A little over a year ago we spent a couple of weeks in Israel and we got to try Israeli local food. As a premise, if you are vegetarian, then Israel should be in your bucket list. All the restaurants have vegetarian options that are really filling and well made. Israel soil produces a variety of fruits and vegetables, so the raw ingredients are fresh at hand. Street food also is usually vegetarian. Really, during the time we were in Israel we ate mainly vegetarian and not because we ourselves are, but just because plant based options are so easily available and delicious.
In Israel I had a little issue with food. I couldn’t wrap my head around it, but then I finally connected the dots and discovered that all the foods I had difficulty eating had one common factor: tahini. Somehow, sesame seeds close my stomach so that it is difficult for me to swallow. Nothing dangerous, it’s just a peculiar feeling, because I like the taste of tahini, but it’s like my body wouldn’t want me to insert such a food into it. Usually tahini or sesame seeds are not a big part of our menu, so I never really realized this before traveling to Israel.
Hummus can be found everywhere in Israel: in shops, in restaurants, by street food vendors; it can be eaten as a dressing, as a dip, even as a main dish. It was something I learned to love and I wanted to integrate in our snack menu, so I developed a basil hummus, a version of the classic hummus that doesn’t have tahini and also is garnished by a delicious and fresh basil sauce.
Basil Hummus without tahini
Ingredients
For the Hummus
- 380 g chickpeas rinsed and drained *
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
For the Basil Sauce
- 3 tbsp hummus
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 10 leaves of basil
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
- Scoop out the blender the ready hummus into a bowl apart from three tablespoons.
- Add into the blender the olive oil, lemon juice and basil leaves and blend until smooth.
- Top the hummus with the basil sauce and olive oil.
- Enjoy as a dip with taco chips and fresh vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers and bell peppers.
