Next week I am hosting a party to educate people on how to “Stay Sharp.” One of the five ways to achieve this is through feeding your brain and one of the best ways to feed your brain is by eating leafy greens. A recent study showed that people who ate three servings a day of leafy greens had the brain function of someone five years younger. So I came up with a recipe for White Bean and Kale Hummus which is my newest idea for food to fuel your brain!
I love utilizing several produce items from my Talley Farms Fresh Harvest CSA box for one meal. In this recipe alone, I used 5! They were their beautiful Tuscan kale and fresh lemons for zest & juice along with our holiday gift bottle of local Templeton Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I served the hummus with Talley’s incredible purple carrots and fresh crisp celery. Were you counting…that was 5 items!
As far as I’m concerned, you should always have a bowl of some kind of hummus in the fridge so that you can use it to nibble on any extra vegetables you have for a quick and healthy snack. It can also be used as a wonderful sandwich spread or topping for numerous items. The combinations for making hummus are endless and I always have a can of chickpeas or white beans in my pantry to use at a moments notice. Try it out yourself – it’s quick & easy and utterly delicious!!
Ingredients
- Several kale leaves, inner stems removed cut into large pieces (I used 5 medium sized leaves)
- One 15 oz can white beans (cannellini), drained reserving a little liquid
- zest and juice of one lemon
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
- Bring a small saucepan of water to boil and add kale. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until tender and remove with a slotted spoon to the bowl of your food processor.
- Add the lemon zest and juice, tahini, garlic, olive oil and cumin and pulse until mixed, scraping the side of the bowl as needed. Add the white beans with the remaining bit of liquid and pulse until mixed thoroughly. Add salt and pepper and mix in. Taste and add more seasoning as needed.
- Hummus will last in an airtight container in your refrigerator for a week. Leaving a thin layer of olive oil on the top will help preserve it and is a great addition when serving it! You can keep half of it in the fridge and freeze the rest for up to a month in a freezer safe container.
Note
- Make sure that you season your hummus enough by tasting and adding salt and pepper as needed. Sometimes a little extra lemon juice may make the difference.
(Printable recipe can be found in my recipe index under Appetizers)