Hummus with Olive Oil

Hummus with Olive Oil is *really* easy to make - with one condition: you do need a food processor of some sort to blend all the ingredients.

Remember, hummus is a raw food - simply a paste. So, it is both low on energy to prepare (no oven required!). And, because your ingredients are raw, it is doubly important that you use the best!

This is a one pot dish. Either make it in your food processor, or make it in a large bowl and then use a hand held food process to pure all the ingredients

Step 1 -  Add garlic

I prefer my hummus a little 'hot' so I double up on the normal amount of garlic and add 4 cloves.

Step 2 - Add washed Chickpeas

A typical jar of cooked chickpeas that weighs 570g will give you 400g of chickpeas once the chickpeas are drained and washed. If you are using dried chickpeas, you'll need to soak and cook these prior to starting the recipe.

Step 3 - add water

I prefer softer, less sticky hummus, so I use 80g of water. If you prefer your dish a little drier, 60g of water would be ideal.

Step 4 - add Tahini and nut pastes

Add 40g of Tahini. Tahini is a paste made from roasted sesame seeds. So, if you prefer, you can use the roasted seeds and pure them yourself. 

I also like to add 20g of other nut pastes - walnut paste gives it a lovely oaky flavour, cashew nut paste will make it super-creamy, while peanut butter will add a saltier flavour along with a nutty and early taste.

STEP 5 - LEMON JUICE

You want about 30 grams of lemon juice - which will be about half the juice of a medium sized, fresh / recently picked lemon. However, if your lemon is older or supermarket bought, you may need to use the whole lemon. I halve and then quarter each half before using a fork to squeeze of the juice.

STEP 6 - SERRIANA OLIVE OIL
Use 70grams of olive oil. The smoky, pepper flavour works perfectly with these ingredients. This is where the hummus with olive oil really happens!

STEP 7 - ADD SPICES
Now add half a teaspoon of a favourite ground spice. I like to use cumin or paprika. Also, blends such as garam masala also work well. Just be careful not to make it too spicy.

STEP 8 - PUREE IT!
Now puree everything together.

STEP 9 - THE FINAL SPRINKLE
Add a final sprinkle - a dash of olive oil and a dusting of paprika (because the red spice stands out against the yellow of the hummus). After all, you are making hummus with olive oil.

Serve with crunchy raw vegetables - typically, carrot sticks or red pepper slices.

Breadsticks are also a great accompaniment. Choose seedy sticks - as their crunchiness will give a delicious contrast to smooth hummus.

Hummus with olive oil is one of our 'healthy heart' recipes. These are perfect for a low cholesterol diet or for those who need to watch what they eat.

Find more heart healthy recipes here.

Is Hummus healthy - is a good question!

Do have a read of this BBC Goodfood article - it lists 5 ways in which Hummus is good for us:

1.  Fibre
2.  May help control blood sugar
3.  May be good for the heart
4.  May help with weight management
5.  Rich in anti-inflammatory ingredients

And, of course, if you think of what snack you would eat if you didn't eat hummus? Then, well...