11 Feb, 2009
How to help your kids eat a little healthier – two secrets revealed
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Recipes and Food
Subtitled: My kids didn’t eat beans, now they do.
Remember my lament about beans?
Hummus is my secret weapon. My kids love it. They have no idea how healthy chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) are for them: high protein, high fibre, low fat … and apparently chickpeas contain calcium too. Chickpeas are truly magical. And they are the main ingredient in hummus. But now I’ve made my hummus recipe even healthier … by adding beans.
Here’s my recipe. It takes about 10 minutes, not including the time it takes you to open a couple of cans. :) I often make it in the morning for school lunches.
Andrea’s hummus
- 1. Peel a clove or two of garlic and throw it in a food processor. Whirl until it’s in teeny pieces.
- 2. Add two or three heaping tablespoonfuls of tahini (a.k.a. sesame seed paste, available in most grocery store chains.)
- 3. Dump one 19oz can of chickpeas* into a strainer and rinse under cold running water. See the bubbles? That’s sodium from the packing water. Yuck. Rinse the chicks until there are no more little bubbles. Add them to the garlic/tahini.
- 4. Rinse one 19 oz can of white kidney beans and add it as well.
- 5. Add a bit of lemon juice. Maybe three tablespoons or so, but feel free to use more or less. Whatev! I use a few squirts of Realemon because it’s quick, but fresh lemon juice is better.
- 6. Whirl it all together. The mixture will be a little clumpy and dry. It’s ok. Slowly add about 1/2 cup of water (while mixing) until your hummus reaches a desirable consistency. I like it a little thick, but not too thick. (Texture is a personal thing!)
* I’ve read that hummus tastes different (better?) when made out of dried chickpeas. I haven’t tried it yet. But I will!
There! You’re done. Serve with pita triangles.
(What is it about kids and dips anyway? It is because it’s interactive? Do they crave control? What can I say? Kids love dipping.)
Now for part two.
I made up a batch the other day and realized that Sarah had eaten all her pita and there was still a considerable amount of hummus left in her bowl.
“Why don’t you just eat it with a spoon?” I asked Sarah, secretly hoping she’d choose to eat the hummus and not ask for more bread. Well, she wasn’t very interested in that idea, that is, until I carved her a spoon out of a big fat carrot.
Woo hoo!
I know my carrot spoon looks more like a trowel than an actual spoon, but hey, I lack carving tools! I used a veggie peeler and a paring knife. Much to my surprise Sarah used her spoon to eat the rest of the hummus and then she ate the spoon itself. (!)
Cool huh? Oh I love it when a plan comes together.
