Hummus: A Healthy Pregnancy (or Anytime!) Power Food
February 23, 2011 by Erin
When I was pregnant, I had three go-to snacks: yogurt and granola, Wheat Thins and Laughing Cow Cheese, and apples and peanut butter. I got so bored with those snacks. Lately, I’ve been eating hummus by the bucketful, using it as a dip for veggies, and I’m kicking myself for forgetting to work it into my pregnancy-snack rotation. (Although, I forgot a lot of things while I was pregnant.) It’s a delicious healthy snack, and it turns out that it would have been a great one for pregnancy.
Hummus provides major health benefits for a developing baby, according to NYC’s Nanoosh Mediterranean Bars & Counters, an all-natural, organic quick-service chain in Manhattan. Made with chickpeas, it’s packed with folic acid—super important for fetal brain and spine development—and has protein, calcium and iron, three other healthy-pregnancy essentials.
For a quick and easy snack, buy pre-made hummus in the deli department of your grocery store. Or whip up this hummus recipe, courtesy of Nanoosh!
Healthy Hummus Recipe by Nanoosh
Ingredients
3/4 lb raw organic chickpeas
1/3 lb tahini
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 c water
Salt to taste
Directions
1. Soak the chickpeas in water a day ahead.
2. Cook the chickpeas in boiling water for approximately two hours. Strain and chill.
3. Place the chickpeas in a food processor and mix with tahini, lemon juice, salt
and water. Process until smooth.
4. Taste and adjust to taste by adding lemon juice, water and/or salt.
The recipe makes about 2 pounds of delicious hummus, so get plenty of pita bread and veggies and serve it to your kids and their friends! —Erin
Ahh, to the best of my knowledge tahini is a no go food in pregnancy as it has a risk of listeria. (found your site trying to find a hummus recipe safe for pregnancy)