I have never been a fan of buying chickpea spreads because the taste of garlic prevails in almost everyone. I like garlic, but only in traces. Honestly, the process of making hummus rejected me at the beginning because chickpeas, like all other legumes, have to “lie” in water for half a day in order to swell, and the very fact that I need to wait for something always distracted me from making it. However, when I became a mom for the second time, preparing food in advance became a routine and I realized that it was not such a bad thing at all. Everything I prepare in the evening means less work in the morning and it really makes life easier. So it was the turn of chickpea spread, which is a great food for babies as well. Another plus for hummus!

Chickpeas are a type of legume, more precisely it belongs to the bean family. It is very rich in iron, almost as much as the same amount of red meat. It is also rich in calcium, which is easily absorbed by the body due to high levels of protein. This means that it is an ideal food for children, pregnant and breastfeeding women!

Dried chickpeas are cooked for 2 to 3 hours, so if you want to reduce the cooking time, soak them in the water when you go to bed and in the morning it will be enough to cook them for only 30 minutes. Personally, I much prefer the second variant, because I don’t like to cook anything for 2-3 hours.

I will write you a recipe for one bowl of hummus because I like to make it fresh every for my children, even though it can stand in the fridge for up to 7 days covered.

Ingredients:

• 100g Chickpeas 
• 1 clove of roasted garlic
• 1 tsp of tahini paste
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Optionally: 1 tbsp violife Natural flavor cream 

• After standing in the water for 12 hours, cook it for about 30 minutes.
• Garlic got the best aroma by baking it in the oven. Whenever you have the opportunity, when your oven is on, add a clove of garlic in the shell to bake. It will get a creamy texture, even nicer smell, and if you have problems when eating garlic, then this is the right way to avoid it.
• Put cooked chickpeas, roasted onions, and all other ingredients in a blender or mix with a stick mixer.

Hummus prepared in this way can stand in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days covered. It goes best with toasted bread and boiled spinach leaves. If you cook more chickpeas, you can also make a super healthy snack out of it. Sprinkle the drained grains with olive oil and roll in a mixture of paprika powder, salt, and pepper, then place on greaseproof paper and bake at 220ºC for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and the snack is ready.

When preparing hummus for the baby, avoid the salt and reduce the amount of garlic or omit it completely. The Violife spread that I put as an option is completely safe for babies because it is milk-free, gluten-free and soy-free.