When my friend Jami came to visit me from Colorado last summer, we had such a wonderful time. It was so nice showing someone from home where I live and what I do on the east coast. She is such a great person and I am constantly learning new and valuable things from her that I can do for my health.

So it was Jami who introduced me to Tahini. Now all I knew about Tahini at this point is that it is an essential ingredient in hummus, but she showed me it’s also super delicious on top of apples! It has so much protein that this is a wonderful snack choice; it keeps you full for a long time and tastes similar to nut butters.

**Excuse my poorly cut avocado pictured here

Jami also has an aunt who lives in Hawaii and is a personal chef there (um, live the dream much?) So when she was here she showed me the Black Bean hummus recipe her aunt taut her, and then we got creative and decided to make a spicy avocado one as well.

We ate it with Naan bread and cucumbers, much better alternatives to crackers, in both taste and nutrition (Whole Foods store brand Naan has 5g of fiber in the whole wheat variety!) It was honestly the best hummus I’d ever had, and to this day still is. I thought I’d share it with all of you, so you can impress everyone you know as well!

Make sure you get raw Tahini for the most nutritional value. My favorite brand is Once Again. Let me know if you like it, or other delicious ways you can eat it! I would love to hear some other ideas of how to enjoy it.

Spicy Avocado Hummus

1 cup white beans or chickpeas

2 large cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds

juice of half a lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 tablespoon tahini

1 avocado, diced

2 teaspoons Siracha

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until totally combined. Garnish with parsley and paprika, and serve with Naan bread and cucumber slices.