Layered Avocado and Hummus Dip
Ingredients
1 cup hummus, or more depending on the diameter of your bowl
1 avocado
1-2 tsp lime juice
1 cup salsa
Chopped parsley or basil
Crumbled goat feta (optional)
In a small bowl layer the hummus to cover the bottom. Next mix the avocado with lime juice and mash until smooth and layer over top of the hummus. Top with salsa – enough to cover avocado. Sprinkle with goat feta and chopped herbs. Serve with rice crackers, rye crisps, toasted spelt pitas, or vegetable crudités.
Adapted from The Vital You Ultimate Holistic Cookbook by Jennifer Hough, 2005.
Nutritional Value of Select Ingredients
Chickpeas (in hummus) - Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are a great and inexpensive source of protein that is also low in fat. They are high in both soluble and insoluble fibre, which helps regulate the bowels, reduce blood cholesterol levels, and stabilize blood sugar. They also contain calcium, iron, magnesium, and beta-carotene.
Avocado – High in mono-unsaturated fatty acids, it contains 20% fats – mostly good ones. High in potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins, and fibre, avocados can help normalize cholesterol levels.
Goat Cheese – A great substitute for dairy cheeses, goat cheese less allergenic and is much easier for most people to digest. Cow’s have four stomachs whereas goats and humans both have only one. We digest in more of a similar manner, allowing for better tolerance and digestion of goat milk products.
Onions – Because they are high in sulfur, onions help lower cholesterol, inhibit cancerous tumor growth, help manage diabetes, and are an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal food that are also a blood tonic. Eat them daily – raw or cooked.
Parsley – This herb is useful as a diuretic, useful for detoxification and ingestion, and helps the lungs and spleen. Great for the kidneys, parsley is full on minerals, vitamins, fibre, and phytonutrients.
Basil – A member of the mint family, basil helps relieve digestive disorders, is an immune stimulant, a treatment for intestinal parasites, and may reduce the risk of lung cancer. It is helpful for the lungs, spleen, and large intestines.
