Raw Sprouted Hummus

Sometimes my mental image of myself just doesn't match up to reality.  In my head I picture myself as a complete badass.  You'd probably find my imaginary-self decked out in a pleather jacket on a motorcycle riding off into the night.  The truth of the matter is that I that I drive a hand-me-down mini van and I spent most of last night talking to my cats in a high-pitched voice before going to bed at 8:30 pm.  This is not badass behavior.

In my defense, however, I did learn how to sprout chickpeas this week and turn them into an incredible raw hummus.  If you ask me, it's pretty badass.

Now, before we begin, I have to be honest with you.  If you don't like sprouts, then this is not the recipe for you.  I actually think this raw version tastes better than traditional hummus that uses cooked chickpeas, but it definitely has the flavor of sprouts so I don't want that to be a surprise.  But, if you love sprouts like I do, badass or not, you'll love this recipe.



We start with dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans.  Once they are soaked in water overnight, they are drained, rinsed, and left out to sprout. (Note: you cannot use canned beans in this recipe because they have already been cooked and will not sprout.)

Be sure to rinse your chickpeas every 8 hours or so and drain them thoroughly.  At the end of two days, they will have little tails like this. Then we're ready for hummus!



Everything will get thrown into a food processor and your creamy, raw dip will emerge.

Raw Sprouted Hummus

Makes about 3 cups

1 cup raw chickpeas, sprouted for 2.5 days
1/2 cup tahini
Juice from 1 medium lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fresh herbs (I used cilantro and parsley)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons (cold-pressed) extra-virgin olive oil

Soak the chickpeas for at least 8 hours or overnight.  Drain and rinse thoroughly.  Let them sit at room temperature, rinsing and draining every 8 hours for about 2 days, until the chickpeas have sprouted.

Add the sprouted chickpeas to a food processor along with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, herbs, and sea salt.  With motor running, add the olive oil.  Process until smooth and serve.