Avocado Hummus

In its purest form, hummus is a creamy, smooth dip that can be easily used to top just about anything. It might be one of the greatest culinary gift from the Middle East.
America has become obsessed with the rich chickpea spread, and for a reason. It’s not only delicious, it’s also super healthy.
The typical chickpea-garlic-tahini combination is as good as it gets — but why stop there?
Sometimes — just sometimes — I get tired of it. Not to mention, there are so many variations to the standard hummus recipe, it’s fun to play around.


This avocado hummus is a bold interpretation of the classic Middle Eastern dip, in that I swapped chickpeas with avocado.
You’ve heard that right, no chickpeas,.
Now, before you get all riled up and start chasing me with a water gun, a pitchfork - or even worse - a meat cleaver, give me a chance to explain myself.
It is true that “hummus” is an Arabic word that means "chickpeas". Meaning that if you’re bit of a purist, hummus can only be made with chickpeas.
However, if you’re open to the possibility that sometimes things can be made differently, and you’re not afraid of making spaghetti out of zucchini, bread out of cauliflower, and brownies with sweet potatoes, then maybe the idea of making hummus with avocado might be the right thing for you.


One of the beauties of hummus, as far as I'm concerned, is how easy it is to sling together at the last minute.
This avocado hummus is no exception: two avocados, a spoonful of tahini, some lemon juice, garlic, some cumin, a minute flat in a food processor and you’ve got the making of lunch.
As well as plenty of time to reflect how incredibly good this hummus is, notwithstanding the fact that it’s sans chickpeas.


Avocado Hummus                                                                                                     Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 4

2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
Juice of ½ lemon
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tablespoon tahini paste (aka sesame seed paste)
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoon olive oil
Chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Directions

Crush the garlic and one-half teaspoon salt in a mortar (or in a small bowl) until pureed.
Transfer the puree to the bowl of a food processor (or blender), add the tahini paste and lemon juice and process until white and contracted.
Add avocado, cumin, and cayenne pepper (if using) and pulse until smooth, at least 60 seconds. Make sure there are no chunks of avocado hiding in the middle, you want a smooth consistency.
If too thick, thin to desired consistency by adding a bit of water, one tablespoon at a time.
Serve, sprinkled with parsley and drizzled with olive oil.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 189 calories, 18 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of protein.