Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Avocado Hummus Cucumber Bites
PIN IT!Happy [Meatless] Monday friends! I’m very happy to report that I’m still alive and well after that tropical storm mishap this weekend. Although it was not nearly as bad as Mr. Weatherman predicted, I’ll be perfectly happy if we never have to deal with a similar storm again. (You hear that, weather gods?) Being the novice hurricane person that I am, I (rather frantically) started baking and cooking Friday night to ensure we had plenty to eat before the storm. I found this to be the perfect time to whip up a batch of avocado hummus. Because I was determined the power would go off and stay off for days (I’m sort of dramatic) I decided to serve the hummus on slivers of cucumbers with a dash of roasted red pepper (best to kill the produce, just in case!)
Y’all probably think I’m nuts. Which, to be honest, I do feel a little nuts sometimes. But trust me, I wasn’t the only nutter in the grocery store buying 3 bottles of wine and 10 jugs of water. Thankfully, the DC metropolitan area is full of crazies who fear storms, snow and any sort of precipitation at all so I’m not alone in my hysteria. However, I will say, I am a much better driver. (We won’t get into the s*&*show that is dc driving in the rain right now). Alas, I digress. Let’s talk about the delicious little hors d’oeuvres I’m planting in front of your pretty little faces instead, mmk? A little less of a heated discussion.
Now, I didn’t just wake up with the brilliant idea to throw some avocado into some chick peas, I’m not that much of a recipe genius. While at the Frito Lay Demonstration, the head chef prepared a batch of avocado hummus, sans the chick peas.
It tasted like Middle Eastern guacamole, it was really good. However, I missed the consistency and flavor of the chick peas, so I kept those in my recipe. The texture was definitely chunkier and heartier, but the zest of the avocado, lime and cilantro gave it that distinct guacamole flavor. It was the best of both worlds, guac & traditional hummus! Plus, the sweet, crunch of the fresh cucumber and the flavorful roasted red pepper garnish made each bite truly remarkable.
If you are someone who has moderation issues (hi, nice to meet you, I do too!) don’t fret if you’ve popped about 5 in your mouth. Each little cucumber & hummus concoction only has about 35 calories and 2 grams of fat so you won’t derail your diet. Talk about a perfect party snack! (And pre-hurricane snack, obvli.) If you aren’t a cucumber person, this dip is just as good with pita or tortilla chips!
Prep time: about 8 minutes.
Assembly time: about 2 minutes.
Yields: about 8 1/2 cups of hummus and about 8 cucumber bites.
NOTE: This recipe will make extra hummus so you’ll have some left over.
Avocado Hummus Cucumber Bites
What You’ll Need:
- 2-3 cucumbers, sliced (depends how many apps you plan on making)
- 2 cans (15 ounces) of chick peas, drained and rinsed
- 2 avocados
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons of tahini
- Liberal dashes of salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup of low fat yogurt (plain) – you can use sour cream as a substitute
- 1 sprig of cilanto, finely chopped
- 1 roasted red pepper (from jar), finely chopped
How to Make Them:
- Place chick peas and garlic in a food processor and puree until semi-smooth. (I like mine a bit chunky).
- Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. (Note: I hand mashed the avocado and spices so I could make it a bit chunkier). Add more salt, pepper and lime juice if preferred.
- Set up cucumbers on a plate or wooden plank. Add a dollop of hummus and chopped red pepper to garnish. Enjoy!
- Cover remaining hummus with foil or wrap and chill until you are read to eat it. As I mentioned before, it’s great with chips, pita or even veggies!
Seriously, once you pop, you just can’t stop. These salty, savory, sweet and crunchy hors d’oeuvres make the perfect date night or party app! Plus, your friends will think you spent hours on them because of how beautiful and flavorful they turn out!
Nutritional information per cucumber bite: 35 calories, 2 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbohydrates and 1.25 grams of protein.
Claire
Tags:avocado hummus, diet friendly snacks, easy hummus, easy party app, easy party appetizers, Eat Skinny Be Skinny, Eat Skinny Be Skinny Recipes, how to make hummus, low fat appetizer ideas, low fat hors d'evoures, low fat party snacks
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