Did you guys know that 2016 is officially the Year of Pulses?! I just thought I would let you know in case you hadn’t been living up to your full puls-tential (no need to credit me when you reuse that gem at happy hour).
A Few Fun Facts:
Pulses are grain legumes – aka the dried seed of a legume plant – aka dried beans, lentils and peas – aka chickpeas – aka hummus partay!!
Pulse crops are one of the most sustainable crops a farmer can grow.It takes just 43 gallons of water to produce one pound of pulses, compared with 216 for soybeans and 368 for peanuts.
They also contribute to soil quality by fixing nitrogen in the soil.
Hummus Making Tips:
Cook the chickpeas in your slow cooker or rice cooker!! I love finding non-winter uses for my slow cooker, just so I feel better about it taking up half of my kitchen.
For the Leafy Greens variation: this is a great recipe to use up leafy green scraps – like cilantro stems or fibrous kale ribs/stems) or greens that past their peak. I used cilantro stems and mustard greens that were no longer salad-worthy.
For the Beet variation: I don’t usually recommend pre-made sorts of ingredients but if cooking the beets is a deal breaker, you can find cooked and peeled beets in vacuum packages at stores like Whole Foods.
- ½ lb / 1¼ cups dried chickpeas
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 6½ cups water
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- ¾ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup cold water
- To cook the chickpeas: soak overnight if you remember (if not, move along it will be ok). In a medium-sized pot, rice cooker, or even slowcooker combine chickpeas, baking soda and water. Bring to a boil (or turn your cooker on) and cook for about 30 minutes or until chickpeas are very tender. Drain the chickpeas.
- Pulse garlic and chickpeas in a food processor until you have a thick paste. Add the tahini and lemon juice then with the machine running slowly drizzle in the cold water. Continue to mix until extremely smooth and creamy (3-5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Will keep in the fridge for a week or so.
To Make hummus varieties combine the listed ingredients in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped then puree until smooth. Add in the hummus and puree again - season with salt and pepper to taste.
2 medium beets, roasted and peeled + 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar + 1 cup hummus base
Curried Carrot-
2 medium carrots, cooked + ¼ cup yellow curry paste (homemade or storebaught) + 2 tsp turmeric + 1 cup hummus base
Leftover Leafy Greens-
2 cups leafy greens and/or stems (whatever you have around) + zest and juice of 2 lemons + 1 cup hummus base
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