Make Hummus or Other Healthy Dips?

I get my garbanzo beans at the $ store. That is the cheapest place I have found. I dont like hummus but my husband does. He loves when I make it at home. Yes it is cheaper. I am still learning ways to flavor it.

Hi - our fammily loves hummus too. It's actually really inexpensive at Trader Joe's and certainly a lot easier than making it. By the way, Lee Lee Asian Market on 75th Ave and T-Bird sells tahini, although I haven't seen hummus there.

you can buy tahini at a whole foods placed, its mashed up sesame seed and its oil....you can mix yogert and avacado as a dip, add honey and cinemon or vanilla in yogert to dip too!

Fresh and Easy has inexpensive hummus also. I don't have any recipes but would love to make my own sometime! =)

Well M. I work for FreshandEasy don't know if you have heard of it,but they have different varieties of prepared hummus ready to eat. Not sure where you live but they're located in 3 states. AZ.,CA.,and NV. Isn't hummus made from hominy a type of corn? Good Luck!

it's super easy, i just put chic peas, lemon and salt and a small bit of olive oil in a blender and puree, pita bread and veggies to dip, viola!

Yea, we like making our hummus. We use a recipe that is almost the same as the recipe someone else wrote out, but it uses 2 T soy sauce instead of salt, broth instead of water, and adds a little bit (1/8 t.) of cayenne. We prefer that over the original recipe. But you'll have to experiment to find the exact taste you like.

We make this pasta with hummus. Thin out the hummus with a little more broth/water and warm it up. Then mix it with cooked noodles, broccoli, and sesame seeds. (You can cook the broccoli with the noodles; just add it during the last 5 minutes.)

Hi M.,
I love cooking/baking and just recently said I need to learn how to make my own hummus too. I had no idea what tahini was either, it's sesame seed paste. I buy mine at Fresh & Easy. It is in the peanut butter aisle and is about $4 a bottle.
Just to add, I got a great hummus recipe on allrecipes.com. And, if you really want to get creative, you can make black bean hummus, guacamole hummus and lima bean hummus. And, the plus is my 4 year son and 2 year old daughter love all these things :)
Hope this helps and good luck!
A.

Hi M.,
Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds (like peanut butter). One small jar makes A LOT of hummus, and keeps for a few months. You can buy it at Whole Foods or a few import grocery stores and middle eastern markets carry it.

If you let it sit, sesame oil floats to the top: this doesn't mean it's spoiled, just give it a stir before using it again.

I love to make hummus, and even got an easy recipe for pita off the internet. (look for recipes that require cake flour).
T

I get Tahini at Sunflower, I have also bought it at my local grocery store. Sunflower has it in the same area as the peanut butter, and other nut butters. The local grocery store has it on the shelf with the Jewish foods.

Making hummus is really easy especially if you have a food processor. All I do it put chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in the food processor and turn it on. In just a few minutes you have yummy hummus.

We make a great dip for fruit, especially for apples. Mix in large bowl with blender: 8 oz light cream cheese
3/4 C. brown sugar
1 T. vanilla
chopped walnuts

Dips like salsa and guacamole would be fun for your daughter to try too.

Check your local health food store for tahini, though your regular supermarket might carry it in the ethnic food aisle. All it is is a sesame paste--it's what makes hummus so yummy.

* 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
* 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
* 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed (might want less for the little one)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth

The recipe is pretty flexible and you can adjust for consistency and flavor as you like.

On the hummus front, I've copied 2 of my fav hummus blends from Trader Joes; White bean & basil, and Cilantro & Jalapeno. Just follow the basic hummus recipe that was posted, adding your fav herbs & spices. You'll learn if you like it more to the lemmony taste or more towards the tahini taste. Tahini can have a bit of a metallic taste if you use too much. There are recipes online for tahini cookies and other things so your jar isn't sitting around with nothing to make but hummus.

These are all veggy or vegan recipes geared towards preschoolers. If you're not a tofu family, just sub your fav dipping veg/fruit.

http://www.vrg.org/recipes/schoolers.htm
Sauce Recipes
Here are six fast sauces that you can make in a blender, no chopping or cooking required. If you always have on hand pre-cooked or canned legumes and some steamed sweet potatoes, you can make each of these sauces in five to ten minutes, just about the maximum waiting time of a hungry pre-schooler! If you've tried unsuccessfully to get your child to eat beans or tofu, these sauces may be your answer. My son likes these sauces over pasta, but you can also use them to dress up rice, pancakes, fruit, or vegetables. Or you can reduce the amount of liquid, and serve them simply in a bowl with a spoon.

