Make tangy home-made hummus to spread on your whole-grain pita bread.



No time to cook breakfast? Hummus spread on pita bread might be the answer.

Houmus

Houmus is an Arabic and Greek dish made from cooked chickpeas, sesame paste, lemon juice, garlic and spices. The history of houmus is unknown since it originated thousands of years ago perhaps before writing was invented.

My wife and I learned to eat flat breads and hummus during the many years we lived and worked in Egypt and the Middle East, but we had forgotten about both until early 2005.

I started to make houmus for my wife to spread over her pita bread in the morning. Traditionally, houmus is eaten with a flatbread, called in the West pita or pitta, which I also make. My wife takes a square pita out of the freezer and pops it into the toaster to thaw. Together with a few dollops of houmus and a spoonful of olive oil this is instant breakfast with a difference. Houmus and pita bread keep her going until noon. See: Recipe for pita bread where I expand on the nutritional and health benefits of houmus and pita bread.

More about Hummus

Recipe for Hummus

US/UKIngredients for HummusMetric
1onion (medium)-
3 clovesgarlic-
4 tbsptahini60 ml
3/8 cuplow fat yoghurt90 ml
1 tbspextra virgin olive oil5 ml
3/4 tspground cumin3.5 ml
1/2 tsppaprika2.5 ml
3/4 tspdried coriander leaves3.5 ml
1/4 cuplemon juice60 ml
2 cups/1 cancooked chick peas480 ml
Optional
Use more or less garlic to taste.
Other spices often used, some of them hot.
Notes
The lemon juice not only gives a tangy taste but acts as a preservative.
Soak dried coriander leaves in 1 tbsp hot water
or use 1.5 tsp fresh coriander leaves, 7.5 ml.
Refined olive oil can be used, though it's for cooking.
Tahini is sesame seed paste. Use more or less to taste.
Chick peas are also called garbanzos (Spanish) or ceci (Italian)

Preparation

  • Chop onion and garlic and mix in a blender with all ingredients except chick peas.
  • Add chick peas and blend.
  • Pack in small jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 14 days.

Tahini Substitute

One day I ran out out tahini. But I did have some sesame seed. So I ground up one ounce (60 ml) of sesame seed in a coffee grinder and added the paste to the blended onions and garlic, along with two extra tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and two extra tablespoons of yoghurt. My wife pronounced the experiment a success. So I have stopped buying tahini.

Chick peas are high in soluble fiber, a cholesterol-lowering substance. In common with other legumes, chick peas contain resistant starches known to give protection from colon cancer and other bowel ailments.

Recipe for pita bread to spread your hummus on.

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