Zucchini Bites with Hummus

Hello everyone! I have a simple and delicious recipe to share with you today. I am so excited to be a featured blogger on Fit Mom Diet. I post a monthly health eating recipe, and this is the most recent one. One of my favorite things about summertime is the abundance of fresh veggies. I can never get enough! The hummus is flavorful and full of protein, a perfect match for the roasted zucchini. 

Zucchini Bites with Hummus

Serves 4 as a side dish, 6 as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained with liquid reserved
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• 2 tsp salt (optional)
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 zucchini
• 2 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
• Salt and pepper (optional)

To make the hummus:

1. In a food processor combine the garbanzo beans, tahini, salt if you are using it, lemon juice, garlic, and 1 tbsp of the olive oil.

2. Process until smooth. If it’s too thick, you may need to add up to 4 tbsp of the reserved liquid from the beans.

To roast the zucchini:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Slice zucchini on the diagonal, approximately 1/4 in thick.

3. Lightly coat zucchini slices with the remaining olive oil and season with salt (optional) and pepper.

4. Roast on a rimmed baking sheet for approximately 15-20min, or until tender. How long it takes will depend on how thick you slice the zucchini.

Combine:

1. Let zucchini cool to room temperature, top with a spoonful of hummus.

2. Sprinkle chopped parsley and lemon zest on top of the hummus.

3. Serve and enjoy!

This dish is good warm, but I believe the delicate lemon flavor is more pronounced when it’s served at room temperature. The hummus is even better if you make it a day ahead of time, but making before you serve it works well, too. If you anticipate having leftovers, I suggest storing the hummus and zucchini separate and combining just before you plan to serve it. I had extra hummus so I served it to my son with raw carrots and broccoli. He loved it!