Vegan Pesto Hummus (Gluten Free/Vegan/No Sugar)

Hummus has been a favourite afternoon snack or picnic treat for a while and then we discovered pesto hummus! However, we don’t like most of the store-bought ones as they contain canola oil, dairy, preservatives and were too salty. Because of this, we decided to come up with our own recipe which turned out to be even tastier. Making our own hummus has also helped us to reduce our plastic waste and save a bit of money.

Serves: about 400 grams of hummus

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 400 gram can of chickpeas drained, husked and rinsed

• ¼ cup of toasted pine nuts + extra for topping

• ¼ cup of hulled tahini

• ¼ cup of lemon juice

• 4 - 5 tablespoons of olive oil + extra from topping if wanted

• 3 teaspoons of minced garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin

• Salt to taste

• 1 sleeve of basil (approximately 40 grams), leaves picked and washed

Steps:

1. Blend the chickpeas in a food processor until paste-like.

2. Add the basil, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, garlic and pine nuts.

3. Blend the mixture until smooth and creamy.

4. Add salt to taste.

5. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and toasted pine nuts.

Optional steps:

1. Add olive oil to make the hummus smoother.

2. Add water to make the hummus fluffier (start with 1 tablespoon and slowly add more.)

Note:

• Last about 5-7 days in an airtight container.

• Best served chilled.