Hummus

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A Middle Eastern dish, but largely appreciated and enjoyed nowadays throughout the world, hummus is a healthy dip that consists of pureed chickpeas, lemon juice, and garlic. It can be enjoyed during pregnancy as well, and especially after, if you are a breastfeeding mom, looking for a healthy snack that will help your lactation!

Hummus is a protein-rich source, and very helpful in digestion due to its content of dietary fiber. Hummus helps your intake of folic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids. It is also rich in calcium, iron, and potassium, but most importantly, chickpeas are super high in zinc, which is an essential nutrient to help your body heal and repair cells. And that is exactly what new moms need after bringing their child into this world!

As I mentioned, hummus is a great dip for carrots or any other vegetables, any type of crackers or pita bread. You can enjoy it in its classic form, or you can play around with other ingredients as well. My husband and I love the classic recipe and we also enjoy the one with some added backed red peppers.

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The healthy version means you have to prepare the hummus at home, but other than the 30 minutes you need for cooking the chickpeas, you only need another 5 minutes to blend all the ingredients together. I suggest you do it, because you can adjust the taste according to your liking. The store bought one might disappoint you sometimes.
So, here is the recipe. I do hope you'll give it a try. You can see in the pictures above suggestions for serving. Enjoy!

Classic hummus recipe:

• 1 cup boiled chickpeas (or a can)
• 2 tbs tahini
• Quarter cup of water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• Garlic to taste
• (Add some color and taste by putting in some baked red peppers)

Process all the ingredients in the food processor, put the hummus in a bowl, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle cumin powder or chili powder to taste. Enjoy!