One of my most favorite things to snack on many years ago, was hummus! I loved to order it out as an appetizer and I’d always grab a little container at the grocery store to snack with some cucumbers or what have you. Little did I know that when I gave up beans and peanut butter, that I’d have to give up hummus!
To be honest (and I mean it when I said, “little did I know”…) that hummus was even in the equation of something that could be messing with my digestion. I went “paleo”, if you will and gave up beans (I did know that this was messing with my stomach years before paleo but still dabbled in it from time to time as I’m Mexican! And it seemed to always be around!) ….that said, when I realized what it was doing to my system, I finally gave them up for good. I gave up peanut butter for the same reason — I didn’t feel great after eating peanuts and my tummy always seemed to be so bloated and uncomfortable afterward so I started opting for other nut butters at that time. All the while, still continuing eating my favorite snack, hummus!
Fast forwarding to a couple of years ago, I decided to grab babaganoush when my hubby and I ate out. We left the restaurant and I said, “Well, I’ll probably start to feel ‘meh’ in a bit because I always seem to feel that way when we leave this restaurant.” (It’s one of our favs and I felt the ‘meh’ feeling was worth the deliciousness while there! I know….not the most responsible choice BUT it was my choice). Well, I never felt ‘meh’! Then the lightbulb went off! DUH! I wasn’t the restaurant, it was the hummus! I made note to not eat any hummus for a good 6 months, then try it – just to be sure. And yep. I was bloated and and uncomfortable after consuming. As sad as I was, it was such a liberating feeling.
So here we are today. I saw a trio of hummus on a menu and I decided it was time to try and recreate something that I miss so much. To date, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve had hummus so when I whipped this up and dipped my spoon into it to taste test, I was very pleased! I pretty much at the whole bowl in one sitting because it was that good…..and will Jilz Crackerz, it was a little addicting!
If you have been missing out on hummus or even if you just want to switch things up a little, I suggest you try this hummus made with zucchini and yellow squash. It’s suuuuper easy my friends! I mean, I literally got this together in minutes. And talk about a sneaky way to get in some veggies, right? Perhaps you can even trick your kids into eating “a dip”and all the while they’ll be fueling themselves with some nutritious vegetables! (wink-wink). Have at it ….and enjoy!
- 5 cups sliced zucchini & yellow squash
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup jarred roasted red peppers/drained (+ some chopped for topping off hummus)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Dump all ingredients into a blender and whirl!
- Top with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped roasted peppers.
- Serve with your favorite dipping food!
