Healthy at halftime: Hummus

Served with chips or crudités, hummus is celebrated for its silky consistency and exotic flavor.
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Hummus is a go-to dip that everybody seems to love. Served with chips or crudités, hummus is celebrated for its silky consistency and exotic flavor. There are several variations of this dish depending on the region it's from. Here is a loose interpretation of the recipe some folks from Syria taught me. 

Hummus

Serves 10-12

You will need: 

1 lbs chicpeas (weight is after soaking and cooking)

2 cloves garlic

1.5 TBS Kosher salt

5 TBS lemon juice

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup tahini

This recipe is made using fresh garbanzo beans. They are soaked overnight. After soaking, bring them to a boil and turn down to a simmer for 30-45 minutes or until desired tenderness. The bean should be soft enough to bite though with no al dente feel, but still hold its form. You can use canned chickpeas but if you start with raw, you will notice a huge difference in flavor and sodium content. Hummus cooked from raw chickpeas typically contains greater amounts of protein, fiber, iron, folate and B2 compared to its canned counterpart.    

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix till desired consistency.  If you want the hummus to be smoother, slowly add more water until you get what you're looking for. Garnish with fresh extra virgin olive oil, sumac powder and fine dice parsley. This can be made the day of the event or up to 3 days prior. 

Enjoy the game and EAGLES SUPER BOWL 2016!!!