Wednesday May 12th

I'm doing one of my home based cooking classes tonight and I thought I'd throw in a little twist on a traditional recipe. The theme of the evening is the importance of beans and lentils and through the evening I'll be talking about the various health benefits of these great healthy eating foods.

Sometimes we get stuck on following recipes but I always try and substitute ingredients and seeing what the result is like. Here I have substituted the chickpeas in hummus for black eyed beans.

Beans and lentils are a great for a healthy eating plan, being packed full of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals and powerful anti-oxidants called phytonutrients!

Having dips as a healthy snack idea is a good idea as they tend to keep you full and satisfied till the next meal. You can have them:

As a afternoon snack with chopped vegetables
As a morning snack on oatcakes or crackers
As a spread in your favourite sandwich - as a filler or instead of butter and mayo
As a topping to a fresh salad

Try this:

Healthy Snacks: Black Eye Bean Hummus

150g or 1 cup of black eyed beans

2 cloves of garlic

1 dessert spoon of light tahini

Sea salt

Juice of 1 lime

½ teaspoon of paprika

A little extra virgin olive oil

Freshly cracked pepper

Method

Boil a pot of water and add the black eyed beans. Set aside for 4-8 hours. Pour off water, barely cover with fresh water and bring to boil. Simmer for 20-30 mins or until beans are soft. Allow to cool.

Place all ingredients in the food processor except for the lime juice – only put in about half the lime juice.

Blend and taste. If it needs more, add the lime juice.

If the mixture is a little dry, add either the cooking fluid from the beans (if you have cooked them yourself) or a tablespoon or so of extra virgin olive oil.

Serve as you wish!

Wheat free, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free

If you are interested in having a cooking class done in your home with a group of friends or family, simply contact me on lucy@spogsracing.com