You'll never get bored with hummus because there are so many ways to flavor it and pair it with your favorite foods! Add this easy, protein rich, high fiber, energy boosting snack to your daily routine.
Traditional hummus is made from chickpeas. But I've been experimenting in the kitchen and on my family! It turns out any dry beans will substitute nicely! We don’t raise chickpeas but we do have LOTS of dry beans to choose from, including Black Turtle, Dakota Bumble, Hidatsa Red, Arikara Yellow, and Hidatsa Shield!
Basic Hummus Recipe
To wet your appetite for experimenting, let’s start with a very basic hummus recipe. Simply combine in a blender two cups of your favorite fully cooked dry beans (or chickpeas) in a blender with a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1-2 cloves of garlic, 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon or lime, and salt to taste.
Potential Combinations
Pair this hummus with our Homemade Flatbread recipe and enjoy! I use our 'ever present' cast iron fry pan. Or you can use a lefse grill if you have one.
Or experiment further with adding our Sweet Dakota Bliss beets in our Beet & Bean Hummus recipe, combining the powerful healing benefits of beans and beets! And don’t worry about eating it all at one sitting… divide into smaller portions and keep a few in the freezer, so all you have to do is thaw.
And our flatbread recipe can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks! Just tear off a chunk of dough, roll it out, and grill some fresh warm flatbread. Or bake a pizza crust. What could be easier?
You will never get bored with hummus! There are so many potential combinations to try, like cilantro jalapeño hummus, basil pesto, or spring pea hummus. Sweet corn jalapeño, roasted red pepper, or spinach artichoke hummus. How about chipotle hummus? Just search the internet for "hummus recipes" and have fun!
Use hummus as a veggie dip and forget the ranch dressing! Celery and hummus are a match made in heaven; you don’t even need a spoon! Use hummus as a sandwich spread in place of mayo for added taste and nutrition! Use a pesto hummus and the flatbread recipe as the basis for your next homemade pizza.
Health Benefits
In case yummy isn't enough of an incentive to get you into the kitchen-- here's the skinny on why your body needs this in your diet. Dry beans contain no cholesterol and are loaded with all the good stuff like complex carbohydrates and fiber, B vitamins, iron, potassium and very little fat. Beans promote gut health and research tells us it helps prevent colon cancer. Beans help balance blood sugar levels and reduce blood cholesterol, a leading cause of heart disease.
Pairing our beans with Sweet Dakota Bliss beets provides another dose of benefits. Dry beans are a rich source of iron, while beets are high in vitamin C, which helps to utilize and absorb the iron from the hummus. Beets also help lower your blood pressure, relax and dilate your blood vessels, improving blood flow and enhancing stamina. AND again, they're good for gut health!
Beets are chock-full of powerful phytonutrients! That’s what gives them their deep maroon color. It's that color that can help ward off cancer. Research has found beets are a unique source of a nutrient that helps protect cells from stress, fights inflammation, protects internal organs, and likely helps prevent a lot of chronic diseases. Beets are being studied for use in treating human pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers.
“Yes, please!” to those beets and those dry beans! Enjoy-- and know you're doin' your body good!
Our best to you,Theresa & Dan