Is it easy to make a hummus salad dressing recipe?

Is it easy to make a hummus salad dressing recipe? It certainly is.

The first thing to get absolutely clear is that commercial hummus and store-bought dressings are awful, nutritionally speaking; usually loaded with chemicals and seed oils. If they were difficult to make, I would consider purchasing them but when it is this easy then let's make our food from scratch.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that if you have the ingredients on hand you can make hummus in just five minutes. I have done it twice a week for twenty years so I should know. Keep it simple, Stupid, is our motto.

What is hummus made of?

Hummus is made from chickpeas, tahini and a whole lemon. One can add various herbs and spices; commonly used are parsley, garlic and cumin. Olive oil is another optional ingredient.

Do it from scratch

Do it from scratch for things that are simple. I'll admit, I hate all the chemicals that food companies have to add to their hummus because it goes off quite quickly. The taste is then often awful.

For example the emulsifiers in food that they add to stop the oily and aqueous parts separating are really toxic. In principle that sounds okay; but they profoundly increase the risk of malignant tumours of the breast and prostate. Make your own hummus salad dressing if you want to live long in the land.

Here is our basic hummus recipe; like I said I can make it in just five minutes, no kidding. You will need to find sources of dried chickpeas, tahini and cumin seeds; from a Greek or Turkish store.

We put the pulp of a whole lemon and a little of the zest into our homemade humus so there's no need to add extra to your salad.

• Use the lemon pulp too
  

All citrus contains a nutrient called beta cryptoxanthin; more than half is located in the pulp. It is the most powerful, proven anti-senility substance known.

Seed oils

I don't like painful, aching joints and muscles so I avoid seed oils; unless you can find those that are cold pressed. They have an over-abundance of omega 6 fatty acids; that means inflammation.

• Linoleic acid in sunflower and soybean oil promotes inflammation
  

That rules out most of the commercial salad dressings. Use extra virgin olive oil instead. It is expensive but a lot cheaper than anti-inflammatory pills; less painful too.

Besides which researchers have found that for every extra tablespoon of olive oil you consume daily there's an 18% lower risk of heart disease^[2]; that is pretty impressive. And I think it tastes better in any case.

Seed oils have also been fingered as one of the causes of Pancreatic Cancer; good in themselves, we are just getting far too much.

• Foods for a healthy pancreas
  

Sardines or anchovies

Hummus does have all the essential amino-acids from the protein in chickpeas and sesame seeds. But adding a small chunk of fatty fish does complete your salad dressing and give it a bit of extra flavour. Let's face it, a green salad can get a little dull without some help.

The protein in homemade hummus costs one tenth of that in red meat; but from the grocery store it is more expensive than prime beef. 

Sardines and anchovies do have one other big asset. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids; that means less inflammation. I don't know about you but eating right to stop pain in its tracks is important to me.

The good wife's swollen rheumy fingers give her no pain whatsoever; she can weed and spends many hours each day gardening. It is quite an achievement for a woman to be in her mid-seventies, take no medication and only have to see her doctor very occasionally for a skin tag; or some such.

That is the power of anti-inflammatory foods.

This hummus salad dressing recipe does wonders for foods that might be rather dull otherwise. For example this tabbouleh with broad beans and kale dish has no ingredients that would make your taste buds light up; but it is central to the longevity diet that we follow.

Parsley

Every authentic hummus recipe has parsley as one of the ingredients. It too is a powerhouse of phytonutrients and certainly should be regarded as more than a garnish on our food.

One of the joys of whole grains and legumes is the satiety they provide. They stay with you the whole day stabilising blood glucose so you are not famished at 11 o'clock; and reaching for a cola or candy bar. It is known as the subsequent meal effect^[1]. 

Hot Dijon mustard

Few condiments are easier to make than hot Dijon mustard but it does need a cup of elbow grease; and a mortar and pestle.

You can first use a coffee grinder to make it easier; just a very short buzz. For some reason the elbow grease does add to the flavour.

Is it easy to make a hummus salad dressing recipe?

Is it easy to make a hummus salad dressing recipe? You bet it is and it will enrich so many other nutritious but rather unenthralling dishes. We have been tricked into believing that we need only indulge in meals that excite us. The longevity diet cuts right across that; eat good foods for a full life, free from the chronic degenerative diseases like painful arthritis and diabetes.

We are strongly into the philosophy of the five Blue Zone countries where ten times as many people live into zestful and fulfilling old age. They all enjoy sourdough bread for example; and grow and eat broad beans.

Foods like kale and broad beans, also known as favas, are awful unless you can get them young and freshly-harvested. It's for this reason we grow them ourselves; and take the time to make recipes like this hummus salad dressing.

Hummus for a thickener

We avoid using cornstarch and cake flour as thickeners; they raise our blood glucose and that too is inflammatory. Hummus works instead. It's also an important part of the healthy diet for those who suspect they have prediabetes; nearly 50% of those enjoying typical grocery store food. Take this very simple home finger-prick test.

• What is stabiliser in food?
  

The leftover liquid after cooking chickpeas can also be used as a thickener; it is known as aquafaba. I haven't tried it yet but it is on the bucket list.

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