I don’t know how you feel about it, but if you’re like me you could eat entire tubs of hummus and just be happy! Right? Well, there’s a reason to that 🙂
Chickpeas, together with other legumes, contain higher levels of Tryptophan, an amino acid precursor to serotonin. If you’re not familiar with it, serotonin is a neurotransmitter strongly connected to well-being and mood aka the happy chaps in our brain.
Take anxiety and depression – they’re linked to a serotonin deficiency. Some even claim that chickpeas are responsible for the evolution happening 10000 years ago in the middle eastern are. Regardless of what you think, chickpeas are delicious and make great dips, dressings, cakes, snacks, pancakes, scramble veg. You name it, whether in whole form or ground up as flour.
Rich in protein, with 19g per 100g, Iron, B-6 and Magnesium, chickpeas should be a staple in any household. When you pair them with tahini aka sesame seed paste (rich in calcium and iron as well), lemon and spices, they become a powerhouse. If you’re low in Iron, aside the needed supplementation, hummus should be a daily choice in your diet.
Even more, they’re an aphrodisiac, *wink*wink*, so extra bonus points for the humble chickpea. 😉
Now, if you think a pot of hummus from Tesco will do the trick, it’s not entirely true. In order for the nutrients to be fully available, it’s best if you cook them from scratch, as canned chickpeas have half of the iron levels for example. Don’t panic, you can soak a bigger batch of chickpeas every week or so (250g dry chickpeas will give you 400g of cooked ones) and freeze them until you use them. Hummus taste best fresh and it usually doesn’t last more than 2 days, so I always prefer making it on the day.
I have a delicious homemade hummus recipe for you that can be customised and played with. In my true nature, I love colours and I created my hummus rainbow neon shades with these. They’re so yummy!
Moreover, there are new London classes happening in May. This are likely to be the only ones for the first part of summer, as I’ll be doing a bit of travelling. First stop, Romania where I’ll be running a few classes too.
So if you’re in London, hope to see you soon!
Until next time, make hummus!
Lots of love,
Denisa
INGREDIENTS:
PINK HUMMUS
- 250g cooked chickpeas
- 100ml Chickpea water (the one you cooked it in, or the can one if you’re using canned)
- 1 small clove garlic
- 2 spoons tahini
- 2 spoons Olive Oil
- 1 small beetroot (or half a bigger one), chopped so it can blend easier
- 1/2 lemon, squeezed
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 250g chickpeas
- 100ml Chickpea cooking water (the same as above)
- 1 small clove garlic
- 2 spoons tahini
- 2 spoons Olive Oil
- 75g purple cabbage (about one thumb size slice)
- 1/2 lemon squeezed
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
HOW TO:
