Everyone knows that part of being a great host means that you serve amazing food. You can chat for hours with your guests, play crowd-pleasing music, and treat them to night of fun, but what most people remember, is how your food tasted. Snack food is an important part of this, and one of the tastiest hors d’oeuvres to add to your appetizer platter is hummus.
What is hummus? It is a Middle-Eastern and Arabic spread that is made from chick peas that have been cooked and mashed. This mash is usually blended together with olive oil, salt, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini, which is made from ground, hulled sesame seeds. Hummus is a favorite among people around the world, and is usually used as a dip for chips, vegetables, and also as a spread for bread. While this particular mixture is a more common hummus preparation, there are other recipes with hummus that can be prepared to give people a variety of tastes, such as roasted red pepper hummus, roasted garlic hummus dip, and even spicy three pepper hummus dip.
Some alternative hummus preparations are easier than others. With roasted garlic hummus, the only added element is that you roast an entire head of garlic before blending it with the rest of the traditional ingredients. In spicy hummus dip, cayenne peppers, jalapenos, and black pepper are added to the main ingredients to provide a kick. With roasted red pepper hummus, the process is slightly different, and it takes a bit longer to make. The chick peas are prepared the same way, and garlic, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil are added, but tahini is omitted. Instead, roasted and peeled bell peppers, and other spices such as paprika and ground black pepper are added to create a different flavor profile.
These are only a few of the dozens of hummus recipes available. In addition to the numerous preparations of this dip, there are nutritional benefits. Hummus nutrition elements include a high Vitamin C and iron content, as well as other essential minerals such as Manganese and Calcium. Chick peas are also a great source of fiber and protein. Other hummus nutritional advantages come from the use of tahini. Since this is made from sesames seeds, it contains amino acids such as methionine, which promote overall-well being. In addition, the fat found in hummus is considered “good fat,” and contains Omega-3.
Other than hummus nutrition, this dip is a delicious way to treat your guests to great food. You can serve hummus with pita bread as a spread, or leave it as a dip. You can also experiment with different kinds of hummus to accent your main course. Either way, hummus provides you with ample opportunities to keep your guests satisfied.