Almond Pulp Hummus from ‘Everyday Detox’

Every week, we’re celebrating cookbooks that serve up tasty recipes with your health in mind. Below, we’ve chosen an excerpt from Everyday Detox by Megan Gilmore (Ten Speed Press), which focuses on crowd-pleasing but digestion friendly recipes created with all-natural whole foods. Try making the recipes at home and let us know what you think! 

Photograph by Nicole Franzen

Almond Pulp Hummus
Serves 4 to 6

When you start making your own almond milk, you may find yourself with quite a bit of leftover almond pulp on your hands. This pulp can be dried and made into flour, but the process is time consuming and the resulting flour doesn’t always work well in recipes. Instead, this hummus calls for the wet pulp left over from making almond milk, so there’s no extra drying process involved. The resulting hummus has an extra dose of fiber and is easier to digest without the chickpeas found in traditional recipes. Serve with raw vegetables of your choice or Crispy Zucchini Chips.

1⁄₃ cup Raw Tahini
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 scant cup wet almond pulp, left over from making 1 batch of Homemade Almond Milk
¼ cup water

Combine the tahini, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, salt, and olive oil in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.

Add the almond pulp and water, then blend again until very smooth. For best flavor, place the hummus in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to ı week.

NOTE: A high-speed blender is best for breaking down the gritty texture of the almond pulp, but a food processor can also be used to prepare this hummus.

Homemade Almond Milk
Makes 4 cups

This is the nondairy milk I use more often than any other, as its neutral flavor works well in a variety of recipes. Because the pulp is strained out of the milk, it can be considered neutral for digestion purposes, but it still maintains plenty of nutrition from the almonds, including their monounsaturated fats, which have been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Be warned: once you try this homemade almond milk, you’ll never want to drink the store-bought stuff again.

1 cup almonds, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed well (see sidebar)
4 cups water

Combine the almonds and water in a high-powered blender and blend until the almonds are completely broken down.

Strain through a nut milk bag and store the milk in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to ı week. Natural separation may occur, so shake well before each use.

NOTE: If you use a lot of almond milk in your home, you can stretch your budget further by using a higher ratio of water to almonds. I’ll often use 6 cups of water, instead of 4, to save both time and money. The resulting milk is slightly less creamy, but the flavor difference is negligible in most recipes.

SOAKING FOR BETTER DIGESTION

If you find nuts and seeds particularly difficult to digest, soaking them may help. Nuts and seeds naturally contain enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid, which can prevent mineral absorption and cause digestive discomfort, but exposing them to moisture can help reduce or remove these substances by mimicking the germination process. Soaking times vary depending on the type of nut or seed used, but the overall process is the same. Simply cover the nuts or seeds in pure water to soak for the appropriate amount of time, then discard the soaking water and rinse well. Soaked nuts can be briefly stored in the fridge, but for best shelf life, dry them thoroughly. You can use a dehydrator to dry them for up to twenty-four hours, or use an oven at the lowest setting—at a temperature no higher than 150˚F—to keep the enzymes and delicate oils intact. Soaked nuts and seeds will plump and expand, so be sure to use a container that will accommodate the nuts or seeds swelling two to three times in volume. The recipes in this book typically call for dry nuts and seeds, so unless noted otherwise, make sure your ingredients are not wet for best results.

Recommended soaking time

Almonds: 8 hours

More healthy snacks:

Ina Garten’s Super-Simple Almond Appetizer

Jalapeño Poppers from ‘Lookbook Cookbook’

Hummus with White Miso