Mar 12, 2014 2 min read

Hummus is a favorite snack in our house. Even our two kiddos love it. I used to buy the packaged, store-bought kind until I did some research on the ingredients. I was not impressed. A cheaper, not-so-healthy oil is used. Yes, all the brands I looked at use soybean oil. Not great. Plus, preservatives are, of course, used to ensure freshness. Ugh.

Make hummus from scratch. You will not be disappointed.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

• Ingredients:

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained

1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red peppers

Juice of half of a lemon

1/3 cup tahini

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Using a food processor, mix the tahini and lemon juice for about 30 seconds. Slowly, add the chickpeas, garlic, peppers and seasonings. Add water until desired consistency is reached.

For better digestion, soak the chickpeas overnight in water with a piece of kombu seaweed. The next day, drain the chickpeas. You can even toss in the seaweed when mixing together the hummus. You won’t even know it’s in there!

Kombu helps reduce the amount of gas that comes with eating beans. Kombu contains enzymes that help break down the sugars in beans, which are the gas-producing culprits.

Betsy J. Moore is a nutrition and wellness coach. Visit her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BMooreHealthy.