I love making my own hummus, and I’m pretty sure it’s my all time favorite food. It’s so easy to make, which makes it so much healthier and cheaper than most store bought hummus.  I could eat hummus all day!  It’s rich creamy texture is so delicious and it makes the perfect balanced snack with some veggies or some seed based crackers (such as Mary’s Gone Crackers). I’ve made my own hummus before but this one takes the cake in the flavor department. I absolutely love anything with basil in it so adding it to hummus seemed like a no-brainer.  Making it in a big batch at the beginning of the week really prepares you for the craziness during the week and gives you a great healthy snack or salad topper to pop out of the fridge.  The oil is minimized in this recipe and replaced with a bit of water with no compromise on the texture!

Basil Pesto Hummus

What you need: a high speed blender or food processor

Ingredients:

-2 cans of low sodium chickpeas, rinsed
-1 packed cup of fresh basil
-1 large kale leaf, de-stemmed
-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup of water
-juice from 1 lemon
-3 garlic cloves
-2 tsp. cumin
-1 tsp. paprika
-salt and pepper

Method:

Roast the garlic cloves in the oven or toaster for 5-10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the chickpeas, and add all of the ingredients to the food processor or blender. Add in the garlic and blend for about 5 minutes until very smooth.