A Spreadable Delight

My favorite way to eat hummus is as a dip. But it’s also a delicious spread, served on an open-faced sandwich with super-ripe sliced tomatoes and fresh sprouts.

Hummus can be especially good when it’s made with dried beans cooked until they’re very tender, almost broken, so that they puree well. In this recipe, the cooking liquid from the beans is used to thin out the dip--this helps add flavor to the puree. Since I love garlic, I added a lot, along with lemon juice, a touch of cumin and cayenne. I kept the tahineh light to conserve on the fat grams. Just before serving add a sprinkling of chopped parsley and paprika.

The low-fat pita wedges sprinkled with crushed cumin seeds make a wonderful savory accompaniment. Fresh vegetables served on the side would be great for dipping too.

HUMMUS DIP

1/2 pound dried garbanzo beans, soaked overnight

Water

2 teaspoons sea salt

6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons sesame tahineh

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Hungarian paprika

Chopped parsley

Cook beans in large saucepan with enough water to cover and 1/2 teaspoon salt until beans are very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check water periodically, adding more as needed. When beans are very tender, drain, reserving cooking liquid.

Puree beans in food processor or blender. Add garlic, lemon juice, tahineh and about 1/2 cup broth from cooking beans. Puree mixture. Dip should be light and spreadable; add more broth, if necessary. Blend in remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, cumin and cayenne pepper. Spoon into serving bowl and chill. Just before serving, sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley. Serve with Toasted Cumin Pita Wedges.

Makes about 3 cups.

Each 1-tablespoon serving contains about:

10 calories; 113 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.11 gram fiber.

TOASTED CUMIN PITA WEDGES

4 rounds pita bread

Nonstick cooking spray

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly crushed

Coarse sea salt, lightly crushed

Cut each pita round into 8 wedges. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange pita wedges in single layer on baking sheet. Spray bread lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with crushed cumin seeds and sea salt. Bake at 400 degrees until hot and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Makes 32 wedges.

Each wedge contains about:

20 calories; 47 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.01 gram fiber.