As a student, my friends and I love dips! They are great to make veggies more interesting, they are versatile, and they cover up the taste of any ambitious recipes gone wrong.
Houmous is a popular favourite. Since going on a clean eating diet, I have discovered how many additives are in shop bought hummus. I was devastated as houmous is something I eat most days and so I explored the world of home made houmous. It’s surprisingly quick and easy to make, lasts a while and tastes more wholesome than shop bought pots. Houmous makes an easy salad dressing, side dip and best of all, home-made houmous is really healthy and packed full of goodness.
Ingredients (for the equivalent of 1 pot):
400g can of chickpeas
2 teaspoons of tahini
3 tablespoons olive oil
Clove of garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
Optional:
Paprika
Cumin
You will need some sort of blender of food processor. A hand blender works fine but will produce a smoother, thinner consistency: I prefer to use a processor for a chunkier thicker type of houmous.
1. Rinse the chickpeas in cold water and add to the food processor. Add the chopped garlic, salt, tahini, lemon juice and two tablespoons of water (more or less water should be used depending on the consistency you’re aiming for.)
2. Turn on the food processor and whizz for a minute or two whilst slowly pouring in the olive oil. Stop mixing once the houmous is well combined.
3. Spoon into a pot and keep in the fridge for up to a week. Serve with chopped raw veggies, a healthy salad, breadsticks or pitta bread for a filling, on-the-go snack.
Paprika houmous can make a nice, zingier alternative. Add two teaspoons of paprika and one teaspoon of cumin to the mixture at stage one.