Hummus with a Twist
This past week I had the pleasure of working with a group of Girl Scouts. I came prepared to talk about healthy snack choices and energy balance. Energy balance means that the calories we eat and drink match those that we burn, use or otherwise expend. Our bodies use calories for maintenance, movement and growth. As adolescents, these girls are experiencing a rate of growth that is rivaled only by infants and toddlers. That makes it doubly important that their food choices support this growth spurt with high quality nutrition.
It was a pleasure to answer their questions and supply them with information related to a wide variety of nutrition related subjects. We talked about how marketing is used to influence choices. They raised concerns over beverage manufacturers’ recent campaign to drink sugary beverages in moderation and balance with physical activity. They wondered about how much physical activity was required to offset a small eight ounce cup of soda, about 20 to 30 minutes of moderately intense activity such dancing or jogging.
Healthy snacks provide extra nutrition in our day. One such healthy snack is hummus. High in fiber and protein, a small serving of hummus goes a long way to easing hunger. We made two variations of hummus, one half of the recipe for each variation. The first was made with added olives and the other was olive free as the oil used was a vegetable oil. (It was what I had on hand.) We substituted peanut butter for tahini in the recipe. Yes, I know that by definition, it is bean dip not hummus, without tahini or sesame paste. But peanut butter is much more affordable and most likely not going to require a special purchase. In this case, I provided powdered peanut butter as an alternative as it contains significantly less fat than traditional peanut butter and is a product I frequently use.
Served with whole wheat crackers and baby carrots, the dip was a hit. Some preferred the olive version while others liked the more pronounced garlic flavor of the plain. Yet, the group leader shared that she had never liked hummus before as she did not care for the strong flavor of olives or olive oil. Feel free to experience with adding other flavors like sundried tomato, basil or other herbs. Many of the girls took home the leftover hummus to share with their families and plan to make it in the future.
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Ingredients:
15.5 ounce can chickpeas 3 fresh garlic, cloves ¼ cup creamy peanut butter 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice (bottle) 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Water as needed 8 ounce can roasted peppers
Instructions: Using a food processor blend it all up into thick, creamy paste. Drizzle in additional water until the desired consistency is reached. Serve with whole grain crackers or cut up vegetables.
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Source: Adapted
from: Kids a Cookin’ |
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Last updated July 26, 2019