At Lund, we believe that access to nutritious food is crucial for children’s growth and well-being. Providing families with the skills and resources to live healthy and independent lives is one way Lund helps strengthen families and help children thrive.
Robin, Lund’s Early Childhood Education Program (LECP) Nutrition Planner and Chef, is a master at getting children to try (and enjoy) new and nutritious foods. Robin says, “It’s not nutritious if they don’t eat it.” Making food approachable to children requires building trust and adding lots of flavor. Often we think we need to make food simple for kids to like it when the truth is that children want food that is delicious! If it isn’t irresistible to you, they probably won’t like it either.
Children at LECP love Robin’s hummus, so I joined Robin in the kitchen to get all her tips and tricks (or as she calls them, “hummus rules”).
Robin’s Hummus Rules:
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then cook them in new water with a pinch of baking soda and salt. The baking soda helps soften the chickpeas for a smoother hummus, and the salt adds flavor.
- While getting out your other ingredients, temper the garlic by letting it sit in lemon juice. This will reduce the garlic’s bite.
- Adding banana pepper juice (or citric acid) will add to the acidity without making the flavor too lemony.
- Blend ingredients for at least three minutes to make the hummus extra smooth (no need to skin the chickpeas!).
- At the end, blend in a little butter for additional flavor.
Ready to make some hummus at home?
Robin’s Hummus
Ingredients:
7 cups of chickpeas, rinsed
Pinch of baking soda
1/2 cup tahini (or to taste)
3 ounces liquid from banana peppers or citric acid to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt (plus some for cooking the chickpeas)
1/2 cup chickpea cooking liquid
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp chopped garlic (or more to taste)
1/4 cup lemon juice (or more to taste)
2 Tbsp butter
Directions: Boil the rinsed chickpeas in new water with salt and baking soda until you can easily smash a chickpea with a spoon. Reserve ½ cup of cooking liquid and then drain the chickpeas. Add chickpeas into a food processor with the tahini, banana pepper liquid, cumin, salt, reserved cooking liquid, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. Blend for three minutes. Add butter and blend until smooth.
