As I’ve written here many times before, we love hummus. Actually, I find most kids really enjoy the smooth creaminess of hummus as a spread on sandwiches, as a dip for veggies or just on it’s own. Traditional hummus is made from garbanzo beans, tahini, olive oil and lemon juice, but there’s no reason that you can’t get creative and come up with an array of new hummus flavors using different types of beans or nuts.

For this recipe, I wanted to do a Mexican inspired hummus with flavors I know my family likes, so I chose pepitas (pumpkin seeds), black beans, cumin and cilantro. And just to keep everything homemade, instead of buying fried chips at the store, I decided to make my own healthy, crispy ones. Both dishes are easy to make and kids have fun breaking up the tortillas into chips themselves.

Whether you’re inviting friends over for a party, want a protein-packed school lunch box snack for your little one or just need something healthy and delicious to nibble on throughout the day, this Mexican hummus delivers. Olé!

Black Bean Hummus with Toasted Corn Tortillas

1/3 Cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 Small Garlic Clove
1 15 Oz Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Water
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
1/2 Tsp Cumin
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped (you can use the stems — they have tons of flavor)

1. Place the pepitas in a dry sauté pan and toast over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the pepitas start to turn golden.
2. Place the pepitas and garlic clove in a food processor and pulse for 1 minute.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.
4. Serve.

Toasted Corn Tortillas

1 Package Whole Corn Tortillas (about 12)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place corn tortillas directly on oven racks and toast for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
3. Serve whole or broken into chips.

Hummus is a food that no matter what age people are when they first discover it, they fall in love. OK, maybe not everybody, but I certainly find hummus to be an “everybody loves….” food among people I know. Kenya loved it from his very first bite at 12 months and my father-in-law still devours it at age… well, I can’t tell you his age, he’s my father in law. For those of you who haven’t discovered this delicious dish yet, hummus is a Middle Eastern spread made from chickpeas. It’s healthy, full of flavor and versatile — I use it as a dip, as a spread on sandwiches, or just enjoy it on its own.

One of Kenya’s favorite snacks is edamame, so I thought I’d try a variation on the classic hummus recipe and make it for him with edamame instead of chickpeas. Kenya was in heaven with the final result — the bright green color and creamy texture has a ton of eye and taste appeal for kids. And I was thrilled knowing it’s a great source of iron, vitamin C and protein for my growing boy. With kids, I find hummus very useful as a dip. it’s a great way to try to get even the most resistant little ones to take their veggies and dunk away!

Edamame Hummus (Makes 2 1/2 Cups)

2 Cups Edamame, hulled (I use frozen and defrost it)
2 Tbsp Tahini
Juice of 1 Small Lemon
1/4 Cup Water
1 Small Clove Garlic
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cumin

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.
2. Serve.

Kenya has a lot of favorite recipes. The truth is, I think everything he does is brilliant and he thinks everything I cook is delicious. That is the quid pro quo of our relationship (wink, wink). One of Kenya’s all time favorite recipes that I make for our family is Red Beet & White Bean Hummus. It has a super creamy taste, a smooth texture and is delicious to eat. Parents magazine even wrote an article about weelicious featuring this recipe and we got tons of emails from parents saying how much their kids loved it too.

Kenya and I had so much fun shooting this video that I wanted to share it with you again. It’s a really fun and easy recipe to prepare with your kids (which will hopefully make them want to eat it even more!).

I can’t even begin to tell you how gorgeous this dish came out — well, I don’t have to tell you. Just watch last Friday’s video and see for yourself!

When I first made this recipe for Kenya he was as fascinated by the taste as he was by the color. He kept saying “pink food!” as he ate bowl after bowl. The ingredients are almost identical to a true hummus, minus the tahini, and the addition of the beets make it a nutrient-rich dish that also provides a healthy amount of protein.

The flavor and smooth and creamy texture of this puree is so delicious I think you’ll find it to be a hit with kids of any age in your house. Kenya loves eating things he can dip, so when I put this on his plate he likes to use the hummus as a dip and everything from vegetables to chicken gets put into it. Now that I have a little girl, I can’t wait until I can make this for her birthday party. Pink food — every little girls dream!

Red Beet & White Bean Hummus (Makes 3 Cups)

1 Medium Beet
1 15 Oz Can White Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Large Garlic Clove, unpeeled
Juice of 1/2 Lemon (about 1/2 Tbsp)
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tsp Salt

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
2. Wash beet well and place with garlic clove on a sheet of foil. Bring up sides of foil and fold to make a packet leaving room for heat to circulate inside the packet containing the beet and garlic.
3. Bake for 45 minutes or until beet is tender when poked with a knife.
4. Remove skin off of the garlic and the beet (I use a zip lock bag on my hand and slip the skin off so my hand doesn’t turn red).
5. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
6. Serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

I can’t tell you how many parents say to me that hummus is a staple dish for their families. A friend of mine’s baby has been eating hummus puree from a spoon since he was a year old, loving every bite. All she had to do was say the word “hummus” and he would start grunting in need of his fix.

Even when Kenya isn’t in the mood for vegetables, I can always get him to eat a few if I put out some of this delicious Mediterranean spread for him to dip them in. His love of hummus must be an inherited trait in our family. My father-in-law eats a container of it everyday!

These hummus pinwheels are the perfect protein-packed lunch for kids to take to school. Yes, you can buy pre-made hummus, but after you try homemade hummus, you’ll never go back. It’s super easy to make. I love making a big batch of it and keeping it in the fridge for a week or more so that any time we need a snack it’s right there.

Hummus Pinwheels (makes 2 cups of hummus)

1 15 Oz Can Garbanzo Beans
1 Garlic Clove
2 Tbsp Tahini (can be found next to peanut butter at your grocery)
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
Lavash, preferably whole wheat (can be found in the bread section at your grocery)

1. Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and puree.
2. Add the olive oil and continue to puree until creamy.
3. Cut one large piece of the lavash into 3 equal pieces (cutting the lavash with scissors in a good trick).
4. Spread 3 tablespoons of the hummus on a piece of lavash.
5. Roll into a pinwheel and slice into bite size wheels.
6. Serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

So here’s one of those posts I feel a bit guilty about writing since I’m all about the farmers market and eating what’s fresh and in season. I started preparing this recipe and had bought the most gorgeous, already pre-shelled peas at the market. I was so excited to steam them and pop them in my mouth like candy. I bit into one waiting for a sweet explosion and instead got a bland mealy taste. Luckily I had a bag of frozen sweet peas in the freezer that were the perfect substitute.
I like fresh vegetables as much as anyone, but when you need something easy and full of flavor, frozen peas are a godsend.
This puree is a vegetarians dream. Packed with protein from the garbanzo beans and tahini, there are so many flavors for baby to explore. This is the first time I’ve given Kenya parsley which also seemed to be a hit.
The best part was watching Kenya trying to grab at the spoon as I fed him. I always give him his own wooden spoon to hold while he eats (so that he’s part of the process) and this time I put some of the hummus on his. Since it’s a little sticky, it held on to his spoon as we waved it around and he was able to get several bites in his mouth.
This was a big step for the little guy.

Fresh Pea Hummus (15 Baby Food Servings)

1 Cup Peas, fresh or frozen
1 Cup Garbanzo Beans
1 Tbsp Parsley, chopped
1/4 Cup Whole Milk Yogurt
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Tahini (don’t use this if your baby is under 12 months)

1. Put peas in a steamer over boiling water for 2 minutes if frozen,
4-5 if fresh.
2. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
3. Serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor