Green Hummus Recipe

If you are looking to add more vegetables and high-protein foods to your diet, this hummus is perfect for you! 

I adapted this recipe from an original I found here, but I really have changed it quite a bit.  When I made it the first time, I followed the original recipe relatively closely.  I have to say, the sesame flavor from the Tahini was completely overpowering.  This time, I toned down the Tahini and played up the other flavors.

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons tahini

1/2 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste

1/4 teaspoon chili flakes (adjust to taste)

1 1/4 cup chickpeas (you may know these as garbanzo beans)

1 1/4 cup cooked edamame (shelled)

2 tablespoons liquid from chickpeas can

Begin by cooking the edamame according to the package directions.  Be sure to cool the edamame under cool running water and set aside. 

(Note: You will have extra edamame left over from the package.)

Peel 3 cloves of garlic and put them in a food processor.  Pulse until minced.

Next, add three cups of fresh spinach to the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.

(You can, of course, use thawed frozen spinach for this if you do not have fresh spinach.  In this case, use 1 cup, or 8 ounces.)

Add the zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon to the food processor.  Then, add salt, chili flakes and tahini.

Drain can of chickpeas over a bowl (this is so you can save some of the liquid that the chickpeas come in).  Add 1 1/4 cup of drained chickpeas to the food processor and then, using the "chop" button, mix all ingredients together until well incorporated.

Add 1 1/4 cup of edamame to the mixture, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons juice from chickpeas.   Mix everything in the food processor until you have a smooth paste.

Serve with crackers, pita bread, carrots or other chopped veggies.

Note: this makes a relatively thick hummus.  If you prefer a more traditional, liquid hummus,  add more juice from the chickpeas or more olive oil.  Be conscientious when adding olive oil, as this and the tahini are the main sources of any fat in the dish.