Hummus

Hummus is a tasty Middle Eastern dish which was supposedly first prepared by Saladin the most famous sultan of Egypt; if it is good enough for a sultan hopefully it is good enough for you. Hummus is a dip and spread, that is wonderfully simple to make, although it is available in most supermarkets, homemade hummus like any other home cooked dishes is far tastier when it is made with your own hands.

Homemade hummus served with pita bread and some cold fresh ripe tomatoes, makes a tasty snack or a healthy nutritious lunch. Serve hummus in a bowls with pine nuts, bread sticks or freshly baked homemade bread and you have a very yummy and easy snack or a fun starter for a summer party.

Hummus' main ingredient is chickpeas which characterise its rough creamy texture. The garlic and tahini gives hummus its distant flavour, tahini is sesame paste and is available in some supermarkets or Chinese food shops. The sesame and garlic makes the hummus rich and full of flavour.

Hummus is a perfect addition to a vegetarian and vegan diet, chickpeas are high in protein. As well as being a good sauce of protein they are high in fibre so great for your heart. Research also shows eating chickpeas reduces cholesterol. Tahini is a good source of essential fatty acids, which maintain health skin and hair. Hummus is also high in calcium, iron and vitamin B. So if you are trying to look after yourself and be good, hummus is fabulous, it taste great and is a good start to looking after your heart.

Ingredients

• 175g canned chick peas
• 120ml sesame seed paste also known as tahini
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 4 tbsp water

Method

1. Combine the chickpeas, sesame seed paste, garlic, lemon juice and a little bit of water in a blender. Process until smooth adding more water if needed. Add more lemon juice or garlic to suit taste.