Simple Peanut Butter/Tahini Sauce
Toss this comforting sauce with macaroni and peas, or use as a dip for carrot sticks and pita triangles.
2/3 cup cooked navy beans
2 to 3 Tablespoons peanut butter or toasted sesame tahini
1/4 to 1/3 cup water, orange juice, or apple juice

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Serves 2 to 3 children, or 1 child and 1 adult
Total Calories Per Child Serving: 160
Fat: 7 grams Protein: 9 grams

Sweet Albert Sauce
Drizzle this delicious sauce over a bowl of fruit chunks for a special breakfast or fast dessert.
Half a 10.5 ounce package soft silken tofu
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1 to 2 Tablespoons almond butter, peanut butter, or tahini
1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar
2 to 4 Tablespoons water

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Serves 2 to 3 children, or 1 child and 1 adult
Total Calories Per Child Serving: 102
Fat: 7 grams Protein: 5 grams

Banana Pudding Sauce
Pour over pancakes or waffles, or mix with cooked rice and sprinkle with cinnamon and raisins for an instant rice pudding.
Half a 10.5 ounce package soft silken tofu
1 very ripe banana
1/4 to 1/3 cup plain soy milk or water

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Serves 2 to 3 children, or 1 child and 1 adult
Total Calories Per Child Serving: 112
Fat: 2 grams Protein: 5 grams

Quick Carrot Sauce
Serve this Oriental-style sauce over rice and stir-fried bok choy or thinly shredded cabbage. It's a great source of vitamin A (beta-carotene).
1 cup grated raw carrot (1 medium-large carrot)
1/4 to 1/3 cup water
2 ounces soft tofu
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon dried ground ginger

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Serves 2 to 3 children, or 1 child and 1 adult
Total Calories Per Child Serving: 81
Fat: 3 grams Protein: 2 grams

Orange Raisin Sauce
Toss with wagon wheel pasta and steamed green beans, or serve over brown rice and peas.
3/4 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 to 1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon mild curry powder
1/4 cup raisins

Blend chickpeas, orange juice, and curry powder in a blender until smooth. Stir in raisins.

Serves 2 to 3 children, or 1 child and 1 adult
Total Calories Per Child Serving: 203
Fat: 6 grams Protein: 6 grams

Sweet Potato Fig Sauce
My son likes to eat this sauce with nothing more than a spoon. It's another great Vitamin A source.
3/4 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1/3 to 1/2 cup water or plain soy milk
2 teaspoons toasted sesame tahini
Pinch of ground nutmeg
4 dried figs, chopped

Blend sweet potato, water or soy milk, tahini, and nutmeg in a blender until smooth. Stir in figs.

Serves 2 to 3 children, or 1 child and 1 adult
Total Calories Per Child Serving: 255
Fat: 3 grams Protein: 4 grams

Ten Speedy Breakfasts for Pre-Schoolers
Beyond the Peanut Butter and Jelly Routine
Fast breakfasts for pre-schoolers can be almost any combination of grains and vegetables or fruits that your child enjoys. Here are some ideas to get you started. And remember, breakfasts can be served any time of the day.

Mash a ripe banana, add a spoonful or two of wheat germ, and moisten with soy milk. Sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon. Children learning to use a spoon love this thick cereal.

Mix leftover whole-wheat couscous with grated carrot and peas. Top with Orange-Raisin Sauce.

Scramble some soft tofu, stuff it in a whole-wheat mini pita and drizzle with Quick Carrot Sauce.

Fill a whole-wheat mini pita with Simple Peanut Butter/Tahini Sauce and choppped dates.

Dip chunks of steamed sweet potato in Banana Pudding Sauce.

Mix mashed cooked butternut squash with cinnamon or nutmeg and diced apple. If necessary, thicken with soft, fresh bread crumbs.

Make a breakfast smoothie with soft tofu, soy milk, and your child's favorite soft fruit.

Grind some low-fat granola in a blender (children sometimes have difficulty chewing whole nuts and seeds). Mix ground granola with unsweetened applesauce, or sprinkle it over Sweet Potato Fig Sauce.

Simmer a handful of bread cubes and some leftover rice with mashed soft tofu, some soymilk and dried currants, and a touch of cinammon for a warm breakfast pudding.

We call this dish Tofu Albert: Toast one-half of an English muffin. Top it with a very thin slice of firm tofu, add some steamed broccoli or sliced bananas, and drench with Sweet Albert Sauce.