It's very heathy. Good fat from the tahini, protein from the beans. If you want a lower fat/higher protein version here's my favorite recipe:

hummus with tofu

Ingredients


12 oz light Silken tofu
15 oz canned cannellini beans
15 oz canned Garbanzo Beans
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp tahini
3 clove garlic clove(s) (or to taste)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Instructions


Drain beans reserving 2 T liquid. With food processor running drop in the garlic cloves 1 at a time. Stop the processor, then throw in all of the other ingredients with the reserved liquid and process until pretty smooth.

I make the version below, which has no oil. I found it on http://www.fatfreevegan.com/[/URL" target="_blank"> and it's quite good. Add a chipotle pepper in the blender for a little extra kick. Yum!

(All comments are Susan's, not mine.)

Hummus

Recipe by: Susan Voisin
Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip or spread. There are lots of recipes for it, each with a different proportion of ingredients. Over the years I've worked on mine to make it much lower in fat than the original version. If you want to make it truly fat-free, omit the tahini and increase the seasonings. You may also add one of the optional ingredients noted at the end of the recipe.

1-2 cloves garlic
1 can (or 1 1/2 cups) cooked chickpeas, drained
1/8 cup lemon juice
cooking liquid from beans (or water)
1 tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
dash cayenne
a few sprigs fresh parsley
sumac (optional)

Chop the garlic in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and lemon juice and begin processing. If needed, add 1/4 cup bean cooking liquid or water, just enough so that the chickpeas become a smooth paste. Continue processing as you add the remaining ingredients. Put into a dish, sprinkle with extra paprika (or for a more authentic taste use powdered sumac), garnish with parsley, and serve. Or, for best flavor, allow the flavors to mingle for a while before serving.

Now, I usually make about triple this amount, so this is just a guideline. You can add more spices as desired. I also have a lot of variations on this recipe that I use: black olive hummus, green olive hummus, hickory smoke hummus (add liquid smoke flavor), roasted red pepper hummus, and broccoli hummus (a great way of getting greens into kids).

You can serve this as a dip for pita bread, as a sandwich filling (my daughter lives on it), or as a topping for a salad (my preferred way to eat it these days). It should last several days to a week in the refrigerator (mine has never lasted that long--it's gone by the third day!).




http://This message has been edited by Kona27 (edited Aug-05-2006).

Forgot for the recipe above:

1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground red (hot) pepper
and 1/2 tsp cumin

add to blender/processor with other ingredients.

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Here comes the sun. It's all
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quote:<HR>Originally posted by reboot:
No it is not "healthful". Approximately 50% of the calories are from fat and that does not make a "healthful" food regardless of what kind of fat it is. I am sure there are worse foods out there but since there is no "healthful" scale, it is impossible to categorize it in absolute terms. Generally, healthful foods would be regarded as those low in fat. While hummus can certainly be included in a "healthful" diet, it would not be appropriate as anything other than a "treat" similar to the way you might eat peanut butter.

<HR>

I beg to differ. I eat a primarily vegetarian/vegan diet. I get almost no fat in my diet. For people like me, some fat in foods like nuts, avocados and hummus is good.

I love hummus. I've found some very lowfat, highfiber ones in my grocery stores. I like to put 2 T. of it on a whole wheat wrap w/ lettuce and salsa. Yummy. It is good w/ some lowfat Trisquit crackers too. My favorite hummus is a three pepper blend one. It is very spicy. It was very low in fat and calories.

quote:<HR>Originally posted by merigayle:
I beg to differ. I eat a primarily vegetarian/vegan diet. I get almost no fat in my diet. For people like me, some fat in foods like nuts, avocados and hummus is good. <HR>

What you do personally is irrelevant. The vast majority of North Americans have too much fat in their diet and do not have to take any special measures to get sufficient. For the general population, a high fat food would not be termed "healthful". The question was a general one and was not in reference to what might be healthful to you.

As for those who are suggesting a low fat version is more "healthful", I agree. But again, the question was in general terms and must be assumed to refer to the generally recognized product and the common preparation has about 50% of its calories from fats. Suggesting hummus is healthful is approximately like suggesting cheese cake is healthful simply because there is an obscure low fat recipe available.

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gotta run...

i disagree with the logic of comparing hummus to cheesecake. cheesecake has very little nutritional value (even the fat free sort although i suppose some sort of calcium arguement could be made). regular hummus also contains healthy fat as opposed to saturated fat in normal cheesecake. i think the key point here is that just like with many other perhaps high "healthy" foods is that you can't go overboard with them and can't expect to reap healthful or optimum weight benefits by adding them to an unhealthful diet. its about replacement, not addition. if you eat hummus on whole wheat pitas or peppers instead of say chips and dip then it's "healthy", if you instead add them as a side to your burger and fries you're only increasing the fat of a meal that's already too high in it. i try to explain this logic to my friend who insists that eating nuts (good for you but high in fat and calories) in large quantities as an addition to a terrible diet will help her lose weight and be "healthy" but to no avail. so enjoy your hummus people, just eat smart in general!

quote:<HR>Originally posted by reboot:
What you do personally is irrelevant. The vast majority of North Americans have too much fat in their diet and do not have to take any special measures to get sufficient. For the general population, a high fat food would not be termed "healthful". The question was a general one and was not in reference to what might be healthful to you.

As for those who are suggesting a low fat version is more "healthful", I agree. But again, the question was in general terms and must be assumed to refer to the generally recognized product and the common preparation has about 50% of its calories from fats. Suggesting hummus is healthful is approximately like suggesting cheese cake is healthful simply because there is an obscure low fat recipe available.

<HR>