The baskets of Easter candy are trying to lure me into the pantry. But I won’t go. They can’t make me. To resist their persistent beckoning, I am turning my mind to healthy snacks, such as my newly found loves, No-Bake Carrot Cake Granola Bites and this hummus, spiked with one of springtime’s wonders…asparagus.
And I’m determined to make at least two or three of my favorite Recipes for Leftover Easter Ham. Grilled cheese, sweet potato hash, crepes…if I can find a way to work ham into the recipe, I’m doing it!
Back to the hummus. This healthy dip take mere minutes to make. The only extra step compared to making traditional hummus is blanching some asparagus for a few minutes. When I was rewarded with the bright green color and distinctive taste of asparagus, I decided that few extra minutes were well worth it. Served with whole wheat crackers or vegetables, this healthy snack is one way to ward off those darn Easter baskets.
A few scenes from Easter:
For those of you who celebrate Easter, I hope you had a wonderful day with family and friends.
After months of downright freezing weather, we rejoiced when the sun alighted on our backyard and warmed us up to deem the day as “shorts weather”. We started things off with our traditional Hot Cross Buns. It simply wouldn’t be Easter morning without them!
The Easter Bunny got rather creative this year. As the boys get bigger, the eggs are hidden in increasingly higher spots. Next year we may need to equip them with rappelling harnesses!
The morning ended with some father and son bonding time…way up high. This was one of many trips up to the top of the swing set yesterday. The best view in the neighborhood!
Now on to the recipe.
The recipe:
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Prepare a bowl filled with ice water.
Add the asparagus pieces and cook until the asparagus is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Just before the asparagus is finished cooking, scoop out 1 tablespoon of the cooking water and set aside. Drain and immediately plunge the asparagus into the ice water to stop the cooking.
Transfer the asparagus to the bowl of a food processor, along with the garbanzo beans, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, reserved cooking water, cayenne and salt. Process until the ingredients are well combined.
With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Process until smooth.
Serve with crackers and/or raw vegetables.
Other healthy snacks:
Cookin’ Canuck’s No-Baked Carrot Cake Granola Bites Recipe {Low Sugar & Gluten-Free}
Cookin’ Canuck’s Low Fat Granola Bars with Bananas, Cranberries & Pecans Recipe
Family Fresh Cooking’s Mixed Berry Yogurt Parfaits
She Wears Many Hats Sweet Potato Chips
Elana’s Pantry’s Vanilla Fig Bars
Asparagus Hummus Recipe for Healthy Snacking
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 14 ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained & rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon tahini sesame paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon asparagus cooking water see instructions
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt or more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Prepare a bowl filled with ice water.
- Add the asparagus pieces and cook until the asparagus is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Just before the asparagus is finished cooking, scoop out 1 tablespoon of the cooking water and set aside.
- Drain and immediately plunge the asparagus into the ice water to stop the cooking.
- Transfer the asparagus to the bowl of a food processor, along with the garbanzo beans, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, reserved cooking water, cayenne and salt. Process until the ingredients are well combined.
- With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Process until smooth.
- Serve with crackers and/or raw vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
I love this springtime twist on hummus!!! What a great way to add vitamins and color!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Liz. Even my kids, who don’t typically enjoy asparagus, couldn’t stop eating this.
marla
This is the perfect healthy dip. Your boys are darling with their Easter baskets 🙂
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Marla. It was definitely a fun day with them!
Tieghan
I love the color of this! So pretty. Plus, how delish does this sound! Cant wait to try it!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Tieghan. My boys kept asking if there was avocado in it. They couldn’t imagine what else would have made it so green.
Becky @ Olives n Wine
Two of my favorite things – asparagus and hummus – in one delicious and healthy snack!! I love that you are sharing this right after Easter. I sent all of our “extra” Easter candy to work with him this morning or I would be eating it out of our pantry all day! 🙂
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
You are a wise woman, Becky! I’m doing my best to ignore my boys’ Easter baskets.
Kevin @ Closet Cooking
What a great way to enjoy spring asparagus!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Kevin. It was a fun way to give my favorite spring vegetable a little twist.
amy @ fearless homemaker
Ooh, I love asparagus and i love hummus, so I bet i’d love them together. What a great dish!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Amy. I wasn’t sure how this would turn out, but the flavor was fantastic.
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
After all this Easter candy I’ve been consuming (cough, malted eggs, cough ;)), this hummus looks perfectly refreshing and tasty. Just what I need!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Stephanie. I can’t do the malted eggs, but the Cadbury hard-shelled eggs are my kryptonite.
claire @ the realistic nutritionist
What a great and healthy take on hummus!!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Claire. We love hummus of all kinds, and this was a fun one to make.
carrian
This seriously looks amazing. Thank you for posting it so I don’t go drown myself in candy today. Totally inspired
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Carrian. I know what you mean…I’m surrounding myself with healthy snacks so I don’t go crazy on candy.
