Easy Green Peasy Hummus

Bright and spring-y, Easy Green Peasy Hummus is a dip for pita and veggies, a schmear inside wraps and sandwiches, or part of an appetizer platter. Plus, plant protein!

Plant Protein

What are plant proteins? They are lean, green, cost-effective machines, and an alternative to traditional protein sources like meat, poultry, and seafood. Plant-based proteins are easy to digest, easy to keep stocked, and easy on the budget.

Plus, they taste good.

I recently watched Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones on Netflix. This documentary looks at five global communities where people routinely live 100 years or longer and maintain active lifestyles. The premise is that these areas share some common elements including family first, natural movement, and a plant-based diet. While some of these communities do eat meat, they get the majority of their protein from plants.

This is not surprising if we think about what our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents ate. Depending on where your roots lie, your ancestors may have eaten beans and quinoa, chickpeas and lentils, or tofu and rice. They were eating these things not because plant-based diets were popular but because that’s what was available. And it just so happens that these foods provided the nutrients they needed.

My mom is from North Korea. She grew up eating tofu, rice, and kimchi. Meat was only eaten on special occasions like New Year’s Day and maybe birthdays. After she escaped to South Korea, it was much of the same. When she lived there, tofu and fish were the main protein sources for meals in her home. Today, my mom lives in New York and her breakfast is surprisingly unchanged: tofu, rice, and kimchi.

It is interesting and reassuring all at the same time that people in the centuries before us knew the right things to eat before Netflix came along to remind us. As an aside, does anyone remember waiting for those red envelopes to arrive in the mail? My husband used to say, “It be great if we could just watch the movies instantly instead of waiting for these things in the mail.” Look at us now.

Sources of Plant Protein

Protein is found in a variety of plants, grains, and seeds. The main categories of non-animal protein include cereals, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy. Since we are looking at legumes in this recipe, here is a sample of some and the protein they provide.

• Beans (black, kidney, pinto, white), 1 cup cooked, 15 grams
• Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), 1 cup cooked, 14 grams
• Green peas, 1 cup cooked, 8 grams
• Lentils (black, brown, green, red), 1 cup cooked, 18 grams

I find that plant-based dishes benefit from a hit of acid, which depending on your past or current lifestyle, may mean something different from what I’m talking about. A hit of acid here means lemon juice, vinegar, or a fermented something. The acidic component lightens, brightens, and brings some freshness to what can be a claggy, dense dish.

So, don't be afraid to add extra lemon juice to this hummus!

Lessons Learned

• The easiest way to thaw green peas: tip them into a bowl, pour hot water over them, and let them sit for a few minutes.
• If you aren't a cilantro fan, sub in parsley instead or do a 50-50 mix.
• Not into green peas? You might like this classic hummus or a carrot lentil hummus instead.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Tending the Table for the green pea hummus recipe.

Print