I work from home and with the kitchen only a few feet away I find myself staring into the fridge about every hour looking for something to snack on. So, I've made it a point to have snacks on hand right and easily accessible - ideally positioned right at the front of the fridge so I don't have to dig around too much.

When looking for a nutritious and filling snack I keep versatility in mind as well. I get bored easily with the same thing everyday so I always ask myself "How many different ways can I use this snack?"

Hummus is an incredibly versatile snack. You can use it as a dip for a variety of different veggies, spread on a whole wheat pita (with some more veggies if you wish) or scooped with a crispy Wasa cracker.

I was in the mood for hummus last night and realized we were out. I'd been meaning to make some from scratch for quite a while but kept getting held up every time I saw tahini in a recipe. I figured that there must be a stand in for tahini and after a quick search I read that many people use peanut butter or almond butter instead. It makes sense - tahini is like peanut butter only made with sesame seeds. Why hadn't I thought of this before?

THE RECIPE
I quickly grabbed a can of garbanzo beans out of the pantry, a few garlic cloves, about 3 tablespoons of almond butter, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, parsley, a few squirts of lemon juice and a few spices (salt, pepper, a pinch of cumin). Within about 10 minutes I had delicious hummus whirling around in my Magic Bullet all for less than $2.00.

THE SKINNY (NUTRITION AND CALORIES)
This recipe has about 120 calories in 4 tablespoons. Paired with 2 large carrots (or any other vegetable) you have a 200 calorie snack. Plus, garbanzo beans are a great source of protein and fiber and carrots have a very high fullness factor. This means they make you more full with fewer calories than many other snack options.

OTHER OPTIONS
If you want variety, hummus is the poster child. You can experiment with other beans, add in some roasted red peppers, olives, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, basil, chives or any other vegetable or herb you want to try. The possibilities are endless and depending on what you add you can add so many great vitamins and nutrients. You can keep homemade hummus in a tightly sealed container for about 5-7 days (if it lasts that long!).

Aside from using hummus as a snack I've also used it on pizza as an alternative to pizza sauce and instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches.

Do you have a hummus recipe to share?
What do you use hummus for?
Do tell!

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