Lemony Low Calorie Hummus with Garlic & Cumin

It's no secret that I'm a chips and dip kinda girl. When the smoothness of a dip meets the crunchiness of a chip, my mouth just can't resist. Consequently, it's very easy for me to overindulge when chips and dips are at my fingertips, so I've refrained from buying them for quite some time. Last week, I welcomed guacamole back into the fridge, and this week I'm welcoming hummus! Normally, I buy Sabra hummus, but it's 2 Weight Watcher points plus values for only 2 tablespoons, which isn't worth it to me. The recipe I'm about to share with you is only 1 Weight Watcher points plus value for 1/4 cup! Can we say, "score"?! And I think you'll be very happy with the flavors. I over-salted my first batch, so be careful with the salt. Other than that, I thought the flavor combination was delicious for this low calorie treat.

In case you're unfamiliar with the main ingredient in hummus, let me introduce you to the garbanzo bean. (When the word "garbanzo" comes out of my mouth, it triggers visions of Gonzo from the Muppet Babies in my head. But I digress. Now back to the bean.)

Garbanzo beans are also called chickpeas. Like other beans and lentils, they are very high in fiber and also a great source of protein and iron. And they're cheap, so you get lots of bang for you buck. I used canned garbanzo beans for this recipe, but you could also buy the dried variety (which would increase your preparation time greatly because you would need to soak and cook them first). In my opinion, canned works just fine!

And now for the recipe...

 

 

Lemony Low Calorie Hummus with Garlic & Cumin

(adapted from Not Done Yet blog)

Ingredients

2 cans of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups of cooked beans if using the dried variety)
3-5 cloves of garlic, depending on your taste for garlic (I used 5)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you prefer)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until all ingredients are fully integrated and the hummus is a smooth, thick texture. I started by pulsing the mixture several times, scraping the sides and stirring the mixture every few pulses. After pulsing for a while, I let the food processor run for about 1-2 minutes to get the mixture nice and smooth. Pour prepared hummus into a bowl and serve with pita chips, pretzel sticks, or your favorite veggies. Enjoy!

This recipe makes approximately 3 cups of hummus or 12 {1/4-cup} servings. Each serving is 1 Weight Watcher points plus value.

Holy Skinny Guacamole, Batman! + Our Weekly {Weight Watcher Friendly} Menu Plan

We had such a busy week last week that I didn't get around to all of the dinners I had planned.  I did, however, get to try the slow cooker chicken enchilada casserole and was pleased with how it turned out. I had to modify the recipe a bit because I failed to add salsa verde to my grocery list (thinking I had some in the pantry.. oops!). I used a can of mild Ro-tel instead (which I know changed the flavors a bit), but we still really liked it. Next time I'll be sure to grab a jar of the salsa verde to compare notes. I tasted the casserole right after it finished cooking, but we ate it later in the evening. I thought it tasted better after having cooled and solidified for a little while. Just a little tip in case you try it!

This week's menu plan  includes...

*Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry  (leaving out sesame seeds and decreasing sesame oil by 1 Tablespoon makes this 8 WW PPV's per serving)
*Slow Cooker Pork, Sweet Potato, Veggies
*Pizza with Pork, Onions, and Peppers, big salad
*Chicken Fajitas (with my own version of salsa)
*Grilled Chicken, Corn on the Cob, Baked Potato
*Leftovers

Now for the recipe...

In case you haven't picked up on it yet, I'm a huge fan of Mexican food. Unfortunately, most recipes are loaded with fat and calories, which I'm NOT a huge fan of. So I've been trying to modify some of my favorite Mexican dishes to lower the calories while still keeping the amazing flavors. For instance, this yummy Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing is the perfect touch to a simple taco salad. 

But, let's be honest, it's not a true fiesta without the guac, right?!

Well, my latest recipe creation lightens up my beloved guacamole by incorporating low fat (and high protein) cottage cheese.  Yes, I said cottage cheese! I've never been a cottage cheese fan so I was a little hesitant at first, but I figured it was worth a shot. 

And I'm thankful I gave it a go. 

I was very pleased with this creamy and skinny guacamole.

Skinny Guacamole

adapted from Eat What You Love cookbook

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado, halved & pitted
1/3 cup cottage cheese, 2% fat
2 tablespoons lime juice (the juice of approximately one lime)
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
1 small tomato, seeded & diced
salt, to taste
A few dashes of Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Scoop the pulp of the avocado into a food processor. Add the cottage cheese to the food processor. Process for 1 minute or until the mixture is smooth and creamy with no visible cottage cheese curds left.

2. Place the avocado mixture into a bowl. Add the lime juice, onion, tomato, salt, Tabasco, and cilantro. Mix well. Taste and adjust salt as necessary.

3. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 6 servings. 

1/4 cup of guacamole is 2  Weight Watchers Points Plus Values per serving. 

My favorite alternatives for regular tortilla chips are Sensible Portions Veggie Chips and Original PopChips. Zero Weight Watchers Points Plus alternatives would be carrot sticks, cucumber slices, or pepper strips.

Enjoy!

 

 Shared with Louisiana Bride's Meal Pinning Monday, I'm An Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday, and Homegrown & Healthy's Mostly Homemade Monday.