This month’s “Savor Cooks” recipe features ginger. Try our recipe for Supersmooth Ginger Hummus, taken from page 223 of The Meals to Heal Cookbook.
Ginger, a gnarly looking root, is a great staple to keep in your kitchen for use in homemade teas, soups, smoothies, dressings and dips.
Ginger’s main bioactive component is ginerol, which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Ginger is also helpful in reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea.
The easiest way to peel ginger is with a spoon. Ginger can be grated using a microplane or peeled into thin strips with a vegetable peeler. If you don’t plan to use fresh ginger up within a week of purchasing, store it in an airtight container in the freezer and grate it from frozen.
Don’t forget to check out our Food of the Month post on ginger.
Recipe
Adding lemon zest and grated fresh ginger gives this hummus a real zing. Use hummus as a snack or small meal if trying to consume small, frequent meals to manage symptoms. Reduce the lemon if experiencing mouth soreness.
Spread this hummus on toast or pita bread, or serve with crunchy veggies like cucumber, carrot, or cauliflower. Hummus is also a great addition to a salad or grain bowl.
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (See note below for dry chickpea instructions using 2/3 cup dry chickpeas and ½ teaspoon baking soda. You will need to work a day ahead if using dry chickpeas)
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 – 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (use more if you love ginger, less if you are sensitive to stronger flavors)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of ¼ lemon
- Salt
- If using canned chickpeas, skip to step 2. To cook chickpeas from dry: put 2/3 cup dry chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with cool water by at least twice their volume, leaving to soak overnight or at least 6 hours. The next day, drain, rinse, and place in a medium saucepan and with the baking soda and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add 3 ¼ cups water and bring to a boil, skimming any foam that floats to the surface. Cook for 20 to 40 minutes, until tender. Drain the chickpeas, saving the broth to thin the hummus or to add to soups.
- Reserving a few chickpeas for garnish, place all the ingredients plus 2 tablespoons of water in a blender, adding salt to taste.
- Blend and add more water, as needed, to get the hummus to your desired thickness. When serving, toss the reserved chickpeas on top (or, use a vegetable peeler to peel off strands of fresh ginger) and drizzle with a little olive oil.
- Adding lemon zest and grated fresh ginger gives this hummus a real zing. Use hummus as a snack or small meal if trying to consume small, frequent meals to manage symptoms. Reduce the lemon if experiencing mouth soreness.
- Spread this hummus on toast or pita bread, or serve with crunchy veggies like cucumber, carrot, or cauliflower. Hummus is also a great addition to a salad or grain bowl.
