Sprouted Lentil Hummus (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, vegan)

Sprouted Lentil Hummus (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, vegan)

One of the attendees at my Double Duty Dinners cooking workshop back in April said that I talk about texture a lot in my cooking demos. When I paused to think about that, I realized she was totally right! For me, it’s all about a rustic texture too, think crunchy, crispy, thick, chunky foods. Or smooth foods with crunchy aspects.

Some of my favourite recipes include homemade granola, even grain-free granola like this one (a breakfast favourite any time of year, but especially in warmer months), these Triple Coconut Thumbprint Macaroons or this Favourite Peachy Keen Coconut Crumble, which I make all the time with different seasonal fruits.

All of these recipes have texture – and a fair bit of it! I suppose I find texture thrilling. And apparently hummus sometimes falls in that category for me too. Or at least it did once I tried experimenting with fresh sprouts in it. Oh my, yes! You won’t find this deliciousness at the grocery store.

SproutedLentilHummus-2-small

I’ve been meaning to share this recipe with you for what seems like forever. Back in the spring I was developing recipes for my Small but Mighty: Growing, Eating & Cooking with Fresh Sprouts cooking workshop, which Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds sponsored with bags of their Sandwich Booster mix and sprouting screens for all my attendees.

Since this workshop focuses on eating and cooking with fresh sprouts, I wanted to showcase them in different or special ways (i.e. not just plopped on top of a salad or appetizer). That’s kind of obvious, right?

In my cooking workshops, my goal is to showcase new techniques or new uses for ingredients that you may not have considered before and I tailor my classes to both beginner and more advanced cooks. For this recipe, I wanted to experiment with–you guessed it–texture! This Sprouted Lentil Hummus was one of the ways I achieved that and I have to say that it was a BIG hit.

The lentils can stand up to the bold cumin and get-along-with-everything chickpeas, a combo I have a history of loving (and if you do too, you’ll probably go crazy for this not-really-a-recipe-recipe – it’s simple but with layers of flavour and a rustic approach that is so “me” – actually, my mouth is watering just thinking about it…)

Okay, back to business.

This hummus makes use of fresh sprouts and in the past I mentioned how you can grow your own sprouts. Cheap, easy, simple, SO healthy. My favourite kind of un-cooking!

Sprouting seeds Spring Salad (radish, broccoli, red clover, alfalfa), Ancient Eastern Blend, Crimson lentils
Sprouts clockwise from the top: Spring Salad (radish, broccoli, red clover, alfalfa), Ancient Eastern Blend (fenugreek, lentils, kamut and adzuki), Crimson lentils

Sidenote: This is a very well-loved cutting board. I’m a storm in the kitchen and this board is huge, so that’s probably why I love it! Using a food processor and whipping the tahini with the lemon juice, garlic and salt in the first step before adding the other ingredients does make a HUGE difference to this recipe. Don’t do what I sometimes do and throw all the ingredients in at once.

Follow the instructions as written for ultra-creamy, fluffy, whippy hummus – you’ll be amazed and you may even (probably) thank me later!

I happen to think that the texture of the fresh sprouts is sorely needed in an otherwise smooth hummus, but you’re welcome to ignore me and make it without. The recipe won’t fail without the fresh sprouts. Cumin + lemon + chickpeas = hard to go wrong. Salt is essential in this; don’t be tempted to leave it out.

Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds is the brand of sprouting seeds I buy most often and I used (and bought) several different types for my workshop recipes. As someone who’s concerned about our exposure to chemicals and pesticides in what feels like every aspect of our lives, I especially like that they’re Certified Organic, non-GMO seeds and that the company is Canadian (based in Saskatchewan).

Here’s my long-overdue recipe for Sprouted Lentil Hummus so you can have your hummus and eat it too!

SproutedLentilHummus-1-small

(And those chips… talk about texture!)

Sprouted Lentil Hummus (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, vegan)

Original recipe developed by Ashleigh Grange, RHN.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp tahini paste
  • 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • Half a small garlic clove – Use more if you like! or ~ ½ scant tsp finely minced
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1-4 Tbsp water add 1 Tbsp at a time and pulse; the amount of water needed will depend on how soft your chickpeas are – home-cooked from dry beans will usually be drier than canned beans
  • 1/3 cup lentil sprouts

Instructions

  1. Add the tahini, lemon juice, salt, cumin and fresh garlic to the bowl of a food processor. Process on high until the ingredients are thick and creamy.
  2. Add the chickpeas, olive oil and water. Pulse 2-3 times to combine, then process on low until smooth and creamy. Add 1 Tbsp extra water if the hummus is not completely smooth yet.
  3. Add the lentil sprouts and pulse 2-3 times to combine.
  4. Serve with additional lentil sprouts on top, sesame seeds or a bit of olive oil.

Sooooooo… Do you make your own homemade hummus… or is it store-bought all the way?

Life is a plate… Eat up!

Ashleigh

Disclaimer: I believe in full, clear and honest disclosure. I received packages of Sandwich Booster mix and sprouting screens courtesy Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds to give to participants attending my Small but Mighty: Growing, Eating & Cooking with Fresh Sprouts cooking workshop. I purchased the sprouts used for my recipe testing and the decision to write about this recipe was my own. You can trust that all opinions, comments and content, unless otherwise specified, are solely my own. The sponsor did not have the opportunity to read, review or comment on this before it was published, and no further compensation has been provided or solicited. This post may contain affiliate links, and you may click here for more details about that.

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