic (or 1/2 of a large head)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
15.5-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup roasted red pepper (drained well if from jar), firmly packed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons tahini (Tehina)
1/16th teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. To roast head of garlic, preheat the oven or toaster oven to 425-degrees. With a serrated knife, cut 1/4-inch off the top of the garlic head. Place head on a sheet of foil then drizzle olive oil over the top. Wrap head in foil well and bake in oven until garlic is golden (about 45-60 minutes). Squeeze garlic cloves out, leaving the skins to discard.

2. In a food processor bowl, combine roasted garlic cloves, garbanzo beans, roasted red pepper, lemon juice, tahini, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and process until smooth.

3. Refrigerate hummus in a covered container for up to 1 week.

Yield: Makes 1 3/4 cup (about 7 servings)
Nutritional information per 1/4 cup serving of hummus: 124 Calories, 5 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat, 0.6 g saturated fat, 1.7 g monounsaturated fat, 1.7 g polyunsaturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 246 mg (329 mg sodium with the optional salt). Calories from fat: 26%. 0.1g omega-3 fatty acids, 1.6g omega-6 fatty acids.

Bon Appetite!

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