Village Greek Salad Hummus

Served with warm pita bread, this is a meal in itself. It also makes for a winning dip to serve a crowd when entertaining.

Hummus

2 cups (500 mL) cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp (30 mL) tahini
2 Tbsp (30 mL) water
1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano
1/2 tsp (2 mL) sea salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground pepper
1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped fresh dill
20 kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped

Greek Salad Topping

1/2 cup (125 mL) halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup (125 mL) peeled, seeded, finely diced cucumber
2 tsp (10 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) red wine vinegar

To prepare hummus, place chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, water, oregano, salt, and pepper in food processor. Purée until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides if necessary. Transfer to medium bowl. Stir in dill and olives. Transfer hummus to wide serving platter, creating a shallow well in centre for topping. Cover and chill while preparing salad topping.

To prepare salad topping, toss all ingredients together in medium bowl just before serving.

To serve, remove hummus from refrigerator and scoop salad topping into the shallow well. Serve immediately.

Hummus (without Greek Salad Topping) can be kept covered in refrigerator for up to 1 week. If making hummus ahead, garnish with topping immediately before serving.

Serves 6.

Each serving contains: 146 calories; 6 g protein; 6 g total fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 19 g carbohydrates (3 g sugars, 4 g fibre); 299 mg sodium

Tip

When buying canned chickpeas, look for varieties with no salt added and BPA-free cans to avoid sodium and potential hormone-disrupting compounds.

source: "Heightened Hummus", alive #383, September 2014