It’s been a beautiful start to spring here in San Francisco (not that we had much of a winter)– bright, blue skies and T-shirt weather.  On this kind of day, I’d rather be outside than in the kitchen, but I still want to eat well.  Picnic-friendly nibbles like hummus with crudités come together in a snap.  We made this version with kale at my popular all-kale class a few weeks ago.  It has the familiar garbanzo and tahini base you’ll be familiar with, with a spring-like dash of green from the kale and bright flavors of garlic and lemon.  Enjoy, and happy spring!

Lemon-Garlic Kale Hummus

Recipe adapted from http://blog.katescarlata.com

Makes 2 cups (about 8 servings)

Ingredients

1 can (16 ounces) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), no salt added if possible

2 cups chopped kale leaves, center rib removed

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

2 Tablespoons tahini

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and pepper to taste

Technique

1. Drain and rinse garbanzo beans; reserve liquid if needed to thin hummus.
2. Add all of the ingredients into food processor fit with metal blade.
3. Blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Serve with assorted vegetable crudités, pita bread or pita chips.

Nutrition Info: 134 calories, 6g fat, 4g protein, 191g sodium

Come cook with me! Updated class schedule at https://www.facebook.com/thedoctorsspicebox/events.  Stop by and check out the healthy cooking articles I post there.  Feel free to give me a “Like” too! Bon appetit!