Anyone else feeling very snacky right now? Being stuck in the house makes food one of the few exciting pleasures of the day, but beware this can be a trap!
We all tend to reach for those easy quick snacks so we're not away from work for too long. But is anyone else noticing that bread, crisps, chocolate and biscuits seem to be running out more quickly than usual?
A varied and fresh diet is really important, so always opt for healthier options rather than the quickest. This doesn't mean you have to prepare a new time-consuming treat every time you fancy a snack, but try and prepare some healthy snacks like hummus in advance. This way you can quickly nip to the kitchen and grab a snack for a few days, knowing it's quick, satisfying and good for you.
We've shared some of our favourite hummus recipes, from a traditional plain recipe to ones with fun additions like harissa or caramelised onions! These go great with crudities for a really nutritious snack.
Traditional Plain Hummus
Ingredients
1 can of chickpeas
3 tbsp tahini paste
2 small-medium garlic cloves
Juice from 1/3 of a Lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
3+ tbsp water
1 tsp sea salt
You will also need:
A blender or food processor
- Drain the chickpeas, rinse them in cold water and place them into the blender or food processor. Blitz briefly to break the chickpeas up slightly.
- Crush the garlic using the slide of a knife or garlic crusher and add this to the blender. Also add all of the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. You will probably need to stop and scrape the sides of your blender/food processor a couple of times during this (not while your blender is running) to ensure its consistently smooth throughout.
- Give you hummus a taste - all ingredients will differ slightly, so you may find you want to add a little more lemon or salt. If you want your Hummus even smoother, add a little more water and oil and blend further.
If you're sticking with the plain hummus, try adding some spices for a little more depth of flavour. Paprika and cumin go perfectly mixed into the plain recipe.
Caramelised Onion Hummus
Ingredients
All ingredients for traditional hummus
1 small white onion
1 tsp butter
1 tsp brown sugar
A pinch of sea salt
The Method
- Make your traditional hummus recipe as your base.
- Next, slice the onions finely.
- Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the onions. Add the salt and fry the onions on a low heat for 10 - 15 mins, add the sugar halfway through and stir continually to make sure they don't burn.
- Once caramelised, set the onions aside to cool.
- When they are cool, chop them up even more and stir them through your traditional hummus.
Lemon & Coriander Hummus
Ingredients
All ingredients for traditional hummus
1 tsp extra of lemon juice
A small handful of fresh coriander
Black peppercorns
The Method
- Make your traditional hummus recipe as your base.
- Separate your coriander leaves from their stalks. Save the stalks for another recipe (they are nice cooked in the base of a dahl-like curry).
- Chop your coriander leaves up finely.
- Stir your coriander leaves, a few twists of cracked black peppercorns and the additional lemon juice into your hummus.
Harissa Hummus
Ingredients
All ingredients for traditional hummus
1 tbsp Harissa Paste (Belazu Rose Harissa works well)
3 sundried tomatoes (optional)
The Method
- Make your traditional hummus recipe as your base.
- Chop up your sundried tomatoes.
- Stir in the sundried tomatoes and harissa paste.
Beetroot Hummus
Ingredients
All ingredients for traditional hummus
1 boiled beetroot
A small handful of mint or coriander
Pink Peppercorns (optional)
The Method
- Blitz up your boiled beetroot in a blender until smooth and strain off any excess liquid.
- Make your traditional hummus recipe as your base.
- Chop up your mint or coriander leaves.
- Stir all of the ingredients together.
- Crush some pink peppercorns on top