I had really enjoyed a delicious green hummus at a restaurant in Berkeley, California,  (see my post about Tender Greens http://table-karma.com/tender-greens-falafel-hummus/) but that version was very high calorie and full of added oil. With my whole foods plant-based approach, hummus can be still be enjoyed guilt-free without the unhealthy aspects. So, I re-created that yummy green hummus I had at the restaurant but made it Table Karma style, without any added oil and no tahini–which is a high caloric density food. See my Health post on Caloric Density http://table-karma.com/eat-lose-weight-caloric-density/.

This Green Hummus is a great addition to a falafel plate, a fantastic dip for raw vegetables, a sandwich spread, and more!  But I made this Green Hummus for Breakfast! Hummus for Breakfast? A great weight loss tip is to start your day with a savory meal of vegetables. See my Health post on Vegetables for Breakfast http://table-karma.com/weight-loss-vegetables-breakfast/

Here is how I made the Green Hummus:

I have to admit that I wanted to make the hummus for breakfast on a whim on the morning after I returned from a trip and I had not shopped specifically for the recipe. So, I was making it up based on what I could find in my pantry and refrigerator. You can do this too, as long as you have some garbanzo beans and some leafy green vegetable, either fresh or frozen, so please experiment. I loved how my version turned out, so I’ll lead you through.

I used a Vitamix blender, which is my most indispensable kitchen friend! See my post on Vitamix. I started with about 3 large handfuls of fresh organic spinach in the blender.

You could use spinach, kale, chard, or whatever you have on hand. The amount also should not make a huge difference. I just used all I had.

Next, I added the juice of two small lemons (because that is what I had left). If you don’t have lemons, try lime juice. I also chopped up a small sliver of fresh jalapeño, (but a little cayenne powder would work as well), and 4 cloves of garlic, and the last of my fresh cilantro and added it all to the blender.

I drained the juice (aquafaba!) from one acetic package of garbanzo beans (one can is also fine), and added the beans, reserving the juice to add as need to get the Vitamin moving well.

For seasoning, I added salt, pepper,and cumin. The other ground powder you see is ground flax seed, which I saved to stir in at the end, both to thicken the hummus a little and to add the valuable Omega 3 benefits.

I blended it all together in the Vitamix, adding just a little of the reserved aquafaba juice until I could see that the magic was going to happen.

The Green Hummus turned out perfectly!

I stirred in the flax seed by hand and garnished with a little hot pepper sauce for an added wake up call!

Recipe

Oil-Free Green Hummus

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1/2 c roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 T chopped fresh jalapeño

4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

1/4 c fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/ 2 tsp salt or to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

additional seasoning as desired

1 can garbanzo beans, drained, reserving the juice/aquafaba

2 T ground flax seed (optional)

Instructions:

Add all ingredients except ground flax meal to a Vitamix blender or a food processor. Blend just until until mixed, adding a small amount of reserved aquafaba as necessary. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in flax meal.

Garnish with hot sauce as desired

Enjoy!