Is there such thing as Low-Calorie Hummus?

And when I say low-cal, I don't mean 40cals per Tbsp. :P

I'm looking for hummus (or a similar dip/spread that is salty/savory instead of tart/sweet), that will be under 20 calories for 2Tbsp. The only thing I have found browsing recipes is yogurt-based dip (I love yogurt, but I want something thick and garlicky).

Perhaps I can leave out the oil in a "moderately low-cal" recipe? I found a recipe that comes to 35 calories for 2 Tbsp, but that's still too high since I plan on eating a large portion...

What if I used mashed cauliflower as the "base" and just added the correct seasonings and a moderate amount of chick peas? Any creative solutions?

Trader Joe's has a delicious Red Pepper spread that is 15 calories per tablespoon.  Baba ganoush (roasted eggplant dip) is about 20 calories per tablespoon according to the Daily Plate.  If you made your own versions, you could probably drop a few calories off these. 

Why do you need to eat so many carrots? Maybe it is time to switch to something else you like to eat.

leaf_eater: THANK YOU!!! That sounds perfect! I think I could get that red pepper spread down a little bit and it will be exactly what I needed.

arkhamescape: Love the screen name.  :D   And yes, I dislike carrots, but I already have some and I want to eat them before they go bad. Normally, I never eat them, so this is a one-time experiment for me to see if I can enjoy them before giving up completely.

Original Post by danaofdoom:

While we're on the subject, does anyone know a good substitute for tahini? I couldn't find it anywhere, so I tried using sesame oil, but its just not the same...

 try www.ziyad.com ... maybe you can talk your local store into buying this since you have to purchase large amounts I think...  or you can just go tahini crazy and have enough for the rest of your life!

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kitty:  dang girl!  How big of a bag did you buy?  This seems like a lot of effort just to get rid of one bag of carrots! 

Glad you made this post though, as a hummus lover, I too have always wished for a lower-cal alternative.  It's just soooo good!

I think if you're going to eat hummus, the calories should be worth it. If it's low calorie it's probably not worth the low calories that you get from it. Try making your own! You can look up recipes on the internet. It's really nutritious and filling, and I'd say the calories are worth it. If you go over 100 calories of your daily goal on healthy things it's probably good for you every once in a while! :)

thrineb: Eating a high-cal hummus would not put me over by 100 calories. If it did, I'd be cool with that. But I'd have to eat something like 1000 calories in hummus to make the carrots nummy. Sorry, but your logic just doesn't work when eating a bag of carrots is going to mean I can't eat anything else for 24 hours.

Again, the goal was NOT to "enjoy hummus". The goal was to "tolerate carrots". Big difference! If i want to "enjoy hummus" I will eat a small amount of the high-cal stuff instead. :)

And ekai, I bought a smallish bag. But still big enough that I'd feel wasteful tossing it out.

I'm completely with ya kitty, I would feel wasteful too.  Hope it's working out for ya!

Well maybe you shouldn't eat carrots if you don't like them! I like to put peanut butter on my carrots and it makes them dellllicious. Or you could just use some salad dressing or something.

Original Post by danaofdoom:

While we're on the subject, does anyone know a good substitute for tahini? I couldn't find it anywhere, so I tried using sesame oil, but its just not the same...

I always thought tahini smelt and tasted like peanut butter. If you're a peanut butter hater than that won't work obviously, but if I was stuck somewhere without tahini and needed an easy sort-of-adequate-substitute that's what I'd use. 

Publix probably has tahini and I'm sure Whole Foods does, though. Ask the store manager, they might have it hiding in an unlikely spot in the store!

I made my own hummus the other day. I just smooshed up a can of chickpeas, added a tbsp oil and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic and chucked it all in the blender.

Not as high in calories as the store bought one because no tahini. My partner and I think it taste exactly the same though.