Hemp & Chickpea Hummus

Wow, is this Hemp and Chickpea hummus delicious! After making this you won’t go back to store bought hummus, trust me! I’ve supercharged this hummus by adding organic hemp seeds. Hemp seeds are a fantastic source of complete protein, as they contain all essential amino acids. This makes hemp the perfect protein source for vegetarians and vegans. Hemp is also a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids, fibre, vitamin E, magnesium and B vitamins.

The best chickpeas to use:

If possible avoid using canned chickpeas for this recipes. All legumes need to be prepared properly to avoid digestive distress and to maximise the absorption of nutrients. You’ll also find that the hummus will taste better when you use freshly cooked chickpeas. Follow these instructions to prepare your chickpeas and all other legumes correctly:

• Add 1kg of dried chickpeas to a large saucepan and fill with water so the chickpeas are well covered
• Pop a lid on the saucepan and set aside for 24 hrs. You may need to check them after 12 hours and add some more water so the chickpeas are covered in water the entire soaking time.
• After 24hrs drain the chickpeas and rinse well. Add back to the saucepan, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Cook for 1 hr until the chickpeas are soft and tender.
• I use 1 1/2 cups of this batch of chickpeas in my hommus recipe and I freeze the rest in smaller containers. This way when I need chickpeas for a recipe I don’t need to go through the soaking and cooking process every single time.

 

Why should you soak your legumes?

The above soaking process triggers the legume to start sprouting, if you have a careful look at your soaked legumes after 24 hours you can begin to see the sprouting shoot pop up underneath the skin. This sprouting process reduces the amount of phytic acid in legumes which means they are much easier to digest. Phytic acid can also bind to essential nutrients making them less available to the body. By reducing phytic acid levels you make more of these essential nutrients available to the body [Source].