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My go to dip for veggies and bread had always been a spicy yogurt dip I throw together in a jiffy. I love that it’s high in protein while being low calorie and sugar free. But when one of my little ones showed a dairy sensitivity, I quickly realized I would need another alternative if I didn’t want him to feel left out all the time. I made a batch of hummus and the little guy devoured it like a grown woman devours chocolate. Ding ding ding!!!! Hummus is sugar free, packed with protein and fibre, as well as beneficial vitamins and minerals such as iron, folate, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin B6. It’s pretty much the ultimate snack for people with allergies/food sensitivities as it’s dairy free, gluten free, nut free, egg free, soy free…. you get the point! I was thrilled my little guy loved such a nutritious snack, so hummus became a routine part of our week and I couldn’t be happier about it. It’s such a delicious, healthy option to have on hand. Perfect for dipping fresh veggies, flatbread, corn chips, homemade oven fries, and perfectly cooked pan seared chicken breast. It’s also delicious to dollop on top of a nourish bowl or serve in your fav pita or wrap. Let me first show you how I cook my chickpeas and then we’ll end with, what I consider to be, the best hummus recipe!

When you go through as many chickpeas as I do, buying canned chickpeas adds up. Once I realized I could cook chickpeas in my Instant Pot (don’t worry, stovetop works too!) from dry in under an hour, I was hooked. They have a better taste and texture than the canned ones and I use them for all sorts of purposes – in salads, nourish bowls, soups, curries, falafel, lunch box snacks, roasted chickpeas, and of course, hummus.

Perhaps the very most exciting thing about cooking chickpeas from dry is the cost savings. I buy this 1.8kg bag of dried chickpeas form Superstore for $4.78. It yields TWENTY-ONE cups of cooked chickpeas (probably closer to 22 but my kiddos and I ate a bunch before bagging them…). A standard 19 ounce can of chickpeas yields 1 1/2 cups of chickpeas, so to get the same yield as our dry chickpeas we’d be purchasing 14 cans of chickpeas. The very best price I find a can for is $0.98 at superstore, so to equal the same amount as our $4.78 bag of chickpeas, we’re paying $13.72. That’s a cost savings of $8.94. It’s nearly 1/3 of the price to cook your chickpeas from dry! How’s that for savings?! Coming from a mama who gets excited when she finds a $1 off coupon, this is pretty exhilarating stuff. Pick up a bag of dried chickpeas next time you’re at the grocery store and I’ll show you how to cook ’em.

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How to Cook Chickpeas

Instant Pot:

• Optional (I never remember to do this so I pretty much always skip this step): soak chickpeas in a large bowl overnight, water covering the chickpeas by at least 4 inches.Add chickpeas (soaked or dry) to instant pot and cover with water by about 4 inches. Add 2 tsp sea salt.
• Cook dry chickpeas on manual pressure for 35 minutes with a 15 minutes natural pressure release before quick releasing the pressure. If you've soaked your chickpeas overnight, do 12 minutes manual pressure.
• Drain in a colander and run cold water over to stop the cooking.
• Allow to cool and then portion into 3 cup bags/containers and freeze/refrigerate until ready to use.

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Stovetop:

• Add the beans to a large bowl and cover with 4 inches of water. Cover and let soak at least 8 hours or overnight.
• The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add them to a large pot and cover with 3-4 inches of water. Add 2 tsp sea salt.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
• Drain in a colander and run cold water over to stop the cooking.
• Allow to cool and then portion into 3 cup bags/containers and freeze/refrigerate until ready to use.

Ok, now you have 21 cups of cooked chickpeas on hand and you’re probably wondering how you’re possibly going to use them all. Don’t worry, as soon as you try this hummus recipe you’ll find you breeze through them pretty quickly (and the chickpeas keep for ages in the freezer in the meantime)! This hummus has a nice smoky depth of flavour from the cumin, a fresh tart acidity from lemon, and just the right amount of spice from fresh garlic and red chili flakes. Whip yourself up a batch to have it on hand throughout the week for healthy snacks, dipping, and garnish. And give yourself a pat on the back while you’re at it 🙂

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Kitchen Aid 11 Cup Food Processor – I’ve had this for years (literally 10+) so mine is an older model but this thing has served me so well, I can’t imagine going without it. I love the large size so I can make double batches of hummus, grind up my own almond and oat flour, whiz up fresh pizza sauce, etc. The game changing features are the cheese grating and vegetable slicing blades – I can grate up a whole block of cheese in seconds and slice up perfectly even and thin slices of potatoes or vegetables for scalloped potatoes and other casseroles. Dreamy!

Instant Pot (8 Quart) – This is my most used kitchen appliance, I am obsessed with this thing! It saves me so much time and hassle in the kitchen and serves so many purposes that I think it is definitely worth the purchase. My favourite things to make are hard boiled eggs, rice, beans/chickpeas, whole chickens, broth, pulled beef and pork, chili, soups, ribs, mac’n’cheese…. the list goes on!