Deborah H. Bateeman
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I have been trying to eat healthier so this is a good recipe for me to add to my collection. My daughter love humus so I am bookmarking this recipe so we can try it.
Blessings,
Deborah H. Bateman.com
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Deborah. I hope you and your daughter enjoy it together!
addie | culicurious
So delicious looking, Dara! You have a way with dips!! 🙂
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
LOL. Thanks, Addie.
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
I love when hummus is made from different veggies! It always makes the color and the textures so much more exciting! Love your hot cross buns too 🙂
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Gerry. I agree…adding different veggies keeps things interesting.
Angie
What a healthy snack, I love it!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Angie. I like stocking my fridge with healthy snacks like this.
Mr. & Mrs. P
Hi Dara. We are new followers. Love the color in this dish!!! Look forward to your future post!
Hope you check out our blog..
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Cristy and Michael. I was excited by how green this turned out. My boys thought I added avocado.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Love this fresh spin on hummus for spring!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Laura. I can never resist asparagus in the springtime.
Carla @ Carlas Confections
That’s an awesome twist on hummus! I love asparagus too! YUM
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Carla. I can’t get enough of the picture-perfect asparagus that’s available right now.
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
Such a great idea! This looks scrumptious, Dara. I can picture myself slathering it over grilled chicken or mixing it up in a salad as a dressing. Thanks!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Oh yes, Georgia. I did exactly that with some leftover grilled chicken yesterday. It was fantastic!
katya
How can you not like this post, healthy and delicious!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Katya. It just shows that healthy doesn’t need to mean boring.
Jen @ Savory Simple
Great photos! This sounds like a great snack post holiday 🙂
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Jen. The colorful ingredients were very photogenic!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl
I love both asparagus AND hummus, so the combination of the two sounds great. I am sure that some avocado added in would be fantastic, too! 🙂
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen
I love the colors! I’m such a dipper that this is right up my alley!
Paula - bell'alimento
I am nutso for asparagus so I know I’d lurve this!
ashley - baker by nature
Wow, this hummus is so vibrant and bright! I would totally take this over Easter candy any day!
Kary
I am excited to try the asparagus hummus recipe! My husband does love himself some hummus! And I have two bunches left from Easter dinner we did not cook! Yay! Love your recipes too! We did try the spaghetti squash & apples salad. Great accompaniment to our ham & asparagus. Quite. Colorful meal!
[email protected]
Awww… your boys are adorable… hubs and I were just talking about how we miss having the boys bound out of bed to look for their Easter baskets… (sigh). Me? I’d totally bound out of bed for this hummus!! bookmarking to make ASAP!!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
Oh my goodness, this is amazing. I heart asparagus and would never have thought to make hummus out of it. PERFECT!
Sally
That hummus looks amazing! I will be making it to feature on my blog in the next few days with a link back to you. I have been following your delicious blog for a couple years and just this spring realized you live in Utah! So do I. 🙂 Thanks for the healthy inspirations. I just started my blog the beginning of March. Cute family, you have Darla.
Sally
Sandy, Utah
Sally
I meant “Cute family you have Dara” 😀
Ali | Gimme Some Oven
I love how vividly green this is! Yay for asparagus season! 🙂
Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain
This is exactly what I needed to get ready for summer! Can’t wait to make this recipe! BTW…brilliant idea in using the asparagus!
[email protected] n Dishes
I don’t just have an Easter basket of candy, but a drawer of Easter candy; which, so far I’ve not resisted.
I love this spring time twist on hummus, even the color says spring!
[email protected]
Dara,
All winter long I’ve been picking up hummus for the males in the household while my son is at sled hockey practice. [Costco is right down the road from the rink, and an hour away from our home, and judging by the way they plow through hummus, the giant vats are a good deal for us.]
And all winter long I’ve been seeing great hummus ideas all over the internet.
And now, it’s Spring (really, this time) and I can play with all the flavors I’ve been dying to try.
Thanks!
Deborah
This is so unique – I have got to try it!!
Nutmeg Nanny
Treat filled holidays like these leave me begging for a healthy snack, this asparagus hummus looks like it hits the spot, yum!
Kristi Rimkus
I’m really enjoying the variety of hummus recipes I’m seeing lately. They’re such a nice change from the standard version of hummus.
Barb
This is among the best hummus I have ever tasted. Enjoying a smear on baguette right now!