Let Them Eat Hummus: 5 Healthy Recipes

These five simple, healthy, and unique hummus recipes do not disappoint.

1 15 oz. can garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 T raw tahini (adjust to taste)
2 heaping T garlic, minced
4 T lemon juice
hot sauce to taste
water as needed

Toss everything into a blender or food processer. Blend until desired consistency is reached, adding water to thin as needed. Taste. Fall in love. Serve.

1 Gala (or red) apple, diced
2 cups butternut squash, cubed
1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
Heaping spoonful garlic, minced
1 T plain yogurt
1 tsp ground ginger

brown sugar
cinnamon
chili powder
cumin
hot sauce

Prepare the first four ingredients, then stir together in a large bowl. Add cinnamon, brown sugar, and chili powder to taste. Mix well, then spread over a greased baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes at 425*F, stirring at least once.

Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool. Transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt, as well as cumin, hot sauce, and more chili powder to taste. Blend until smooth. Enjoy warm or chill.

1  15 oz. can garbanzo beans
juice from 1 lime
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 T peanut butter
2+ T jalapenos
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
pinch of cumin
red pepper flakes to taste

Reserve the liquid from the garbanzos, then rinse the beans. Put all of the ingredients plus two Tablespoons of the reserved liquid into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding drizzles of the reserved liquid to facilitate the process as needed.

Curried Mango Hummus

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 heaping spoonful minced garlic (or to taste)
3 tsp curry powder
3 T lemon juice
1 cup diced mango
a squirt of hot sauce (I used Sriracha)
water as needed

Throw all of the ingredients except for the water into a blender or food processor. Blend until fully combined, adding water incrementally if the mixture is too thick to process properly. Enjoy with crackers, chips, fresh or grilled veggies, grilled chicken, salmon, or just straight up.

Makes about 2 cups.

*For a regular curried hummus, simply omit the mango.

3 slices bacon (or vegetarian bacon), toasted for 5 minutes at 450* in a toaster oven
6 sundried tomatoes, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
1 15.5 oz. can garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 T maple syrup (I used sugar free)
1 T minced garlic
1 T BBQ sauce
1/2 T Worchestershire sauce
1/2 T cider vinegar
1/8 tsp hot sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Process until a smooth paste forms, adding water as necessary. Serve with crackers, chips, fresh fruits and vegetables, flatbread, as a sandwich filling, as a salad topper, or any other way you can devise.

Makes three to four half-cup servings.

T = Tablespoons

tsp = teaspoons

oz = ounces

For more healthy recipes, check out Kitchen Courage, a balanced living blog.