Homemade Hummus For Beauty
Hummus is an all around beauty food!
With antioxidant rich ingredients such as garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and sesame seeds (tahini), adding hummus to your weekly meals is a skin-glow boost.Super Easy To DIY
Hummus is one of my favorite additions to almost any snack, many a lunch or dinner, or even breakfast (I like it on toast with a few red chili flakes sprinkled on top!). Safe to say I’m a pretty big fan– and once you see how easy it is to make it yourself with simple ingredients many of us already have stocked in our kitchens, I think you just might become a fan too!
Plant Based Diet
I have written before about how cutting dairy out of my diet played a huge role in getting my skin back under control after experiencing painful adult acne (for the first time in my life!) in my 20s. Adding hummus in is a delicious way to cut down on dairy and animal products in your daily life, but it’s also just a fun addition to many a snack, sandwich, or veggie platter no matter what (take for example my mom who is a self-proclaimed definitive omnivore always has hummus on hand in her fridge just because it’s great to snack on!).
Especially as the warmer weather rolls around, this is a wonderful light and refreshing recipe to have on hand and it is so quick and easy that it is absolutely perfect for hot days when you don’t want to spend a lot of time laboring in the kitchen or turning the oven on.
A Winner for Skin Health
As for the health benefits, pretty much every single ingredient in this recipe is pretty dang awesome for you! Garbanzo beans (or “chickpeas”) are a wonderful source of plant based protein, and being beans they happen to be the only food that actually counts as both a serving of vegetables and a serving of protein because of their high nutrient content (score!). Beans are high in antioxidants, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc… & the list could go on! All in all, they are a wonderful addition to any meal and they also happen to taste great, too.
The other ingredients like lemon juice and tahini are also full of health benefits and great taste! Lemon juice is full of vitamins (lemons are a great source of lots of bioavailable, naturally occurring vitamin C), and also aids in digestion and detoxification, while tahini is also full of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and plant lignans (which are known for their powerful anti-cancer effects).
Not Just For Dipping Anymore
Some of my favorite ways to eat hummus?- As a spread on a sandwich
- On toast sprinkled with chili flakes or sriracha
- As a salad dressing (just add in a little extra lemon juice or water to thin it out for a delicious, creamy dressing!)
- As a dip for veggies
- With crackers
- In a pita pocket sandwich or a wrap
- Tossed in a cold, savory pasta salad
- Spread on a bun with a veggie burger (or even a regular burger if you prefer!)
Ok, now that we’re all hungry, let’s get to the recipe!
Recipe
I like to do this with approximate quantities and I just judge as I go at this point, but I have put some basic starting quantities in these for you as a jumping off point. That said, if you would prefer to add more or less of any ingredient– go for it! Homemade hummus is definitely not an exact science, so go with your own tastes (and taste as you go to feel it out, especially the first few times while you get the hang of it!). The first step is to rinse your garbanzo beans– especially if you are using garbanzo beans from a can. This will help to get rid of a lot of the indigestible sugars that can cause indigestion (you will see them in action as the beans foam up!) and also improve the overall flavor. Once the foam is gone, shake any excess water out and you’ll be ready to begin.
It’s pretty simple really– just toss all of your ingredients into your food processor (or blender) and get to work blending up your hummus! Keep some extra lemon juice or water on hand to add in as you go until you reach your desired consistency. Some people prefer a thicker hummus, while some people (like my Israeli college professor who originally explained this recipe to my class) prefer an almost sauce-like, more liquid consistency. Again, this is really up to you and you can tweak it however you like!
Last but not least, here are some of my favorite flavor combinations to jazz up this standard hummus base if you want to get fancy. Simply add in your extras to your food processor along with the hummus, or sprinkle on top!
Baba Ganoush Anyone?
I wanted to add in a bonus recipe since it’s so dang easy as well– to make an amazing Baba Ganoush simply substitute baked eggplant (cut your eggplant in half and bake open side down at 350ºF until quite soft when prodded with a fork) for the garbanzo beans. Simply scoop out the inside of the eggplant and blend it up in your food processor with all the same ingredients– or, you can add in garbanzo beans too (some people like it best this way!).
And that’s it. A super easy and incredibly delicious recipe that take no more than 5 minutes to blend up and have all ready to enjoy. This is one of my favorite things to have on hand, and I hope that after seeing how simple it is to whip up yourself you’re inspired to give this a try in your kitchen, too!
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Abby is a photographer and blogger who never says no to a hot cup of tea or a new shade of lipstick. She lives in Monterey, CA with her husband where they enjoy hiking, cooking/eating everything vegan, and basically living the (neat and tidy) hippie dream. You can follow her @abby.roe.photo on instagram, or find her + her organic handmade mineral lipsticks HERE.
Lisa's Notes: Food Expert, Dr Gregor says beans are a food we should eat much more of.
