Four ingredients is all you need to make this tasty and nutritious dish! Hummus is one of the easiest things to make. But you will need a food processor.
Garbanzo beans are high in potassium, fiber and folate and loaded with protein. And Tahini, made from sesame seeds is in a class all its own. Not only are sesame seeds a very good source of manganese and copper, but they are also a good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fiber. In addition to these important nutrients, sesame seeds contain two unique substances: sesamin and sesamolin. Both of these substances belong to a group of special beneficial fibers called lignans, and have been shown to have a cholesterol-lowering effect in humans, and to prevent high blood pressure and increase vitamin E supplies in animals.* Sesamin has also been found to protect the liver from oxidative damage.
On with the show...
Ingredients:
- 1 can garbanzo beans (I prefer Eden brand because they are salt and additive free)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic (I sometimes use one clove of fresh and one clove of roasted)
- 1/4 cup sesame tahini
Directions:
- Drain the liquid from the beans into a cup to reserve it. And beans to food processor.
- Add remaining ingredients and purée.
- Add the reserved liquid from the beans, if needed, to create a nice, smooth consistency.
Helyn's Notes: I sometimes like to add a little paprika to the mix. It gives a hint of sweetness and a nicer color to the finished dish.
Serves 2. Enjoy with fresh veggies for dipping (much healthier than bread!)
Healthy trails,
* Miyawaki T, et al. Antihypertensive effects of sesamin in humans. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). (2009); Truan JS, Chen JM, Thompson LU. Comparative effects of sesame seed lignan and flaxseed lignan in reducing the growth of human breast tumors (MCF-7) at high levels of circulating estrogen in athymic mice. Nutr Cancer. (2012); Chiu HF, et al. Improvement of Liver Function in Humans Using a Mixture of Schisandra Fruit Extract and Sesamin. Phytother Res. (2012); Hsieh PF, et al. Sesamin ameliorates oxidative stress and mortality in kainic acid-induced status epilepticus by inhibition of MAPK and COX-2 activation. J Neuroinflammation. (2011)
