Over the past couple of months I’ve started taking baby steps in the kitchen, attempting recipes with few ingredients and easy steps. One of my favorite things to make is hummus! Seriously, there is nothing simpler than dumping a bunch of ingredients into a blender. The first time I prepared hummus, the only challenging part was finding the best recipe to follow.
My sister had once told me about a healthy hummus recipe she liked that used yogurt in place of the tahini, as tahini is particularly fattening. Since she hadn’t sent me the recipe by the time I was ready to make my hummus, I turned to the granddaddy of all cookbooks, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. Now, I know that Mark Bittman is considered a god to some people, and I wonder if those people would curse me for adulterating one of his recipes. But that’s exactly what I did; I replaced the tahini with plain yogurt.
Here’s the recipe I followed, which is based on the hummus recipe in How to Cook Everything:
Ingredients:
2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, cooking liquid reserved if possible
1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus oil for garnish
2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin or paprika, or to taste, plus a sprinkling for garnish
Chopped parsley leaves for garnish (which I didn’t use)
Directions:
Put the chickpeas, yogurt, oil, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor (or a blender for even smoother hummus), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and begin to process; add chickpea-cooking liquid or water as needed to produce a smooth puree.
Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper or lemon juice as needed. Serve, drizzled with some olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of cumin or paprika and some parsley.
Do you have a favorite hummus recipe? How about another type of bean dip? I’m on the hunt for more uncomplicated recipes!
Twitter: @abcddesigns
Not to be negative, but I wonder -why substitute?
Tahini is a source of calcium, protein and B vitamins. Tahini is a good source of essential fatty acids (EFA) – and EFA’s are used in helping to maintain healthy skin. Tahini is a source of vitamin E which helps to reduce the speed in which your body cells age.
Sesame seeds (ie: Tahini is quite simply crushed sesame seeds) are also a good source of the amino acid Methionine. Methionine is an important contributor to liver detoxification and helps with the absorption of other amino acids. Not to mention, an awesome source for fiber.
Long story short: The amount of tahini used in a regular recipe for hummus is well below the recommendation for 1 serving – and I would venture to guess that the hummus recipe you made is a serving size for at least four people, if not more.
It would be my guess that the likelihood of having any benefits from adding yogurt is nominal in this recipe. I’d think it is possible you didn’t use organic yogurt, and right there, you’ve added chemicals and hormones that are more damaging to your system than a few extra fat calories.
~ just my two cents ~
ABCD
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Twitter: @pjfeinstein
That’s a lot of great info on tahini — thanks! Truth be told, I didn’t do much research on what’s so bad about tahini. I just took my sister’s word on it!
This is why I love our blogging community! I learn so much :)
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Amy beat me to the punch! I was going to put in a word for how much I love tahini, too – and how GREAT it is for you! Tahini isn’t fattening a la junkfood – it’s very much on par with olive oil, full of fats that are good for you and important for your body. Tahini also boasts tons of Omega 3, Calcium, Iron, Protein, Vitamin A, Thiamine and some crucial amino acids. There are even articles on the anti-depressant qualities of homemade hummus due to all those tryptophans that create serotonin. To me, tahini is a total nutritional all-star.
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[...] over on Elizabeth Anne Designs Living today sharing one of my hummus with yogurt recipes — and, inadvertently, igniting The Great Tahini Debate of [...]
Although Tahini is good for you in regards to the “good fats”, I think the recipe with yogurt is a great alternative. Your sister made a great suggestion that gives options to those who are looking to lighten up just a bit. Plus, yogurt is much easier to measure and spoon!
Twitter: @#!/ellidavis
Well, replacements are good from time to time, at least you have more alternatives. I will have to try this one out too, to compare. Oh, and I have never heard about that book before – have to check it out as well, even though with the little time I spend at home, I am not quite sure how effective it will be.
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Yogurt is a great alternative for many recipes. I always try to substitute Greek yogurt instead of using mayonnaise or sour cream in my tuna and egg salad sandwiched. It is also good when making homemade burritos. Thank you for the great recipe!
I forgot to mention I use yogurt in cookies too!